Staten Island, NY – Heading into the November 5 Senior Day matchup vs. Sacred Heart, the 2011 Wagner College football team was saddled with a seven-game losing streak, a 1-7 overall record and a 1-4 mark in the Northeast Conference (NEC).
 
Physically, there were a host of players, including starting junior quarterback Nick Doscher (Staten Island, NY/ Moore Catholic), suffering from varying degrees of injuries in addition to a plethora of bumps and bruises. Mentally, it would have been easy for the team to fold in the face of a closing stretch that included upstart Sacred Heart, entering Wagner College Stadium with a 5-3 record and a 3-2 mark in the NEC, followed by road games at defending NEC Champion Robert Morris and always-tough local rival Monmouth.
 
But the foundation of the 2011Wagner team was in its 18-member senior class, two of whom where captains in strong safety Jeremiah Brown (Brooklyn, NY/ Grand Street Campus) and defensive end Derrick Forrest (Fort Lauderdale, FL/ Calvery Christian), and one of whom, linebacker Julian Stanford (Bloomington, CT/ Bloomington), was in the process of authoring a season that would land him on the All-NEC First Team.
 
With the Seahawks trailing Sacred Heart 21-7 early in the fourth quarter, the season turned on Stanford's 36-yard interception for a touchdown. Stanford's “pick-six” ignited a 20-0 surge that propelled Wagner to a 27-21 victory. The following week at Robert Morris, buoyed by a sensational 32-carry, 216-yard rushing day by sophomore running back Dominique Williams, the Seahawks beat the Colonials going away, 38-17.
 
In the Nov. 19 season finale at Monmouth, a Stanford blocked punt was picked up by fellow senior Brown and returned 22 yards for a touchdown. Another pair of seniors combined on a huge defensive play later in the game when senior defensive end Quintin Anderson picked up a loose ball that had been stripped by senior defensive tackle Sal Gigante, and rumbled with it 68 yards up the right sideline to set up another Wagner touchdown. Stanford then sealed the win while capping his career with a 37-yard interception return for a touchdown with less than four minutes to play.
 
Over the season's final three-game winning streak, plenty of other seniors either stepped up themselves or helped lead and guide the underclassmen. Wagner finished the season tied for fourth place with Monmouth in the eight-team NEC with 4-4 league, mark to go with a 4-7 overall record.
 
Buoyed by the season-ending three-game winning streak, the returning Seahawks now move forward into the offseason conditioning program with momentum and optimism, which they plan on carrying into spring ball, preseason camp, and ultimately, the 2012 season.
 
As for the seniors, of whom all 18 are on schedule to graduate in May, they will leave Grymes Hill armed with a boatload of positive memories and the knowledge that they helped right the ship, perhaps laying the positive groundwork for Wagner's future football fortunes.
  
Senior Members of the 2011 Wagner College Football Team
No. 81 - Quintin Anderson DL, 6-5, 280 (Rochester, NY / Penfield/Milford Academy)
No. 5 - Jeremiah Brown DB 6-0, 205 (Brooklyn, NY / Grand Street Campus)
No. 44 - Matt Connelly OL, 6-3, 255 (Kingston, PA / Wyoming Valley West)
No. 56 - Rory Cregan P 5-10, 185 (Woodside, NY / St. Francis Prep)
No. 47 - Derrick Forrest   DL, 6-225 (Ft. Lauderdale, FL / Calvery Christian Academy)
No. 6 - Dom Gaston Sr LB, 6-2 225 (Phillipsburg, NJ / Bergen Catholic)
No. 66 - Sal Gigante DL, 6-1, 270 (New Windsor, NY / Cornwall Central Catholic)
No. 89 - Nick Linehan, LS, 6-0, 200 (Plainville, MA / Bishop Feehan)
No. 22 - Mark Mangion PK, 5-11, 190 (Basking Ridge, NJ / Ridge)
No. 19 - Justin Matthews WR, 6-1, 190 (Hillside, NJ / Hillside)
No. 32 - Ricky Morgan RB, 5-11, 195 (Miami, FL / Palmer Trinity)
No. 14 - Dustin Nelson QB, 6-4, 230 (Fort Benning, GA / Christchurch)
No. 11 - Sean O'Reilly WR, 6-2, 180 (Howell, NJ / Howell)
No. 62 - Tyler Seling OL 6-3 280 (Plymouth, MI / Detroit Catholic Central)
No. 92 - Edgar Sheppard DL 6-3, 290 (Washington, DC / Georgetown Prep)
­No. 7 - Julian Stanford OLB, 6-2, 225 (Bloomfield, CT / Bloomfield)
No. 48 - Nick Suppes LB, 6-2, 220 (Dumont, NJ/ Dumont)
No. 41 - Rich Vellucci, 6-0, 220 (Newtown, PA / Council Rock)