Coach Skip Bandini has led Curry to a 12-0 record, but the Colonels will face a stiff challenge against St. John Fisher.
(PATRICIA McDONNELL/FOR THE GLOBE)
MILTON - For the first time in school history, the Curry College Colonels have advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division 3 tournament. They rolled over Empire 8 champion Hartwick, 42-21, last week, and now the New England Football Conference champions are prepping for tomorrow's game against another Empire 8 foe, St. John Fisher.
"There's no pregame prep talks in the locker room with this team. All we do is talk about execution on the football field and if we do that, we'll be fine," said Curry coach Skip Bandini.
Curry (12-0) hasn't skipped a beat this season.
"We set our goals high every year, but we take it one game at a time. Our goal this week is to win our game [tomorrow]," said Bandini.
St. John Fisher (10-1), which beat Hobart, 24-7, last week to advance, is ranked No. 1 in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Lambert Meadowlands Division 3 poll. Curry is ranked sixth.
Comparing both teams' NCAA Tournament history, SJF has the edge by a landslide. The Cardinals are 5-2 in the tournament from 2004-07. Last year they fell to Mount Union in the national semifinals, 26-14, after beating Union, Springfield, and Rowan.
The Colonels are 1-4 from 2003-07, dropping every first-round game until last Saturday.
Interestingly, the Cardinals' lone loss this season was to Hartwick, 31-28, Sept. 29.
None if this matters to the Colonels, though.
"We have a saying around here, 'If you live in the past, you have no future.' Forget what you did yesterday and achieve your goal today," said Bandini.
What Curry is focusing on is cleaning up mistakes.
"A key role is to reduce penalties, [have] no turnovers, and make big plays," said the second-year coach.
It only took 15 seconds for the tone to be set against Hartwick, as Tim Bloniasz dodged Hawk after Hawk for an 83-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Curry is hoping to do the same against the Cardinals.
However, penalties have haunted the Colonels, averaging 100 yards per game.
Injuries are another concern. Sophomore running back Jamaal Woods left in the middle of last week's game with a knee injury. Regarding an injury report, Bandini said, "Everybody is day-to-day right now."
Woods and junior Steve DiFabio have led the rushing attack, averaging 85.9 and 64.5 yards, respectively.
Curry has shined offensively behind junior quarterback Ryan Van De Giesen, who is 179 for 327 passing for 2,422 yards and 30 touchdowns, and has 98 carries for 448 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Senior defensive lineman Nino Nunziante (eight sacks) and senior defensive end William Chiccarelli (eight) have stormed the defensive lines along with Bloniasz.
Home-field advantage has been key for the Colonels, who have won 29 straight at Walter M. Katz Field.
But Curry will travel eight hours to Pittsford, N.Y., without 1,000-plus Curry fans.
"I think being at home helps with the fans, but the factor is mastering in all three phases of the game: special teams, defense, and offense. If we do all of those, we should be fine."
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.
