Williams dominated Amherst 21-0 in The Biggest Little Game in America. The Ephs now lead the series 76-57-5.
Decisively Defensive
Saturday’s victory relied on a standout defensive performance. Amherst penetrated the red zone only once, giving the ball up on downs in the fourth quarter. The Ephs held the Mammoths to 4 of 11 on third down and 0 of 3 on fourth, and tallied 4 sacks. Holden Gering had two interceptions on the day to bring his season tally to five, 2nd in NESCAC. Freshman Andrew Kreakie added another pick.
A Perfect Grind
The Williams offense played carefully conservative football with no turnovers on the day and just one penalty. The Ephs pounded out 162 yards rushing, including two touchdowns by Owen Johansen from the wildcat formation. The sophomore added a key third-down pass completion of 16 yards to sophomore Will Baker in the fourth quarter. Two plays later senior QB Jack Dickinson posted a 39-yard scoring strike to sophomore Brady Stahelski, sealing the Williams victory.
Truly Special Teams
On a critical play in the 2nd quarter sophomore punter Leonardo Maiuolo boomed a 51-yarder that was mishandled by Amherst and recovered by Williams, leading to the Ephs’ second touchdown. Leo averaged 39 yards on 7 punts for the day and finished the season with a 40-yard average, 2nd in NESCAC.
The Ephs bid adieu to four-year starter Ivan Shuran, the best Eph kicker ever, who went 3-3 on PATs Saturday. Shuran finished this season a perfect 9 for 9 on field goals, had the longest kick of the year in NESCAC at 47 yards, and now holds essentially all Eph kicking records.
NESCAC Wrap-Up
Wesleyan finished the season 8-1, followed by Trinity and Tufts at 7-2 and Middlebury at 6-3. Williams stands alone at 5-4, followed by Colby at 4-5, Bowdoin at 3-6, then Bates and Amherst at 2-7. Hamilton closed 2024 with a win to finish 1-8.
Of the Ephs four losses this year, three were by a total of 7 points (to Middlebury by 3 in OT, Tufts by 3, Wesleyan by 1). The average margin of victory in the Ephs’ wins was 17 points.
Here We Come
Williams opens next season at Hamilton on September 13. The Ephs return 8 offensive and 8 defensive starters, including 6 sophomores and 4 freshmen.