Former Eph football and track standout and All-American, Scott Farley has been drafted by the Rhein (Germany) Fire of NFL Europa. Farley will be in Tampa, beginning March 11th for a two-week tryout with the Rhein Fire in the hopes of securing his second contract to play in the league.
In 2004 Farley, a Williamstown native and Mt. Greylock graduate, played strong safety for the Berlin Thunder whens they won the World Bowl to become champions of NFL Europe. The head coach of the Thunder was Rick Lantz, who is currently the head coach of the Rhein Fire.
Farley was a free agent signee with the New England Patriots out of Williams and was in the Patriots Camp for two years, before being released in 2004. After leaving the Patriots Farley signed with the Carolina panthers and made it deep into training camp in 2005, before a serious hamstring injury curtailed his bid to make the team.
Over the last 18 months Farley had surgery on his hamstring, rehabilitated with a physical therapist, got cut from the Panthers, bought house, worked out on his own with the intention of making one last drive for the NFL and took a job as a co-teacher in an inner city kindergarten.
His decision to co-teach kindergarten was by design. "Co-teaching allowed me to get paid to practice patience and to see if I want to teach and coach later on," said Farley. "I thinking teaching and coaching the game I love is where I will end up when my playing days are over. It was a great introduction to teaching and it allowed me to have the kind of day that permitted me to set up a standard workout schedule."
"I have not played football or had any contact for 18 months, so I'm anxious to get down to Tampa and see what I can do," said Farley. "Not only will I be trying to win a spot on the Rhein Fire, but all of the NFL teams will have coaches there observing all of the NFL Europa tryouts, so I have a chance to make a statement."
Farley is in the best shape he can be, but he cannot simulate game experiences and judge his improvement against others until he gets to Tampa. "The last time I was in camp with the Panthers I weighed 215 and was in great shape, but I think my current weight of 205 gives me a little more quickness," Farley said.
Farley was named to three All-American football teams his senior year at Williams -- 1st Team AFCA, 1st Team D3football.com, and 2nd Team Hewlett Packard. He was also selected to play in the Aztec Bowl vs. Mexico, but had to decline the opportunity due to class conflicts.
He was also selected to play for the U.S. against Mexico in the Aztec Bowl, but Farley was unable to compete due to academic conflicts.
Farley did a little bit of everything for the Ephs in his senior year (2002). He kicked off, kicked FGs and PATs, punted, returned punts and kickoffs and lined up at WR and strong safety. He caught nine passes for 108 yards and one TD.
Farley returned 17 punts for 106 yards and two kickoffs for 25 yards. He converted 30 of 34 PAT and hit on four of six FG attempts. He tied for team-high in points with 48. He recorded 35 tackles on the year (17 solos) and he had two tackles for a loss. He posted team-highs in interceptions with four and in pass-breakups with 14.
He led NESCAC in punting with an average of 38.8 yards and 20 of his 31 punts went inside the opposition's 20-yard line. Farley was named was the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year.
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Williamstown Looks to Start Riverbank Stabilization Projects in FY27
By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Town Hall is hoping to make progress on four riverfront infrastructure projects in the fiscal year 2027 budget.
Town Manager Robert Menicocci told the Finance Committee this month that the town is working with state agencies to develop riverbank stabilization plans while also pursuing help with the cost of that work.
Menicocci characterized two of the projects as small: the stabilization of banks on the Green River and Hoosic River related to small landfills.
The other two projects are further downriver from the former landfill site: near the junction of Syndicate Road and North Street (Route 7) and further downriver near the Hoosic Water Quality District's water treatment plant.
The North Street site has been top of mind for the town since December 2019, when a Christmas Eve storm brought about the loss of a large piece of the river bank and threatened to expose a sewer main line.
Menicocci explained that a final solution for the site — which has been before the town's Conservation Commission several times in the last six years — has been held up by discussions among state regulators.
"What we know at the moment is on the Hoosic River, especially, the state is looking for us to stabilize the situation before we even get to the long-term solution," Menicocci said. "We are battling with them because the part of the state that regulates the landfill is like, 'You've got to do this, and you've got to do it yesterday.' And then, the other side of the same agency looks at environmental protection and says, 'You know what, you've got a couple of things in the river there, some grass and some turtles. You can't do anything.'
Town meeting will have the levy capacity to approve the FY27 budget as drafted and presented by the town manager on Wednesday, partly because the spending plan for the year that begins on July 1 includes just one noteworthy increase in discretionary municipal spending. click for more
Nolan Booth scored the go-ahead goal with 6 minutes, 22 seconds left in the third, and Ben Harris made 20 saves to give McCann Tech the crown. click for more
The Community Preservation Committee on Tuesday voted to backtrack on a plan to ask town meeting to increase the town's Community Preservation Act surcharge on local property tax bills. click for more
The Hoosac Valley Hurricanes boys basketball team used a fast start to claim the Western Massachusetts Class D title with a 62-47 win over the Mount Everett Eagles. click for more
