2023 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference football season

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2023 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference season
LeagueNCAA Division III
Sportfootball
DurationSeptember 1, 2023
November 18, 2023
Number of teams9
TV partner(s)LEC Network
2024 NFL draft
Seasons
← 2022
2024 →
2023 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
UMass Dartmouth +   7 – 1     9 – 2  
Western Connecticut +^   7 – 1     7 – 3  
Bridgewater State +   7 – 1     7 – 3  
Framingham State   5 – 3     5 – 4  
Plymouth State   4 – 4     4 – 6  
Westfield State   3 – 5     3 – 7  
Massachusetts Maritime   2 – 6     2 – 8  
Worcester State   1 – 7     1 – 9  
Fitchburg State   0 – 8     0 – 10  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
Rankings from D3Football.com

The 2023 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference season will be the 11th season of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference taking place during the 2023 NCAA Division III football season. The season will begin on September 1, 2023, with non-conference play and with conference play beginning on September 15, 2023.

Preseason[edit]

Recruiting classes[edit]

National Rankings
Team Total Signees
Bridgewater State 11
Fitchburg State 17
Framingham State 28
Massachusetts Maritime 13
Plymouth State 13
UMass Dartmouth 25
Western Connecticut 21
Westfield State n/a
Worcester State n/a

Preseason poll[edit]

The preseason poll was released on August 24, 2023.[1][2]

MASCAC
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 UMass Dartmouth 63 (7)
2 Bridgewater State 53
3 Western Connecticut 47 (1)
4 Framingham State 46 (1)
5 Plymouth State 41
6 Massachusetts Maritime 29
7 Westfield State 19
8 Worcester State 16
9 Fitchburg State 10
  • First place votes in ()

Head coaches[edit]

Team Head coach Years at school Overall record Record at school MASCAC record
Bridgewater State Joe Verria 8 37–26 37–26 34–14
Fitchburg State Zach Shaw 1 0–0 0–0 0–0
Framingham State Tom Kelley 19 120–67–1 120–67–1 64–8
Massachusetts Maritime Jeremy Cameron 19 59–102 59–102 24–48
Plymouth State Paul Castonia 20 87–125 85–97 33–39
UMass Dartmouth Josh Sylvester 1 0–0 0–0 0–0
Western Connecticut Joe Loth 11 110–101 54–37 31–17
Westfield State Pete Kowalski 10 22–60 22–60 17–47
Worcester State Adam Peloquin 4 4–16 4–16 4–12

Schedule[edit]

Index to colors and formatting
MASCAC member won
MASCAC member lost
MASCAC teams in bold

All times EST time.

Regular season schedule[edit]

[3]

Week One[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
September 1 6:00 PM UMass Dartmouth Nichols Vendetti Field • Dudley, MA W 57–6   564
September 1 7:00 PM Worcester State WPI Alumni Stadium • Worcester, MA L 13–44   3,112
September 2 12:00 PM Merchant Marine Western Connecticut The WAC • Danbury, CT L 35–12   775
September 2 12:00 PM Westfield State Anna Maria Caparso Field • Paxton, MA L 26–51   368
September 2 12:00 PM Fitchburg State Dean Dale Lippert Field • Franklin, MA L 17–33   1,007
September 2 12:00 PM Bridgewater State MIT Steinbrenner Stadium • Cambridge, MA L 27–41   957
September 2 1:00 PM Plymouth State Castleton Dave Wolk Stadium • Castleton, VT L 21–25   3,106
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in EST.

Week Two[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
September 7 6:30 PM Framingham State Salve Regina Toppa Field • Newport, RI L 0–29   2,107
September 8 7:00 PM Western New England Westfield State Alumni Field • Westfield, MA L 0–46   2,000
September 8 7:00 PM Maritime Massachusetts Maritime Clean Harbors Stadium • Buzzards Bay, MA (Annual Chowder Bowl) L 7–14   1,234
September 8 7:00 PM WPI Bridgewater State Swenson Field • Bridgewater, MA L 21–24   1,504
September 9 12:00 PM New England (ME) Plymouth State Panther Field • Plymouth, NH L 21–31   2,681
September 9 12:00 PM Union Worcester State John F. Coughlin Field • Worcester, MA L 0–63   0
September 9 3:00 PM Castleton Fitchburg State Elliot Field • Fitchburg, MA L 3–32   350
September 9 5:00 PM Curry UMass Dartmouth Cressy Field • Dartmouth, MA W 28–14   2,788
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in EST.

Week Three[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
September 15 7:00 PM Westfield State Western Connecticut The WAC • Danbury, CT  42–0 (WCSU)   775
September 16 12:00 PM UMass Dartmouth Framingham State Bowditch Field • Framingham, MA  33–7 (UMD)   800
September 16 12:00 PM Fitchburg State Worcester State John F. Coughlin Field • Worcester, MA  33–13 (WOR)   245
September 16 12:00 PM Plymouth State Bridgewater State Swenson Field • Bridgewater, MA  41–19 (BSU)   1,100
September 16 12:00 PM Massachusetts Maritime Anna Maria Caparso Field • Paxton, MA L 30–37   391
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in EST.

Week Four[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
September 23 12:00 PM Westfield State Framingham State Bowditch Field • Framingham, MA  9–8 (FRA)   1,000
September 23 12:00 PM Worcester State UMass Dartmouth Cressy Field • Dartmouth, MA LEC Network  59–0 (UMD)   300
September 23 1:00 PM Fitchburg State Massachusetts Maritime Clean Harbor Stadium • Buzzards Bay, MA  21–3 (MMA)   1,891
September 23 4:00 PM Western Connecticut Bridgewater State Swenson Field • Bridgewater, MA  35–28 (BSU)   1,100


#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in EST.

Week Five[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
September 30 12:00 PM Massachusetts Maritime Westfield State Alumni Field • Westfield, MA  17–10 (WES)   1,017
September 30 12:00 PM Bridgewater State Fitchburg State Elliot Field • Fitchburg, MA  38–14 (BSU)   1,200
September 30 1:00 PM Framingham State Plymouth State Panther Field • Plymouth, NH  24–14 (FRA)   4,679
September 30 4:00 PM UMass Dartmouth Western Connecticut The WAC • Danbury, CT  52–21 (WCSU)   1,995


#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in EST.

Week Six[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
October 6 12:00 PM Bridgwater State Worcester State John F. Coughlin Field • Worcester, MA  35–7 (BSU)   912
October 7 12:00 PM Framingham State Fitchburg State Elliot Field • Fitchburg, MA  40–7 (FRA)   1,200
October 7 1:00 PM Massachusetts Maritime UMass Dartmouth Cressy Field • Dartmouth, MA  26–0 (UMD)   0
October 7 4:00 PM Plymouth State Western Connecticut The WAC • Danbury, CT  55–20 (WCSU)   1,001
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in EST.

Week Seven[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
October 12 12:00 PM Worcester State Massachusetts Maritime Clean Harbors Stadium • Buzzards Bay, MA  22–19 (MMA)   2,134
October 14 12:00 PM Western Connecticut Framingham State Bowditch Field • Framingham, MA  56–34 (WCSU)   600
October 14 12:00 PM Fitchburg State Plymouth State Panther Field • Plymouth, NH  40–21 (PSU)   1,213
October 14 2:00 PM UMass Dartmouth Westfield State Alumni Field • Westfield, MA LEC Network  26–23 OT (UMD)   2,326
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in EST.

Week Eight[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
October 20 7:00 PM Massachusetts Maritime Western Connecticut The WAC • Danbury, CT  28–0 (WCSU)   880
October 21 12:00 PM Worcester State Plymouth State State Panther Field • Plymouth, NH  35–0 (PSU)   192
October 21 4:00 PM Fitchburg State UMass Dartmouth Cressy Field • Dartmouth, MA  42–7 (UMD)   419
October 21 4:00 PM Westfield State Bridgewater State Swenson Field • Bridgewater, MA  21–0 (BSU)   2,000
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in EST.

Week Nine[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
October 28 12:00 PM Framingham State Massachusetts Maritime Clean Harbors Stadium • Buzzards Bay, MA  28–3 (FRA)   1,764
October 28 12:00 PM UMass Dartmouth Bridgewater State Swenson Field • Bridgewater, MA  34–14 (UMD)   1,500
October 28 4:00 PM Plymouth State Westfield State Alumni Field • Westfield, MA  20–19 (PSU)   1,207
October 28 3:00 PM Western Connecticut Worcester State John F. Coughlin Field • Worcester, MA    
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in EST.

Week Ten[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
November 4 12:00 PM Western Connecticut Fitchburg State Elliot Field • Fitchburg, MA  54-0 (WCSU)   1,200
November 4 12:00 PM Bridgewater State Framingham State Bowditch Field • Framingham, MA    
November 4 12:00 PM Worcester State Westfield State Alumni Field • Westfield, MA    
November 4 12:00 PM Massachusetts Maritime Plymouth State Panther Field • Plymouth, NH    
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in EST.

Week Eleven[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
November 11 12:00 PM Westfield State Fitchburg State Elliot Field • Fitchburg, MA  49-0 (WES)   1,200
November 11 12:00 PM Bridgewater State Massachusetts Maritime Clean Harbors Stadium • Buzzards Bay, MA (Cranberry Bowl)    
November 11 12:00 PM Plymouth State UMass Dartmouth Cressy Field • Dartmouth, MA    
November 11 12:00 PM Framingham State Worcester State John F. Coughlin Field • Worcester, MA    
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in EST.

Playoffs[edit]

Head to head matchups[edit]

Head to head
Team Bridgewater State Fitchburg State Framingham State Massachusetts Maritime Plymouth State UMass Dartmouth Western Connecticut Westfield State Worcester State
Bridgewater State — L 14–38 — — L 19–41 — L 28–35 — L 7–35
Fitchburg State W 38–14 — W 40–7 W 21–3 — — — — W 33–13
Framingham State — L 7–40 — — L 14–24 W 33–7 — L 8–9 —
Massachusetts Maritime — L 3–21 — — — W 26–0 — W 17–10 L 19–22
Plymouth State W 41–19 — W 24–14 — — — W 55–20 — —
UMass Dartmouth — — L 7–33 L 0–26 — — W 52–21 — L 0–59
Western Connecticut W 35–28 — — — L 20–55 L 21–52 — L 0–42 —
Westfield State — — W 9–8 L 10–17 — — W 42–0 — —
Worcester State W 35–7 L 13–33 — W 22–19 — W 59–0 — — —

Updated with the results of all regular season conference games.

Awards and honors[edit]

Player of the week honors[edit]

Week Offensive Defensive Special Teams Rookie
Player Team Position Player Team Position Player Team Position Player Team Position
Week 1[4] Dante Aviles-Santos UMass Dartmouth QB Trell Best UMass Dartmouth DB Braedyn DeMarco UMass Dartmouth K Rocky Marchitelli Fitchburg State QB
Week 2[5] Marvens Jean UMass Dartmouth WR Trell Best (2) UMass Dartmouth DB Isaiah Wright Bridgewater State RB Jason Nickerson UMass Dartmouth DB
Week 3[6] James Cahoon Bridgewater State QB Ryan Justin Worcester State DL Joey Naso Bridgewater State K Lance Williams Worcester State WR
Week 4[7] Adam Couch Bridgewater State RB Jared Martino Framingham State LB Isaiah Wright (2) Bridgewater State RB Dae'Shawn Allen Western Connecticut RB
Najier Monteiro Framingham State LB
Week 5[8] Devaun Ford Framingham State RB Max Margeson Westfield State DB Aiden Figueroa Western Connecticut RB Cooper Harvey Westfield State K
Week 6[9] Devaun Ford (2) Framingham State RB Mike Henricksen UMass Dartmouth LB Moise Nazaire Framingham State DB Jorge Aquino Debes Bridgewater State DE
Week 7[10] Keion Jones Western Connecticut QB Cade Nelson Westfield State DL Cooper Harvey Westfield State K Dae'Shawn Allen (2) Western Connecticut RB
Week 8[11] Luis Gonzalez UMass Dartmouth RB Jack Cataldi Plymouth State RB Angel Sanchez UMass Dartmouth WR Dae'Shawn Allen (3) Western Connecticut RB

Home game announced attendance[edit]

Team Stadium Capacity Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Game 6 Game 7 Total Average % of capacity
Bridgewater State Swenson Field 1,600 1,504 1,100 1,100 2,000† 1,500 --- --- 7,204 1,441 90.1%
Fitchburg State Elliot Field 1,200 350 1,200† 1,200† --- --- --- --- 2,750 917 76.4%
Framingham State Bowditch Field 5,130 800 1,000† 600 --- --- --- --- 2,400 900 17.5%
Massachusetts Maritime Clean Harbors Stadium 2,300 1,234 1,891 2,134† 1,764 --- --- --- 7,023 1,756 76.3%
Plymouth State Currier Memorial Field / Panther Field 1,200 2,681 4,679† 1,213 192 --- --- --- 8,765 2,191 182.6%
UMass Dartmouth Cressy Field 1,850 2,788† 300 0 419 --- --- --- 3,507 877 47.4%
Western Connecticut The WAC 4,500 775 775 1,995† 1,001 880 --- --- 5,426 1,085 24.1%
Westfield State Alumni Field 4,000 2,000 1,017 2,326† 1,207 --- --- --- 6,550 1,310 32.8%
Worcester State John F. Coughlin Field 2,500 0 245 912† --- --- --- --- 1,157 386 15.4%

Bold – exceeded capacity
† Season high

Other headlines[edit]

On October 4, 2023, Anna Maria College announced it was leaving the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference and joining the MASCAC for the 2025–26 academic year.[12]

On October 10, 2023 Dean College announced it was leaving the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference and joining the MASCAC for the 2025–26 academic year.[13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "UMass Dartmouth Tabbed to Win Back-to-Back MASCAC Football Titles". August 24, 2023. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. ^ "Football Tabbed Favorite to Repeat in MASCAC". UMass Dartmouth. June 23, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  3. ^ "2023 MASCAC Football Schedule". MASCAC. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  4. ^ "MASCAC Football Weekly Awards Winners 9/3". September 3, 2023. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. ^ "MASCAC Football Weekly Awards 9/10". September 10, 2023. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. ^ "MASCAC Football Weekly Awards 9/17". September 17, 2023. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ^ "MASCAC Football Weekly Awards 9/24". September 24, 2023. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. ^ "MASCAC Football Weekly Awards 10/1". October 1, 2023. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. ^ "MASCAC Football Weekly Awards 10/8". October 8, 2023. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. ^ "MASCAC Football Weekly Awards 10/15". October 15, 2023. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. ^ "MASCAC Football Weekly Awards 10/22". October 22, 2023. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  12. ^ "Anna Maria College Accepts Invitation to Join MASCAC". October 4, 2023. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  13. ^ "Dean College Football to Join MASCAC in 2025". Dean College. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
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