'Play our best football yet': Behind its all-time rusher, Curry College eyes improvement

MILTON — There are pros and cons to fielding a young college football team .

The learning curves can be steep initially, sure, but continuity builds and carries over year after year if the core remains intact.

With 10 freshmen and sophomores back from last year's team, and just seven seniors projected to depart in this cycle, Curry College football coach Todd Parsons is basking in the upswing.

“From top to bottom, this group is built a little bit different," said Parsons, who enters his third season. "At Day 7 of camp, usually we’d have 5-10 guys that decide to drop off. We haven’t had any (this year). That means we have the right guys in here.”

The highlight from the Colonels' 3-8 season last fall was the backfield jolt that sophomore Montie Quinn injected into the offense. The 5-9, 180-pound rusher from South Carolina was named the Commonwealth Coast Conference's co-Player of the Year as he detonated for a program-record 1,618 yards and nine touchdowns in 10 games.

Improving after his 1,165-yard freshman season in 2022, Quinn boasted his best outing -- a career-high 259 yards and 3 touchdowns -- as Curry defeated Nichols, 48-46, at home on Oct. 28.

"Never seen anything like it," said graduate linebacker Michael Sims, a multi-year captain. "He gives a spark to our team that we definitely need.”

“Montie’s obviously great to have," Parsons said. "He was the No. 1 rusher in the country last year when it came to yards per game (161.8) in all divisions. The thing we’ve got to keep in mind is, we’ve got to find the next guy to take some carries away from him. It’s not an easy position. He takes hits. We’ve got to make sure he’s full go and we have him all year.”

The offense will turn to Nate Simmons, Omar Lee and recent Rockland High graduate Jordan DePina as potential contributors in the running game.

More: BETTER TOGETHER: Three former Rockland High football stars to reunite at Curry College

Two other former Rockland Bulldogs are set to return to the program for their sophomore seasons. Michael Moriarty took over the QB1 duties late last year and has emerged as the likely starter this fall, and Lucas Leander made the shift from wide receiver to defensive back in the offseason.

“It’s awesome because I know they’re competitors," Leander said of his former high school teammates. "Michael looks great, and Jordan is looking great in this camp too. It’s the best I’ve seen Michael look at quarterback right now and Jordan is out here competing too.”

Among additions to the team, wide receiver Cillian Davis, a Plymouth South graduate, transferred in from St. Anselm College and cornerback Nate Sleiman, of Quincy, transferred in from the University of New Hampshire.

The Colonels' defensive line will also have a boost this season as Christian Howell (6-4, 260 pounds from Gloucester) and Max Ackerman (6-2, 255 pounds from Nashua, N.H.) are back and healthy. Both missed time with injuries last year.

Parsons said the team is targeting improvement against conference competition, as matchups against Western New England, Nichols and No. 15 Endicott are circled on the schedule. No. 16 Hardin-Simmons and No. 18 Ithaca are also key games against ranked opponents, and both are staged at home in September.

“By the time we’re there, there will be some freshmen playing for us and they’ve got to get used to it," Parsons said. "The schedule is fully loaded this year. I would go out and say we probably have the toughest schedule in strength-of-schedule (in Division 3) in the country with three Top 20 teams. Those are going to be great experiences for us. We’re excited (for it) because we need to get a taste of what that level of competition is like.”

“We’re going to need each other this year," said junior defensive end Pete Jurovich, of Winthrop. "We’re going to need to play our best football yet.”

Four names to know

Montie Quinn, junior RB: The 5-9, 180-pound rusher from South Carolina finished with a program-record 1,618 yards with nine touchdowns on an average of 161.8 yards per game last year.

Michael Moriarty, sophomore QB: The 2023 Rockland High graduate took over the starting job late last season and competed 52 passes for a total of 598 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Lucas Leander, sophomore DB: Leander, also a 2023 Rockland High graduate, shifted from offense to defense in the offseason. As a receiver last fall, he caught 12 passes for 162 yards and 3 touchdowns. He is also a contributor on special teams.

Michael Simms, grad. LB: The multi-year captain from Connecticut received all-conference second team honors last year.

Curry College football 2024 schedule

Friday, Sept. 6 -- at Salve Regina, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 14 -- vs. Hardin-Simmons, 12 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 21 -- at Dean College, 12 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 28 -- vs. Ithaca, 12 p.m.

BYE WEEK

Saturday, Oct. 12 -- vs. Alfred State, 12 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 19 -- at Western New England, 1 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 26 -- vs. Husson, 2:30 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 2 -- at University of New England, 1 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 9 -- at Nichols, 12 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 16 -- vs. Endicott, 12 p.m.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: 'Play our best football yet': Behind its all-time rusher, Curry College eyes improvement