NU football ends season 6-4 in Freedom Football Conference
By David Armeson
Norwich Guidon staff writer
On a snowy Sabine Field, freshman Cadet linebacker Greg Abell picked
off a pass to end overtime in an action-packed inter-conference game.
The Cadets sent a very talented Western Connecticut team home with a loss
in their last ever FFC competition.
The Cadets football team ended their final season 6-4 in the soon-to-
be disbanded Freedom Football Conference, battling back from a shaky 0-3
start that would turn out to be one of the most exciting seasons in recent
history.
"Our 0-3 start was a gut check; seniors stepped up, and the team
realized that we got off to a bad start, and people really began to come
together," said Travis Dearborn, 21, a junior criminal justice major
from Bow, NH.
The first two opponents proved to be difficult, as they were both nationally-ranked
at the start of the season, but the Cadets fought through the tough losses
and came back ready to win.
"Every year, it seems like we start 0-3… but this year we have
a lot of guys that really came to play," said Kevin Sheridan, 23,
a senior political science major from Glastonbury, Conn.
They came to play, and play they did! The Cadets' next five games, three
of which were conference games, went untarnished for a five-game winning
streak, something that had not been done in 20 years. They romped through
the month of October with win after win, proving to be the caliber team
they knew they were.
"Every game we won, we just said, ‘one more,' so when we faced
Springfield, we went in five strong," Dearborn said.
The month of November posed a challenge for the much-improved Cadets,
with the toughest two in-conference games left to go.
The Cadets traveled to Massachusetts and held their own against a seventh-ranked
Springfield College team, but fell short 32-63.
"We were well prepared and ready to go, but they are a great team
and will go deep into the playoffs," said Chick Weir, 19, a sophomore
criminal justice major from Albany, NY.
The Cadets, then 5-4, shook off the loss with one more game to play at
home in front of an excited Norwich crowd.
Western Connecticut State University has always been a formidable opponent
in the FFC and came into their final game favored to win, something the
Cadets would not let happen.
"Going into the West Conn game, we were amped and ready to go. After
the Springfield game, everybody was bumming out, because we knew we could
beat them and went into the West Conn game saying, let's put the seniors
out with a ‘W,'" Weir said.
The Cadets did just that, upsetting Western Connecticut 33-26 at home
in overtime, improving their record to 6-4 in regular season play and
giving seniors their last victory on Sabine Field.
"It was crazy, with nine minutes left in the game, and I think the
whole team had some doubts, but we kicked a field goal and scored a touchdown,
and the next thing you know, it's overtime, and it was unbelievable. I
couldn't ask for a better game as a senior," Sheridan said.
Defeating Western Connecticut moved Norwich into second place in the
Freedom Football Conference, allowing an ECAC bowl bid. The Cadets will
play unknown foe Hobart College on Nov. 22, giving the seniors one last
game and boosting the Cadet team into next season.
"Norwich football is coming up in the ranks. We are not the old
Norwich that people think about not having any wins; we are just going
to keep building," Weir said.
Touching granite stone before each game continues
as tradition for football players
By Chase Jenne
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer
In college football there are many traditions teams have before taking
the field. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have different signs they hit
with their hand, while the Maryland Terrapins rub the head of a turtle
before hitting the field. The Norwich Cadets touch a shield imprinted
in a granite stone.
The Norwich shield has been a part of football for many years. It is
the emblem on the helmets and the jerseys which players wear with pride.
The stone is there to commemorate a solemn occasion. The coming year,
2004, will be the 20-year anniversary of the death of three Norwich football
players. The stone was dedicated to their memory as a part of the Norwich
football program.
Craig Howe, Willie Morrast and John Wallace III were victims of a deadly
1984 crash at Norwich. Along with their names are two phrases on each
side of the stone: "No life ends until all the lives it has touched
are gone," and, "The spirit, the will to win, the will to excel,
these are the qualities that endure."
One would think that as meaningful as the monument is, it would be known
by all of the Norwich football players. Well, it takes time for the players
to realize the tradition and what exactly it means and stands for.
"When I was a freshman, I just touched the stone before practice
out of habit. You see all of the upperclassmen doing it, and you're not
too sure what it is about," said J.J. Conboy, 22, a senior English
major from New Hampshire. J.J. is a four-year football veteran at Norwich
and captain of the team.
Most of the freshman football players coming up through the program do
not have any idea why they touch the stone when they hit the practice
field. But usually after training camp the coach gives the history on
the stone, and the players begin to understand and have a whole new respect
for Norwich football, said Conboy.
"Yeah, I really didn't know much about it until, I think, like,
the first game of the season, then Coach Yesalonia told us about it and
how we should all touch it before every practice and before games. So
I just followed in the footsteps of the upperclassmen, touching it every
day," said Eric Murphy, 21, a junior communications major from Fair
Haven, Vt.
It is true that if you have completed two full years as a Norwich Cadet
and plan on sticking it out for the full four years, you may be asked
to have the shield tattooed on yourself, explains Conboy.
"The team tattoo is a good team unity. It brings the team together,"
said Steven St. Amand, 19, a sophomore civil engineering student from
Rhode Island.
The veteran players who have the tattoo vote on the next group to be
marked.
"It makes for some tough decisions on voting night; there are so
many kids, but not everyone is asked to wear the shield. We vote on players
we feel give a 100% every day at practice and the ones we feel will be
here for their four years," said Conboy.
"The overall thought of the stone in the locker room is that you
realize the game is not bigger than your life," said Conboy. "And
we are all privileged to be here and playing football."
The stone in the locker room is just one facet to what holds the Norwich
football team together.
 
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