Thirteen returning starters to lead UMass Dartmouth
in hunt for New England Football Conference title

(Dartmouth, MA) - UMass Dartmouth head coach Bill Kavanaugh will build his 2002 Corsairs around nine returning starters on offense and four on defense as the Corsairs look to improve on last season's 6-3 overall record. Finishing third in the NEFC Bogan Division with a 3-2 record last season, the Corsairs were ranked #10 in the final New England Division III football poll.

"Our offense could be quite strong this season because I think we have good speed and experience, especially in the offensive line," said Kavanaugh, who is entering his 12th season at UMass Dartmouth with a career mark of 67-53. "We've made some adjustments on our offense because we lost some key players in the running game, but our strength is in our returning players."

The player UMass Dartmouth will count most heavily upon is junior quarterback John Falcone (Norwood, MA), last year's starter for the first six games until an injury cut short his season. In those six games, Falcone connected on 75 of 146 passes for 953 yards with eight TDs and eight interceptions.

"The offense will revolve around Falcone," said Kavanaugh. "We saw his athletic skills when he was healthy last year. After being a reserved player last year, he now realizes that he has to be a leader and he's really picked it up for us."

Protecting Falcone and opening holes for the running game will be the job of the Corsairs' offense line, which features an NEFC First Team All-Star. Senior Brandon Barry (Portsmouth, RI) is back for one more season following his selection last year as a New England Football Writer's Division II/III All Star. Joining Barry up front will be returning seniors co-captain Paul Tarallo (Mansfield, MA) at center, Nate Aronson (Falmouth, MA) at guard and Shaun Avery (Westboro, MA) at tackle. Senior Joe Sullivan (Dennis, MA) will see action at either guard or tackle, while junior Tom Rank (Branford, CT) has earned a starting job at right guard.

"We're not really deep on the offensive line, but we've got six guys who can play the five positions and most of them have plenty of experience," added Kavanaugh

If Falcone has time to throw, he's got plenty of targets to choose from, including one of the most exciting players in the NEFC this season. Senior co-captain Joe Sabina (Taunton, MA), a four-year starter for the Corsairs, will see plenty of action this season. An NEFC Second Team selection as a junior, Sabina was among the NEFC's statistical leaders last year. He was third in receiving with 4.8 catches per game. His 43 receptions for 705 yards led the Corsairs, as did his eight TDs.

"We're going to try to get the ball to Sabina in as many ways possible because he's an exciting player," said Kavanaugh. "We'll throw it to him and he's going to return punts and kickoffs as well."

In addition to Sabina, the Corsairs' receiving corps includes senior Jay Marino (Revere, MA) (eight catches, 131 yards, one TD) and junior Matt O'Day (Westminster, MA) (26 catches, 302 yards, two TDs). Sophomore tight end Cameron Barker (Palm Bay, FL) (15 catches, 220 yards, two TDs) had a solid first season and will again be part of the Corsairs' passing attack.

UMass Dartmouth will have a different type of running game this season following the graduation of Shane Harris last season. Three players will rotate through the starting lineup according to Kavanaugh with each of them seeing action. Junior Shawn Theriault (Wakefield, MA) is the most experienced after picking up 244 yards and two TDs (4.2 average) in limited action last year. Junior Eric Gaccione (Westerly, RI) (22 carries, 116 yards, one TD) will also get a chance in the starting rotation, along with freshman Wayne Homol (Swansea, MA).

On the defensive side, UMass Dartmouth has four starters returning and a host of experienced players who will be moving into starting positions this season.

"With a pair of captains in senior co-captains Chris Landreville (Portsmouth, RI) and Mike Marino (Revere, MA) at linebacker, along with junior Phil Rashkovetsky (Newton, MA) up front those are our key players," said Kavanaugh. "We're a little untested, so we need to see how people respond to a starting role."

The defense will be built around a deep and talented linebacking corps including Landreville and Marino, plus junior Tom Mahoney (Pawtucket, RI). In the defensive backfield, junior Tom Koska (New Bedford, MA) (6th in NEFC with 4 Int.) is a returning starter along with junior Chad Pimental (Dartmouth, MA), junior Mike Tieuli (Milford, MA) and Matt O'Day. The Corsair coaches expected a pair of first-year players, Louis Lopes (Norwood, MA) and freshman Mike Bleakley, to see some time this season.

Joining Rashkovetsky on the defensive front line will be sophomore Grant Hajder (Swansea, MA) and junior Joshua Creelman (Auburn, MA), with junior Matt Burke (Rockland, MA) sophomore Tom Akillian (Easton, MA, senior Andre Striker (Medford, MA) and sophomore Dave Richard (Medford, MA).

"For our defense, the first four games are going to be a real challenge," said Kavanaugh. "By the end of September, we're going to know what kind of team we're going to have. Our offense is going to have to help our defense early on."

The return of senior placekicker/punter Brian West (Raynham, MA) was a welcome surprise for the Corsairs this season. West played for the Corsairs in 1999 and earned NEFC First Team honors as both punter and kicker. For that season, West connected on 17 of 21 conversions and made seven of 11 field goal attempts, including a pair of 38-yarders. His 37.6-yard average was tops in the conference among punters. After two seasons at the University of Southern Mississippi, West has returned to UMass Dartmouth for his final year of eligibility and will handle all of the kicking duties.

"The key to our season is to eliminate our mistakes and develop a better overall team attitude said Kavanaugh of his 2002 Corsairs. "We had some bad penalties and fumbles which really hurt us at key moments last season."

UMass Dartmouth opens with a non-conference game at Fitchburg State on Sept. 7, before hosting Plymouth State in the home opener on Friday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. The Corsairs first four home games will be played at Bishop Stang High School's Carney Stadium.

The Corsairs travel to Bridgewater State on Sept. 21, before hosting Curry College in their NEFC Bogan Division opener on Saturday, September 28.

Jim Mullins
Administrative Assistant
UMass Dartmouth Athletic Department
285 Old Westport Road
Dartmouth, MA 02747-2300
Phone: (508) 910-6930
Fax: (508) 999-8867
Email: jmullins@umassd.edu