Homecoming is the time of year when alumni reconvene to catch up on old times and reminisce about the things that defined their time on the Hilltop. Georgetown’s football team hasn’t provided many of these joyous memories during the course of this season, but they’ll hope to change that as they face Marist this Saturday at 1 p.m. at The Yard.
“This is the most important game of the season and probably our careers,” senior linebacker Chris Paulus said of the upcoming game. “It’s the last one at home, and you want to go out on a high note because everyone will remember the last one even though the rest of the season hasn’t been so high.”
Many of the upperclassmen know how it feels to overcome the disappointment of a losing season and come out with a victory for their departing brothers in pads. None of the players on the squad have lost a homecoming game during their time at Georgetown.
Last year’s last-minute, come-from-behind victory against Fordham during Homecoming was the Hollywood ending that sent rain-soaked Hoya supporters home with chills. After having been down by 18 points in the first half, the Hoyas looked like they would drop the contest. Instead, the Hoyas scratched and clawed their way back to get within four points with under two minutes left to play.
At their own 11-yard line with 1:49 left in the fourth quarter, the Hoyas started their memorable drive. Then-starting quarterback Nick Cangelosi (6-17, 94 yards, 2 TDs) played as confidently as a boy in his own backyard, completing a 47-yard pass to freshman wide receiver Sydney Baker. Executing its two-minute drill offense to perfection, Georgetown moved deep into Fordham territory. From the Rams’ 14-yard line, Cangelosi stepped up and hit senior tight-end Glenn Castergine on a 10-yard out pattern. Castergine, who had been battling injuries all season, carried two Fordham defenders the rest of the way to pay dirt. Many thankful seniors carried Cangelosi off the field, and Homecoming was sweet that day for the Hoyas.
“It’s why you play football,” Cangelosi said after the game.
When this year’s seniors were asked about their favorite homecoming memory, last year’s victory was repeated as the sure choice.
“That was my brightest football moment,” senior defensive back and four-year starter Brian Tandy said.
Though this senior class isn’t playing for a league title or the chance at a winning record, they are under a little bit of pressure.
“We haven’t lost a homecoming game since I’ve been here,” senior offensive lineman and co-captain Liam Grubb said. “A lot of alumni will be back in town, and a lot of the guys we played with will be around, so to win it for them and for us would be a pretty big deal.”
The Hoyas understand that in order to win for the seniors who have spent four years struggling through the growing pains of a football team in transition, the win will have to be earned and not just willed.
They are coming off a 24-10 loss to the Buccaneers of Charleston Southern in which turnovers were once again the key to what has sunk Georgetown’s ship all season. Through half-time the Hoyas kept the game within reach against the team ranked No. 19 nationally in Division 1-AA. With the score 10-3 and the Hoyas moving the ball well on the ground between junior Matt Bassuaner’s quarterback keeps (67 yards rushing) and Patriot League Rookie of the Week Charlie Houghton’s carries (79 yards), the Hoyas were running through holes and running off time.
The Hoyas even mustered their longest scoring drive of the season, a 19-play, 91-yard drive with Bassuaner throwing to the freshman Houghton for a three-yard touchdown. That made the score 17-10 in the third quarter and kept the Blue and Gray within striking distance. Two interceptions in the fourth quarter, as the Hoyas were trying to mount a comeback, eventually ended their bid to halt Charleston Southern’s 13-game win streak.
“We played a good football team,” Hoya Head Coach Kevin Kelly said of the game. “We saw some positive signs there, but we have to start translating those into wins.”
Even though it’s his first year with the team, no one understands just how much his seniors want to win more than Kelly does.
“After Saturday I told them I know everybody is frustrated,” he said. “But I told them, let’s work for the seniors on this one. They’ve put their heart and soul into this place and deserve to go out winners.”
Marist is coached by Jim Parady, a former colleague of Kelly’s at Northeastern in the early 1990s. Parady’s Red Foxes boast a formidable running attack in the form of sophomore Adam Hansen, who put up four touchdowns last week against St. Peter’s. The Hoyas will try to slow down this bruising back as they have had trouble against runners of a similar style in the past like Bucknell’s Kevin Mullen who had over 100 yards during his last visit to D.C.
“Obviously we have to stop the run,” said Kelly. “We want to make sure they’re a one dimensional team.”
The Hoyas defense will try to meet that challenge head-on while all the seniors are trying to step up and win their last home game on senior night.
“I can’t even describe how important it is,” Tandy, a former high school homecoming king, said. “I feel like we really need to get that win because I don’t want to be the only class that doesn’t win on Homecoming.”
