< < back to News Releases

 

Date: October 2, 2004
Contact: Bill Sodoma

 

COLBY FOOTBALL WINS HOME OPENER OVER MIDDLEBURY

WATERVILLE, Maine --- Colby College quarterback Justin Smith (Rockland,

Mass.) was 20-for-29 and threw for 242 yards in leading the Mules to a

23-6 victory over Middlebury College in New England Small College Athletic

Conference football Saturday at Seaverns Field.

Colby first-year head coach Ed Mestieri earned his first coaching victory.

Mestieri was an assistant coach for the Mules for the past 15 years.

The Mules (1-1) led 16-0 at halftime behind two first-half touchdowns by

Nial DeMena (Scarborough, Maine) and a 22-yard field goal by John Goss

(Shrewsbury, Mass.). DeMena scored from 1-yard out with 2:41 left in the

opening quarter. After the field goal by Goss with 8:50 to halftime, the

Mules got a key touchdown when Smith hit DeMena on a 10-yard pass play

with just 30 seconds to intermission.

Middlebury (1-1) got on the board with a 3-yard pass play from quarterback

Mike Keenan (Rutland, Vt.) to Jamie Staples (Pacific Grove, Calif.) with

9:36 left in the third quarter. Keenan threw for 207 yards on 21-for-41

passing.

Colby, though, added an insurance touchdown on a 40-yard run by Chris

Bashaw (Rutland, Mass.) with five minutes left in the game. Bashaw ran 14

times for 60 yards.

Besides his fine blocking at fullback, Colby's Chris Duncombe (Athens,

Maine) caught five passes for 38 yards. Steve Markesich (South Weymouth,

Mass.) added four catches for 93 yards, while Jon Vacca (Quincy, Mass.)

caught four balls for 38 yards.

Steve Kasperski (Naperville, Ill.), a Colby co-captain, had seven tackles,

one interception, one fumble recovery, and a pass deflection from his

linebacker position. Mike Booras (Scituate, Mass.) added eight tackles and

Mike Civitello (Hamden, Conn.) added seven stops.

Colby will play host to Wesleyan University next Saturday at 1 p.m.