Landry delivers for Curry College

Franklin High grad Paul Polomski led Bryant in tackles this season.

Bellingham High graduate Norman Landry hauled in arguably the biggest reception in the history of Curry College football last Saturday in upstate New York.

The freshman receiver from Blackstone snared a 12-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Ryan Van De Giesen with 32 seconds left to lead the seventh-seeded Colonels to a 26-21 upset over second-seeded Ithaca College (9-2) in the first round of the NCAA Division 3 playoffs.

Curry, which last season registered the first NCAA playoff win ever by a New England Football Conference program by defeating Hartwick College, will play third-seeded Cortland State in the regional semifinals on Saturday at noon.

Landry ranks fifth on the team with 18 receptions for 324 yards and five touchdowns. His 71-yard TD against Endicott was Curry's second-longest of the season.

"Norman has been a pleasant surprise for us this year," said Curry head coach Skip Bandini. "He has seen a good deal of playing time because of his ability and work ethic. We expect really great things from him in the future."

Other players with local roots who are in the rotation for Curry include sophomore defensive end Sean Pike (Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) and junior defensive back Jaime Santiago (Waltham High).

Also on the roster are freshman defensive back Christopher Haddad (Bellingham High), sophomore fullback Andrew Supple (Marian High), sophomore defensive lineman Nicholas Bodge (Shrewsbury High), sophomore offensive lineman Kevin Fair (Natick High) and sophomore defensive lineman Joseph Aswad (Newton North).

Local players assist in Bryant's 7-4 season

Linebackers Paul Polomski of Franklin, Jason Riffe of Newton, and Nick Candito of West Boylston and offensive lineman Pete Krafka of Milford were productive starters for Bryant University of Smithfield, R.I.

The Bulldogs, a former Division 2 team, finished 7-4 in its first season in Division 1's Football Championship Subdivision (formerly 1-AA) after defeating St. Francis University, 23-0, last Saturday in Pennsylvania.

Polomski, a junior who played at Franklin High, led the Bulldogs this season with 67 tackles, while adding 3 sacks, 3 interceptions, a pass breakup and a quarterback hit. Riffe, a sophomore out of Newton North High, was fourth in tackles (48) and had two sacks and two pass breakups. Candito, a junior who attended St. John's High, ranked 10th with 29 stops and had an interception and a sack.

"Paul has been as steady as they come, Jason stepped up big after we lost a starter to injury and Nick is a tireless worker," said Bryant head coach Marty Fine. "And Pete has been our most steady offensive lineman." Krafka attended Bishop Feehan High.

Captain and starting fullback Bryan Wood (Westborough High) played eight games, but was out late in the season with an injury. "Bryan had a tremendous career at Bryant," added Fine. "He was a great influence on and off the field."

Also on the roster were junior quarterback Zack Norley (Lincoln-Sudbury Regional), sophomore quarterback James Mullane (Hudson High), freshman running back Eloma Johnson (Franklin High), freshman special teams player Pat Polomski (Franklin High) and freshman wide receiver James Meyer (Wayland High).