Bulldogs Ready for Title Defense

Posted: Aug 24, 2021

FRANKLIN, Mass. – August 24, 2021– The Dean College football team returns to the field in 2021 as the reigning Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) champions. The Bulldogs were selected as the preseason favorite to go back-to-back with five first-place votes and 45 points, according to the ECFC Coaches' Poll.

After a year with no football, the Bulldogs are excited to resume competition with a slate of 10 games this season. The team will play five games at home and five on the road. Dean will welcome Fitchburg State to Lippert Field for a season opening tilt on Sept. 4 at noon. This game will be the first meeting between the two teams.

The Bulldogs then hit the road for two games. Dean travels to UMass Dartmouth for a noon kickoff on Sept. 11, which also marks the first meeting between the teams. On Friday, Sept. 17, the Bulldogs travel to Husson for a 6 p.m. game under the lights.
The team returns to Franklin to host MIT at noon on Sept. 25 during homecoming weekend. The two sides will meet for the first time.

After posting a 4-1 record against ECFC opponents in 2019 to claim the championship, the Bulldogs' title defense gets underway at conference foe Gallaudet, on Oct. 2 at noon. Dean has won the previous two meetings (56-35, 53-21). Dean then hosts Castleton on Oct. 9. The Spartans were responsible for the Bulldogs' lone conference loss in 2019. The team will play its next two games on the road beginning with the conference's newest member Keystone College. Dean will travel to play the Giants on Oct. 16 in La Plume, Pa. at noon. The Bulldogs will visit Anna Maria the following Saturday with a 1:30 p.m. start time. The Bulldogs have defeated the AMCATS in the previous three meetings.

Dean concludes October with a noon kickoff at home against SUNY Maritime. The teams have split the last two games with Dean winning last year's contest, 28-10. After the bye week (Nov. 6), the Bulldogs conclude the regular season at home against Alfred
State. Dean is 3-0 against the Pioneers, including last year's 50-46 victory. The team will be led by sixth-year head coach Steve Tirrell. He welcomes back coaches Adam Robinson, George Davis and Scott Campbell. New to the coaching staff this season are Dalton Williams (OC, QB), Patrick Tresey (OL, Run Game) and Bob Donahue (RB, Strength & Conditioning).

The offense will look very similar to the 2019 squad that averaged 400 yards and 28 points per game. Returning to the backfield is leading rusher Michael Bethune Jr. (New Haven, Conn.). Bethune earned 2019 ECFC Second Team honors after posting 513 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the season. He added 18 catches for 244 yards and a score. Bethune will be running behind Anthony Mauro (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) who anchors the offensive line.

The wide receiver group will feature several experienced returners which could cause trouble for opposing defenses. Errol Breaux (Marietta, Ga.), a 2019 ECFC First Team selection, led the pass catchers with 62 receptions, 835 yards and 14 touchdowns. Joining Breaux is 2019 ECFC Second Team honoree Quintus Reid (New Haven, Conn.). Reid posted 54 receptions, 679 yards and four scores. Ki'sean Bullard (Miami, Fla.) also returns for his third year to bolster the receiver core. In 2019, Bullard played in nine games and hauled in a pair of touchdowns.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Bulldogs will feature linebacker Nicholaus Grimaldi (Valrico, Fla.) who earned 2019 ECFC Honorable Mention accolades. He was fourth on the team with 65 tackles and tied for the lead with a pair of forced fumbles.
Over the top will be a pair of safeties that will look to keep opposing pass catchers in check. Kordell Scott (Orlando, Fla.) registered 25 tackles, 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in six games in 2019. Scott will be flanked by Tywan Jones (Newark, N.J.) to give the Bulldogs a strong last line of defense. Senior placekicker and 2019 ECFC Honorable Mention awardee Jacob Bisson (Barrington, N.H.) also returns. Bison made 19 extra points and converted both of his field goal attempts.