In a tradition unlike any other, the Williams College football squad downed Amherst for the third straight time - celebrating with another historic walk up Spring Street. The final score was 20-10 from Farley Lamb Field, featuring a homecoming crowd second to none in enthusiasm.
On Williams' opening drive - after a 3rd down sack by Ian Devine to force a punt - the Ephs capitalized on a short field with a touchdown rush from senior quarterback and captain Dan Vaughn. This came after a huge 4th and 1 conversion deep into Amherst territory. 7-0 Ephs.
Amherst on the next drive went 3 and out, but got the ball back quickly after Vaughn was intercepted on a tipped ball over the middle. Amherst capitalized on the short field and turnover, scoring a touchdown of their own on a pass caught along the end line from QB Mike Piazza to Carson Ochsenhi. The PAT was good and the score was even at 7 at the end of the first quarter.
The Mammoths scored on their next possession as well, this time a field goal from 27 yards halfway through the second quarter by kicker Conor Kennelly. 10-7 Amherst. This was the last score before the half.
On Williams' first possession of the second half, they made a tremendous running effort - a handful of first downs by senior back Joel Nicholas and QB Dan Vaughn. Both rushers punctured the Amherst defense with downhill running, following off the backs of the offensive line that had incredible push the entire game.
Joel Nicholas - a staple in the Ephs offensive effort throughout his time in the purple and gold, went out in star fashion. He finished the game with 206 yards on the ground, a season high for the Ephs, and 18 yards receiving. Incredibly, he averaged 6.2 yards per carry.
Vaughn racked up 90 yards of his own on the ground, including his first quarter touchdown and a number of other critical first downs.
This first possession was capped off by a shallow over the middle by a motioning Mike DeGasperis, caught with room to run and he punched it into the end zone over two Amherst defenders for a 29-yard score. He finished the game with 3 catches, one of which a one-handed snag on another crossing route, for 48 yards. 14-10 Williams.
DeGasperisx said after the game, "The game was a ton of fun - through thick and thin this team never wavered and we stayed together the entire season. I think that really showed today, and it means a lot to the seniors to end on a high note."
Amherst struggled on offense to get anything going, with many drives thwarted after a few plays - adding just 70 total yards in the second half. The Mammoths racked up 174 total yards, compared to Williams' 351 yards of offense.
Captain Ian Devine said after the game, "We didn't make too many adjustments game plan wise in the second half, just honed in our focus and discipline as a unit. Everyone came out of halftime with an extra level of execution and it paid off."
As the game began to near completion, Amherst dove into their bag of tricks to scrap together some points. On a trick play, wide-receiver pass, the passer was hurried by junior defensive lineman Calvin Jackson, forcing an errant throw that was intercepted by senior Chaz Cotton. This was a huge momentum swing that gave Williams the momentum to put the game away.
On the next possession, the Ephs drove down the field into Amherst territory, setting up sophomore standout kicker Ivan 'Ice Man" Shuran for a 24-yard field goal to extend the lead 17-10 with 8 minutes left to play.
Amherst got the ball back, and was forced to punt after a huge third down stop by the Ephs defense.
With time winding down, Williams drove deep into Amherst territory. With thirty seconds left on the clock, Shuran knocked in another field goal from goal-to-go-distance. This is where he gets the nickname from, icing the game for the Ephs and sending the home fans into a frenzy.
Eoph head coach Mark Raymond was immensely porud of this team's performance noting, "I'm glad for these guys, they deserved it." They worked their tails off all year for this."
Asked the key to the game Raymond offered, "This team prepared for this and they went through the ups and downs, kept making plays, and we ran the ball. We stopped the run and that's what tough guys do." A smile crossed Raymond's face as he watched his team assemble at the Stone Gate entrance to Farley-Lamb Field to embark on "The Walk," noted by Sports Illustrated as "The Best Post-Game celebration in America."
The entirety of Williamstown watched the Eph team take their walk up Spring Street.
Williams finished the season 3-6, ending the season on the highest of notes, while Amherst ended the season at 2-7.
Original source can be found here.
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