Golden efforts

In a program renowned for producing outstanding backs, Chris Sharpe stands alone.

Arguably the most decorated athlete ever at Springfield College, the senior quarterback is the only player in program history to surpass 4,000 career rushing yards.

In the final game of his career, the 5-foot-9, 204-pound Sharpe delivered yet another extraordinary performance, rushing for 276 yards and three touchdowns while throwing for a career-high 166 yards and two more scores in a 54-42 Empire 8 win over Norwich.

On Wednesday, Sharpe collected the fourth weekly Gold Helmet Award of his record-setting career from the New England College Football Writers Association at Harvard. The former Pinkerton Academy star and Derry, N.H. native finished the season with an Empire 8 Conference-best 1,360 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns, averaging 5.7 yards per carry.

"My offensive line deserves a lot of credit, they do all the work in front of me," said Sharpe, who has one more game in his collegiate career, the Aztec Bowl, a Division 3 All-Star Game, on Dec. 8 in Mexico.

"What's remarkable about those stats is you saw what defenses were doing to take Chris away," said Springfield coach Mike DeLong, who owns more career wins (150) than any Division 3 coach in New England history. "Most defenses were really trying to get the ball out of his hands.

"We've had some pretty good backs, but he basically holds every offensive record that we have. But more important than any stats, is the type of person he is, as a leader and captain. He makes every person around him better, whether it is on the field, or off the field. He is truly a scholar-athlete."

Sharpe, honored with the Melberger Award a year ago as the Division 3 National Player of the Year when he rushed for 1,941 yards and an astonishing 35 touchdowns, finishes with 4,152 rushing yards. Among his records, he will graduate as the program's all-time leader in total offense (5,723 yards) and points (432).

"Every year, you say that you won't be able to replace someone," said DeLong, who just completed his 26th season. "But truly, we're going to miss Chris Sharpe."

Brown University sophomore receiver Bobby Sewall earned the Division 1 Gold Helmet. In a 56-35 Ivy League win over Dartmouth, Sewall delivered a stellar performance: rushing for 144 yards and four touchdowns on 14 carries and hauling in 18 catches for another 141 yards. He also threw a 41-yard touchdown pass just before halftime and played free safety on Dartmouth's final offensive series.

The Portsmouth, R.I. native is the only Division 1 player to rush and catch for 140 yards in the same game this season and his 18 receptions are fourth all-time in program history.

As impressive as his rushing and receiving totals were, Brown quarterbacks coach James Perry noted that Sewall's 41-yard touchdown pass to the goal line just before halftime, on a reverse, "was remarkable, it was right on the mark," said Perry. "People will come up to me when they see that he's listed as a backup quarterback for us too, and he is. "