Williams dismantled the Hamilton College Continentals 34-9

09:26AM / Monday, October 29, 2007Print Story | Email Story

Neither rain, wind, or mud was able to slow down the Williams football team (4-2) in their quest for a fourth straight win Saturday. Behind strong performances by Williams household names like Morrissey, Lucey, and Powell, the Ephs dismantled the Hamilton College Continentals (2-4) by a score of 34-9. As both teams battled strong winds and steady rain all game, one could make a case that the conditions actually favored the underdog Continentals and their stingy run defense. But despite Hamiltonâ€™s frugal rush defense (allowing only 59.8 yards/game going into Saturdayâ€™s match-up with Williams), the Ephs were able to pick up 36 yards on seven Brian Morrissey â€™09 (Winchester, MA) rushes on their first drive of the game. Although the Ephsâ€™ came up just short on a fourth and two try in Continental territory, the drive set the tone for the rest of the half, as Morrissey would rush for 113 yards on 20 carries in the first half alone. Regarding the decision to run the ball early, Williams head coach Mike Whalen said, â€œIt was definitely influenced by the weather. We felt thatâ€¦the two tight end set would be a tough set for themâ€¦and it looked like Moâ€™ (Brian Morrissey) was doing a good job finding seams.â€ After taking over on a Hamilton punt, Williams moved the ball to the Hamilton 40 yard line on an 11-yard swing pass to Brian Morrissey. Quarterback Pat Lucey â€™08 (Plymouth, MA) would then try to go deep into double coverage to Jeff Egizi â€™08 (Westwood, MA), throwing what was almost an incredible pass had it gone a foot or two further. As it was, the pass was picked off in the end zone by free safety Matt Pitarresi, and Hamilton would take over. â€œThat was my fault, not Patâ€™s fault,â€ said Coach Whalen. â€œI predetermined who to throw it to (Egizi) and he ended up being double-covered.â€ After a 31 yard completion into Eph territory and a fourth and five completions to the Eph 18 for a first down, Hamilton would try to go deep again, as quarterback Dan Hood lofted it up to the corner for Frasher Kempe. With a tremendous leaping play, cornerback John Snipes â€™08 (Vero Beach, FL) intercepted the pass in the end zone to return the ball to the Ephs. With the end of the first quarter approaching, Lucey would again go deep to Egizi, this time finding him for 40 yards down the sideline. Egizi wouldâ€™ve had a sure touchdown, but his momentum carried him out of bounds at the Hamilton 36 yard line. Despite the 40 yard pick up, Egizi hung his head in disgust after the play as there wasnâ€™t a soul within 10 yards of him when he caught the ball. At the start of the second quarter, Williams would finally get on the board when a nice drive by the Ephs would be finished off with a 23 yard touchdown run by Morrissey. Morrissey started off tackle before bouncing it to the outside and scurrying inside the pylon for six. Hamilton would continue to struggle offensively as the Ephs forced another punt. Shunning the inclement weather, the Ephs would go to the air again, this time to lightning rod Ryan Powell (Fairfax, VA) for a 39 yard completion in which Powell made an astounding diving catch. With 9:48 remaining in the quarter, Lucey would then find receiver Nick Caro â€™10 (Andover, MA) in the end zone on a rollout to give the Ephs a 12-0 lead. After converting the two point try, the Ephs would take a 14-0 lead. The Williams defense was great in the first half, allowing only 131 yards (the Ephs put up 306), and of that total only nine yards were on the ground. After forcing yet another Hamilton punt, Williams would finish off another great drive with a Morrissey touchdown with three minutes remaining in the half. Included in the drive was a great play by Pat Lucey in which he completed a 14 yard pass to Egizi while being chased by multiple Continentals. Hamilton would march down the field for a field goal as the half ended, and Williams would take a 21-3 lead into halftime. Upon receiving the ball at the start of the second half, Hamilton was able to move the ball fairly well until reaching Williams territory. Some offensive missteps however, such as multiple bad snaps, would lead to a turnover on downs. The Ephs would waste no time in moving the ball the other way, as Pat Lucey soon found his favorite target Powell for a 41 yard gain into Hamilton territory. After driving the ball further toward the goal line, the Ephs would look yet again to Morrissey. This time Morrissey would break a few tackles on his way to a 15 yard score, his third touchdown of the game. With a comfortable 28-3 lead, Claudius Zorokong of Hamilton would snap the Ephs back to reality on the ensuing kickoff, as he showcased some game-changing speed in returning the kick 83 yards for the Continentals first touchdown. After failing to convert the two point try, Hamilton would trail 28-9. The return seemed to rejuvenate the Continentals, as on the Ephs subsequent possession Hamilton was able to force Williams to punt for the first time with 7:08 left in the third quarter. On the next possession, as has happened time and time again this year, the Williams defense would come up with the big play when it needed it. With Hamilton gaining some momentum in Eph territory, Continental quarterback Dan Hood would attempt to scramble with 4:34 left in the third quarter. After picking up a fair gain of six or seven yards, Hood would get popped by Eph senior tri-captain Jordan Oâ€™Reilly (York, PA), forcing a fumble that Jon Pritchard â€™08 (Orchard Park, NY) would recover. At 3:33 left in the third quarter, the steady rain that had been falling all game would increase heavily in intensity. The effect was immediate, as Dan Hood would drop back to pass with his team trailing 28-9 only to have the ball slip out of his hand and be recovered by Williams at the Hamilton 31 yard line. With ever muddier conditions and relentless rain, Luceyâ€™s completion to Egizi for a five yard touchdown with 13:42 left in the fourth quarter all but sealed the deal for the Ephs, as they went up 34-9. Sophomore Will Cronin (Acton, MA) recorded two interceptions for the Ephs in the final 13 minutes to preserve the Williams blow out. For the Continentals, quarterback Dan Hood played fairly well, finishing the day with 186 yards and only one interception, but the early hole the Ephs put Hamilton in ended up being just too much to overcome. Zorokongâ€™s kickoff return was probably the best moment of the game for Hamilton, and he finished leading the Continentals with 161 all-purpose yards. Despite the weather, quarterback Pat Lucy finished the day with 223 yards on 14 for 25 passing and threw two touchdowns. Coach Whalen had this to say: â€œPat Lucey can throw the ball in a typhoon. You canâ€™t say enough about the kid. Other quarterbacks Iâ€™ve been around, they say, â€˜oh I need a new ball, I need this, I need thatâ€™; the only thing Pat Lucey said the entire game was â€˜Can I get a towel to wipe my hand off?â€™ I mean, heâ€™s just that kind of kidâ€¦he just goes out there and does his job, heâ€™s unbelievable.â€ Morrissey was even more impressive, finishing the day with 162 yards on 31 carries and three touchdowns. His production was made even more noteworthy by the fact that by the second quarter Weston Field was more mud than grass. On the other side of the ball, the Ephs allowed only 46 yards rushing the entire game and were led by senior Jon Pritchard with nine tackles. The Ephs forced five turnovers on the game, and have now forced an amazing 18 turnovers in the last three games. â€œDefensively, weâ€™re still having success with the â€˜bend but donâ€™t breakâ€™ style, but we have to improve our pass defense,â€ said Coach Whalen. â€œThe next two teams we play, Wesleyan especially, they throw the ball very, very well. But the thing about the defensive kids is they can give up a 10 or 11 play drive, and then they get a fumble, or they get a pickâ€¦they just have that confidence that theyâ€™re going to come up with the big play and you canâ€™t say enough about that.â€ The â€œregular seasonâ€ is now over for the Ephs as they face Little Three opponents in their last two games. Coach Whalen commented on the high level of confidence Williams has been playing with: â€œWe didnâ€™t have a great Wednesday practice this week, and I kind of got after the guys and told them weâ€™re not good enough to just show up and win. Last yearâ€™s team wasâ€¦but this yearâ€™s team has to go to work during the week, and pay the price during the week, and get ourselves ready to play every single weekâ€¦and the kids reacted â€“ we stayed in full pads on Thursday and I think it sent a message.â€ Williams will head to Wesleyan next week to battle the Cardinals. Game time is set for 12:00 pm.

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Williamstown Board Opts to Negotiate with College on Water St. Lot

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
05:04AM / Tuesday, June 09, 2026

Newly elected board member Nate Budington, far left, participates in his first in-person meeting along with, from left, Matt Neely, Stephanie Boyd, Peter Beck, Shana Dixon and Town Manager Robert Menicocci.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Select Board on Monday decided to enter into negotiations with Williams College on the sale of the vacant town-owned lot at 59 Water St.

But the board members made it clear that the college's proposal to acquire the lot is a starting point, not a final deal that the elected officials would accept.

"For the sake of continued conversation, I'm in favor of [awarding Williams the site], but if this process wasn't continued with the opportunity for further negotiation, I wouldn't vote to continue this," Peter Beck said. "I think that next step is necessary for us to get to a yes on this."

"I think there's wide agreement on that," Matthew Neely said just before the 5-0 vote to enter talks with the college.

Williams was the sole respondent to a town-issued request for proposals to develop the former town garage site, currently a dirt lot.

The college's stated intent is to build a new Facilities office and create up to 170 parking spaces at 59 Water Street. That use will allow the college to redevelop the current Facilities building site and parking lot as part of a reconception of the school's indoor athletic and recreation facilities.

Under the terms of the RFP, the college's proposal was subjected to review by an ad hoc advisory committee to the town manager, who brought the question to the Select Board. That board will have the final say on any purchase and sales agreement.

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