FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

[Click Here For Complete Release]


South Easton, Mass. – Merrimack College and American International College will face off on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. at John Homer Miller Field in a Northeast-10 Conference match up for this week’s ‘PackCast’.

Live coverage begins at 1 p.m. as veteran broadcaster Eric Frede, who has appeared on NESN and Fox Sports New England, will provide the play-by-play, while Chris Villani serves as color analyst. Fans can watch the live ‘PackCast’ free of charge by visiting www.northeast10.tv or by accessing the available link on www.northeast10.org, the official website of Northeast-10 athletics. Pack Network webcasts feature all the elements of traditional TV broadcasts, such as multiple camera angles, replays, commentary and more.

Merrimack (5-2, 4-1 NE-10) enters the contest riding the momentum of last week’s offensive explosion against the University of New Haven. The Warriors defeated the Chargers 48-20 thanks in part to sophomore quarterback James Suozzo (Everett, Mass.) who had his hands in five Merrimack touchdowns. Suozzo rushed for three touchdowns including 81 yards and completed 13-of-27 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore running back Anthony Smalls (Dorchester, Mass.) rushed for 140 yards and scored a touchdown as he continues to close in on a 1,000 yard rushing season. Smalls currently leads the conference with 974 yards on the ground. On defense, sophomore linebacker Shawn Loiseau (Shrewsbury, Mass.) recorded 13 tackles to increase his season total to 49 which ranks second-best in the NE-10.

On offense, the Warriors are led by the running attack of Smalls and the passing combo of Suozzo and senior wide receiver Chris Laham (Westwood, Mass.). Suozzo has amassed over 1,600 yards in the air and leads all quarterbacks with 16 touchdowns. Laham has been on the receiving end of 11 of those scores and leads the conference with 747 receiving yards. Sophomore linebacker Tony Johnson (Lynn, Mass.) leads the defensive squad with 6.5 sacks which is third best in the conference.

American International (4-3, 2-3 NE-10) returns to action after its bye week. In the team’s previous game, the Yellow Jackets fell short to New Haven, 28-25. American International’s receiving combo of senior Kertis Hussey (Paterson, N.J.) and juniorDavon LeGrier (Paterson, N.J.) will keep the Merrimack defense on its toes as the two have combined for 955 yards. Hussey has hauled in 41 catches for 546 yards and eight touchdowns, while LeGrier has 24 receptions for 409 yards and three scores. Freshman running back Jermayne Capdeville (Springfield, Mass.) has rushed for 473 yards and has five touchdowns so far this season.

On defense, the Yellow Jackets are led by Jashawn Williams (Roosevelt, N.Y.) who currently ranks second in the Northeast-10 with seven sacks and has collected 33 tackles. Sophomore defensive back Max Brown (Paterson, N.J.) leads the team with three interceptions and 47 tackles.

American International holds an 8-5 advantage in the all-time series as the Yellow Jackets have won three straight meetings.

With 16 member institutions the Northeast-10 shares the distinction of being the largest Division II conference in the country along with the PSAC and WVIAC. Its 23 championship sports provide athletic opportunities for over 5,500 student-athletes, the largest such program of any Division II conference.

-NE-10-