BANGOR, Maine — There will always be the sting of a heartbreaking playoff loss.
It took a field goal on the last play of regulation to force overtime and prevent Bangor’s Husson University Eagles from winning its first NCAA Division III Tournament game on Saturday.
The undefeated Engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, also participating in its first NCAA playoff game, left the Winkin Complex in Bangor with a 27-20 overtime victory and a berth in the second round.
But Husson head coach Gabby Price and his players recognized that they had a special season and have something to build on for next season.
The team wound up 8-2 overall, 7-0 in the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference.
“We won the conference championship, we got into the [NCAA] playoffs, and we got home field advantage,” said sophomore safety Kenny Sweet, who notched his team-high sixth and seventh interceptions of the season against MIT.
“We were one of just 32 teams to make the playoffs, and that’s a big thing. We definitely put Husson football on the map,” he said.
Price is proud of his players.
“I’m very thankful that I had the opportunity to coach them,” said Price, who is in the second year since returning to guide the program that he and Husson administrators resurrected in 2002.
Price left in 2008 after leading the Eagles to a 7-3 season and a berth in the ECAC Northeast Bowl.
He said the biggest area of improvement in his team was its competitive nature on a daily basis in practices and games, which led to the development of valuable depth.
“We certainly hope this season helps us in recruiting. We want to recruit some great players who love to play to make things even more competitive and develop depth,” he said. “We want to make sure every class is strong. This league keeps getting better.”
The Eagles have a solid nucleus returning, including nine starters on defense along with quarterback Joe Seccareccia, record-setting running back and ECFC Rookie of the Year John Smith and leading receiver Deon Wiggins.
“We’re going to work even harder next year to accomplish our goals,” said Smith, who set the Husson single-season record with 1,408 rushing yards and a 140.8 yards per game average.
“We have some good set pieces [returning]. We’ll see what we can do,” said sophomore linebacker Ellis Throckmorton, who led the team with 90 tackles, 20 ½ tackles for losses and 5 ½ sacks.
Throckmorton headlines a defense that will lose safety Stephan Dance, the ECFC Defensive Player of the Year, who was second on the team in tackles with 74 and had two interceptions, and end Nelson Perez (28 tackles, 10 for lost yards, three sacks).
Tackles Luke Washburn (31 tackles, eight for losses) and Matt Pellerin (40, three sacks) and ends Jeff Turcotte (32 tackles, four sacks) and Ian Palmer (22 tackles) will be back. Washburn missed the MIT game because of injury. The line also will be bolstered by the return of nose guard Tarik Smith, a freshman who played three games before being sidelined for the rest of the season by injury.
Bryant Wade (45 tackles) and Alonzo Connor (21) will join Throckmorton in the linebacking corps and Sweet (31 tackles, seven interceptions, six pass breakups) will head up the secondary along with Rick Orio (39 tackles, three interceptions), Marquis Jimenez (23 tackles, two interceptions, 11 pass breakups) and Jordan Hersom (21 tackles, two interceptions).
Throckmorton and Dance were All-ECFC first-team picks, while Pellerin, Washburn and Sweet were second-team selections.
The team will have to replace five starters in the offensive line including ECFC Offensive Lineman of the Year and All-ECFC first-team guard Alex Young. Tight end Caleb King, a second team pick, tackle Dan Considine, center Alex Martin-Wallace and guard Val Honore also will graduate.
All-ECFC first team tackle Matt Archer will return, and Price said “we have a great bunch [of backups] returning.”
He was referring to freshman tight end D.J. Allen, sophomore tackles Jim Osgood and Jon Walker, sophomore guards Seth Batty and Nick Lewis and junior center Tyler Lyle.
Wide receiver Ryan Stroud (28 catches-381 yards, three TDs) and All-ECFC first team return specialist Shabashe McIntosh, who averaged 21.3 yards per kickoff return and 10.4 yards per punt return, also will depart. Stroud was the punter, averaging 34.8 yards per punt.
Seccareccia was an All-ECFC second-team quarterback after completing 122 of 245 passes for 1,490 yards and 14 touchdowns. He threw 10 interceptions. He also ran for 201 yards on 68 carries. Sophomore Logan Steward was the second leading rusher behind Smith with 405 yards on 94 carries and six TDs, and fellow sophomore Kyle McKinnon had 168 yards on 53 carries.
Wiggins will be back, and he led the team in receptions with 33 for 491 yards and six TDs, including two terrific TD receptions against MIT. Josiah Hartley (20 catches-278 yards, three TDs), Seccareccia’s former Bangor High teammate, also will be back at wide receiver, and Joe Farrell (8-for-118) returns after seeing duty at tight end.
Placekicker Josh Gray (35-for-41 in extra points, 2-2 in field goals) will be back.