Kicking in his share in wins
Brian Harvey beat out three other freshman to be the No. 1 kicker for the University of Maine football team. On Saturday, the former Wayland High standout booted the game-winning extra point in the Black Bears' 41-40 double-overtime victory against Hofstra.
Harvey (inset), who kicked a 40-yard field goal in the first half against Iowa on his first collegiate attempt, ranks eighth in scoring in the Colonial Athletic Association with an average of 4.7 points per game. Going into yesterday's game against visiting Northeastern, Harvey was 5 for 10 on field goals and 18 for 19 on extra points.
"This was a year when we heavily recruited kickers and punters because frankly, our kicking game had cost us some wins," said Maine head coach Jack Cosgrove, whose team was 4-3 overall. "We put our four incoming placekickers through a competition and the thing that stuck out with Brian was he had great times getting his kicks away.
"Brian started out slowly as a field-goal kicker, just one for his first five, but we challenged him to stay with it going into the Richmond game and I was very impressed with his mental toughness," added Cosgrove. "It was time for him to step up and he did."
Harvey was a two-time Dual County League All-Star and Special Teams Player of the Year at Wayland High and holds the school record for the longest field goal (49 yards). Harvey played a key role in the Warriors' run to the Division 1A Super Bowl crown in 2006 and back-to-back DCL titles.
Carbon (inset) had appeared in 17 games, 13 as a starter, and had compiled an 12-1-0 record for the River Hawks (16-3, 16-1 Northeast-10). The team clinched the conference title for the sixth straight year on Wednesday after a 4-0 win over Saint Anselm. Auld, one of the first players off the bench, had scored four goals in 15 games.
"We really liked Amy coming out of Bellingham High because of her size (5-foot-10), athleticism, and fitness," said head coach Shannon Hlebichuk. "She has the ability to intimidate the shooter and she gets good distance when she clears the ball. Amy still has things to work on, but is improving every day."
"Abby knew coming in, it would be a competitive situation because we're a high-scoring team that was returning all its forwards," added Hlebichuk. "Although she's a role player, she competes very hard and challenges our defenders every day in practice. We expect big things from her before her college career is over."
Kate Hickey, a sophomore goalkeeper from Medway - who competed against Carbon in the Tri-Valley League - is also on the roster, but has been sidelined after undergoing knee surgery.
They are joined on the squad by sophomore outside linebacker Ben Roopenian of Sudbury and a trio of freshmen: defensive end Herman Brito of Wayland, wide receiver Sushil Trevedi of Norfolk, and outside linebacker Marc Thompson of Framingham.
"Conor is one of our most physical tacklers, who had two interceptions in our win over Williams. He's a tremendous leader," said Trinity head coach Jeff Devanney. "Ben is one of the smartest players I've coached in eight seasons at Trinity and he can play three positions on defense."
Last weekend, Sherry sparked the Bantams with a pair of fake-punt rushes on fourth downs that accounted for 72 total yards during a 40-16 win vs. Bowdoin.
Roopenian, who did not play as a freshman because of shoulder surgery, is the long snapper for punts, Brito has made the regular rotation at his position while Trevedi and Thompson are regarded as players with "lots of upside" by Devanney.
Amherst, which also defeated 9th-ranked and previously undefeated Tufts two weeks ago, extended its unbeaten streak to 10 games and was 8-1-2 going into yesterday's NESCAC first-place showdown with Williams.
Marvin Pave can be reached at 508-820-4223 or at marvin.pave@rcn.com. 