Eastern Athletic Conference football capsules
BISHOP CONNOLLY
Coach: Frank Sherman (fifth, 10-29).
Last year's record: 3-8
Playing surface: Grass.
Football website: bishopconnolly.com
Returning starters (12): Josh Botvin, RB/LB, 5-9 165, Sr.; Gregory Champlin, RB/DB, 5-9 170, Sr.; Donald Devlin, RB/DB, 5-11 160, Sr.; Andrew Ferry, C/LB, 5-8 170, Sr.; Richard Fitzgerald, DE, 6-0 170, Sr.; Matt Marujo, FB/LB, 5-11 220, Sr.; Eric Menard, RB/LB, 5-9 161, Sr.; Michael Quinn, WR, 6-4 155, Sr.; Christopher Raymond, QB/LB, 5-9 190, Sr.; Renat Romero, WR, 5-9 184, Sr.; Scott Maille, OL/DL, 6-2 315, So.; Alex Paiva, OL/DL, 6-3 285, So.
Returning letter winners (6): Evan Maille, OL/DL, Sr.; Borden Selic, OL/DL, Jr.; Matthew Cantwell, WR/OLB, Jr.; Chard Freitas, OL, Jr.; Matthew Kimpel, DE, Jr.; Brett Duarte, QB/DB, So.
Strength: Senior leadership.
Concerns: Overall size.
Outlook: A new season brings hope, and new faces, to the Cougar squad as they are now cooping with the town of Westport. The additional players will undoubtedly boost the depth of one of the smaller programs in the Eastern Athletic Conference. "The numbers we had last year were low and we just got tired and beat late in the game," Sherman said. "The depth will help us out greatly." Sherman pointed to a recent intra-squad scrimmage, where the Cougars fielded 22 players for the first time during his tenure, as proof that the program is the strongest it's been in recent years. At quarterback during that scrimmage was sophomore Brett Duarte, a player with the ability to throw well and scramble, a good fit for Sherman's offense. "We run a wide open offense with four or five wide receivers," Sherman said. Among those receivers are seniors Michael Quinn and Renat Romero, both of whom are "catching everything they can," according to Sherman. The Cougars will field a large defensive line -- sopomore tckles Aex Piva and Scot Maill bring combind 600 pounds to the trenches, making it difficult for any team to run against Sherman and his crew.
BISHOP FEEHAN
Coach: Tony Wood (second year).
Last year's record: 2-9.
Playing surface: Grass.
Football website: bishopfeehan.com
Returning starters (8): Mike McGowan, QB, 6-1, 170, Sr.; Nicholas Schwieger, RB/DB, 5-11 190, Sr.; Kyle Schmidt, OL/LB, 6-3, 190, Sr.; Chris Harris, OL, 6-4, 220, Sr.; Chris Paine, OL, 6-0, 220, Sr.; Chris Vilandre, OL, 6-5, 240, Sr.; Jake Curren, OL, 6-0, 250, Sr.; Brian Webb, DB, 5-8, 165, Jr.
Returning letter winners (6): Jason Brown, DL, Jr.; Brian Gallagher, DB, Jr.; Chris Taylor, RB, Jr.; Tom Effler, Jr.; Pat Legare, Sr.; Matt Boulter, Jr.
Strengths: Senior leadership.
Concerns: Overall depth.
Outlook: The Shamrocks fell hard last year, but it appears - with a massive amount of senior leadership and a qualified returning core - that a possible return to glory is in their midst. Super Bowl winners from 2001-2004, Bishop Feehan also has a much more comfortable and acclimated coach at the helm. "I had a year to spend in the classroom with the kids," Wood said, who enters his 30th year as a head coach. "The seniors are really taking charge. They're doing a good job. It's my second year with the coaching staff, too. I'm looking forward to it." It can't hide the talent in the EAC, though. "I don't know how tough it's going to be," Wood admitted. "But I do know it's a very competitive league with great schools."
BISHOP STANG
Coach: William Kavanaugh (first season).
Last year's record: 9-1.
Playing surface: Grass.
Football website: bishopstang.com.
Returning starters (8): Robert Gianferante, QB-FS, 5-8, 180, Sr.; Walter Butler, ILB, 6-2 190, Sr.; Jack Gomes, ILB, 6-0 205, Sr.; Matt Mckinnon, OLB, 5-8 175, Sr.; Lenny Simmons, OG/DT, 6-2 295, Sr.; Eric Robichaud, 6-2 215, OT/DE, Sr.; Jim Tenaglia, OT/DT, 6-0 230, Sr.; Matt Ranzinger, SE/DB, 6-1 195, Sr.
Returning letter winners (2): Andrew Armstrong, DRB, Jr.; Jeff Speroni, LB, Jr.
Strength: Leadership.
Concerns: Depth in secondary..
Outlook: Key pieces of last years playoff team are gone, and some new faces have arrived to the division champions. William Kavanaugh comes to Stang after 17 years of coaching college ball at UMass-Dartmouth, and with him a new offense and mindset for the team ousted by eventual Superbowl champions Foxboro. "We'll throw the ball a little bit more, we'll no longer be a wishbone team," Kavanaugh said. "It's going to be an adjustment for the kids to learn this offense." Former All-Scholastic Josh Weinstein has left, placing the ball-carrying duties in the hands of McKinnon, Butler and Gomes. Anyone of those three will join Rob Gianferante in the backfield, Stang's quarterback and returning starter. There are little worries in Kavanaugh's mind that his team won't be able to adjjust to his new offense, "Football is football, and kids are kids. So far, the transition has been fine."
COYLE-CASSIDY
Coach: Tom Pileski (second year).
Last year's record: 0-11.
Playing surface: Grass.
Football website: coylecassidy.com.
Returning starters (9): Vincent DeSilva, OG/OT, 5-7 190, Jr.; Dennis Doherty, WR/DB, 5-9 150, Jr.; Ryan Foley, RB/DB, 6-0 170, Jr.; Chris Hemmer, OG/LB, 5-7 180, Sr.; Conor Henry, QB/DB, 6-1 175, Jr.; Ben Kwiatkowski, TW/LB, 5-10 180, Jr.; Matt Lima, OT/DT, 5-10 225, Jr.; Adam Medeiros, OT/DT, 6-2 230, Sr.; Justin Miller, RB/LB, 6-2 185, Jr.
Returning letter winners (4): Kyle Ackerman, FB/LB, Jr.; Steven Ayala, OG/LB, Sr.; Andrew Murphy, WR/LB, Sr.; Joesph Tutini, OT/DT, Sr.
Strength: Quarterback and Receivers.
Concerns: Offensive and defensive lines.
Outlook: The Warriors have been hitting the gym hard after a winless 2006, "Our off season conditioning program should pay dividends," Pileski said, "We are much stronger now than in the past." A stronger team, Pileski contends, should lead to better physical play (and more wins). With that mindset, the Warriors are gearing up for there first game of the season against Middleboro, hoping to never see a 12th consecutive loss. "We gotta win the first one, that's the most important thing," Pileski said. Leading from the backfield is returning quarterback Conor Henry, the centerpiece of an offense that threw approximately 300 times last year. Henry has plenty of options to throw towards, particularly returning starters Dennis Doherty and Ryan Foley. Coyle-Cassidy is good defensively, particularly in the secondary and linebackers. However, a defensive line comprised mostly of sophomores and juniors will be a problem, and perhaps make this team susceptible to the run.
SOMERSET
Coach: Jesse McKinnon (third year, 6-15).
Last year's record: 6-4.
Playing surface: Grass.
Football website: somerset.k12.ma.us/high.
Returning starters (5): Andrew Gauthier, QB/FS, 5-9 175, Sr.; Billy Huard, 5-10 170, RB/CB, Sr.; Austin Brough, OG/LB, 5-9 215, Sr.; Nate Tattersall, TE/DE, 6-0 185, Sr.; Jeremy Mello, WR/QB, 5-8 155, Sr.
Returning letter winners (5): Bud Palmer, RB/LB, Sr.; Matt Summers, RB/LB, Sr.; Ryan Dunn, OG/LB, Sr.; Dennis Pritchard, TE/ DE, Jr.; Evan Carlos, OT/DT, Jr.
Strength: Team speed at the skills positions and senior leadership.
Concerns: Backfield and offensive line.
Outlook: Coming off of a winless season, McKinnon and his program entered 2006 with nowhere to go but up -- and they did, finishing with a winning record. Now they face a tougher task, replacing a backfield that rushed for 2700 yards in 2007. "We can't be complacent this year," McKinnon said. "We have to take all that positive energy that surrounded our team and our program and build on that this season." Returning quarterback Andrew Gauthier will lead an explosive offense that features to all-conference sprinters for Somerset's track and field team, junior Jesse Perrin and senior Billy Huard. Both are very fast and tough to bring down, McKinnon said. On defense, Somerset runs an 8-man front that features returning all-conference players in Nate Tattersall (20 sacks in 2006) and the very smart, very tough Dennis Pritchard at defensive end. The winless season now two years behind them, Somerset is poised to make a move in the Eastern Athletic Conference. Compiled by Matt Foster 
