By: Liam W. Cooney | Staff Writer
Salve Regina Football came back from the cancellation of the 2020 season with an impressive 8-2 record on the season. The Seahawks went 4-2 in conference play and defended the home turf all year, playing five games and amassing five wins in Newport.
Below is the Seahawks complete 8-2 2021 schedule:
Having interviewed a few of the Seahawks’ key players this past season, I get the sense that the team felt success and was happy with the effort put out on the field. Secondly, you could sense that players were simply beyond relieved to have played their first season in almost two years. Senior RB Joey Mauriello (Colts Neck, NJ), who was coming back from a torn ACL suffered in November of 2019, told me he simply had “a blast” this season.
“I believe any season where you win 8 games should be considered a success… my first game back was definitely nerve-wrecking, but after a couple of plays, and the support of my teammates, getting back in the rhythm wasn’t hard,” Mauriello said.
Evidently, it wasn’t too hard for Mauriello to come back from such a devastating injury, as the lead back was named Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) offensive player of the year, recording an impressive 1,400 rush yards on the season, along with 11 TDs in nine games played. As for a potential return to play an extra year at Salve, or potentially another program, Mauriello said, “it’s a possibility, but nothing is set in stone.” This is a potential option for any player in the 2022 senior class, as they will all have the opportunity to come back for an extra year upon graduation if desired.
I also had the chance to talk with a graduate senior, the man who paved the way each time Mauriello touched the ball, OL Pete Noonan (Ardmore, PA / St. Joseph’s Prep). Noonan was given some much deserved hardware in his own right, being named CCC offensive lineman of the year. Noonan, like the Seahawks’ six other graduate seniors this season, had a difficult decision to make regarding his future when the NCAA opted to allow those athletes who missed out on a season during the pandemic to return if desired. He, of course, chose to return for another year, a decision he said was 100% the right one for him and the other grad seniors.
“Once I stepped foot back on campus August 11th for football camp, I knew I made the right decision,” said Noonan. “I am grateful for all of the time I had playing for Salve, because I have had some of the best moments of my life with my team. I owed it to myself and the program to use my eligibility. When speaking with the other fifth years, we talked about how much fun it was being able to play football for so long, and how lucky we were.”
Although finishing 8-2, the CCC proved incredibly competitive this year as Salve finished 3rd in conference standings:
- Endicott 8-3 (5-1 in conference)
- Western New England 7-4 (5-1 in conference)
- Salve Regina 8-2 (4-2 in conference)
- Husson 7-3 (4-2 in conference)
- University of New England 4-5 (2-4 in conference)
- Curry 3-6 (1-5 in conference)
- Nichols 2-8 (0-6 in conference)
Although the Seahawks were the Endicott Gull’s only conference loss, the better overall in conference record gave Endicott the nod for the conference championship. As for WNE, the Golden Bears won the head-to-head matchup against Salve on October 2nd, giving them the second-place finish.
Stats and record aside, for me, as a fan of Salve football, it was simply very exciting to see them play again. It had been almost two years for these athletes of sitting and waiting to finally get another chance to play on Saturdays. (“Sitting and waiting,” meaning working out and practicing when the official return to the field was unsure of.) Toppa had a sort of excitement and buzz this fall that has continued with basketball games at Rodgers Rec and will only continue into the spring. I would calculate football’s first season back as a definite success with room for improvement as always, the areas to improve being the losses against WNE and Husson. That was the honest assessment given from players like Mauriello and Noonan, who have both established a culture within the program and have given underclassmen strong leadership as they grow into the future. The student body and athletic department was thrilled to see football and other fall sports play this season after taking an unexpected year-long hiatus. That excitement will only continue into the future and the coming years of Salve’s football program.
Cover photo by George Corrigan, ’22, gcorrphotos.com
