PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Plymouth State University maintained its top-ten New England ranking as the most recent Grinold Chapter New England Division III Football Coaches Poll was released Wednesday.
Plymouth State is No. 8 in this week's poll, just ahead of a pair of MASCAC foes – Framingham State (No. 9) and Anna Maria (No. 10). The three programs were tri-conference champions, all finishing with identical 7-2 records in league play. Framingham State won the league's tiebreaker to represent the MASCAC in the NCAA Tournament.
The Panthers accrued 38 points, while Framingham State earned 36. Anna Maria had 18. Endicott remained in the top spot in the region with 11 first-place votes and 119 points, while Springfield (one first-place vote, 109 points) was second and Wesleyan (89 points) third.
Sophomore
Devin Connally (Boynton Beach, Fla.) and junior
Reece Davis (Livermore, Maine) had big days for the Plymouth State offense in the regular season finale – a 42-21 setback at UMass Dartmouth. Connally caught six passes for 128 yards and a touchdown, while Davis ran for 154 yards. The Corsairs jumped out to a two-touchdown lead in the first quarter on Saturday, but Plymouth State stayed close. Davis busted free for a 57-yard ran to set up a 1-yard touchdown and the Panthers trailed just 21-14 at the half.
The teams traded third-quarter scores, with Connally hauling in a 30-yard touchdown pass with one minute left to pull within 28-21, but UMass Dartmouth scored twice in the fourth quarter to pull away.
Plymouth State's 8-2 record was its best since the 2022 squad went 9-2 to win the New England Bowl. The Panthers' regular season MASCAC title was its second since joining the league in 2013.
The New England Division III Football Poll is presented by the Jack Grinold/Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Football Foundation, which also serves as the title sponsor of the weekly Gold Helmet Awards presented by the New England Football Writers Association throughout the season.
A panel representing four New England Division III playing conferences serves as the voters in this year's poll. Rankings will be released each week through November 18th. For more information on the Grinold Chapter of the National Football Foundation, visit
www.grinoldchapter.com.
GRINOLD CHAPTER NEW ENGLAND DIVISION III FOOTBALL POLL – Week #9
| Rank |
School (FPV) |
Record |
Points |
Previous Rank |
| 1. |
Endicott (11) |
9-1 |
119 |
1 |
| 2. |
Springfield (1) |
8-2 |
109 |
2 |
| 3. |
Wesleyan |
7-2 |
89 |
4 |
| 4. |
Curry |
8-2 |
73 |
3 |
| 5. |
Univ. of New England |
8-2 |
64 |
7 |
| 6. |
Trinity |
7-2 |
56 |
8 |
| 7. |
Coast Guard |
7-3 |
45 |
6 |
| 8. |
Plymouth State |
8-2 |
38 |
5 |
| 9. |
Framingham State |
7-3 |
36 |
RV |
| 10. |
Anna Maria |
7-3 |
18 |
9 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Receiving votes: Colby (11), MIT (1) |
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