Football Selected Seventh in MASCAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll
The Owls return several key contributors from a disruptive Owls defense from a season ago.
WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State football was selected to finish seventh as part of the 2025 MASCAC Preseason Poll as voted on by the ten coaches throughout the conference.
The Owls totaled 38 points in the poll with Mass.-Dartmouth chosen as the unanimous favorites to win the league with nine first place votes and 81 points. Bridgewater State (68 points) and Mass. Maritime (56 points) completed the top third of the poll.
Transitioning to a triple option brand of football under head coach Lou Conte, the Owls finished sixth in the conference standings with a 4-5 league record and 4-6 overall mark, improving their win total from the season prior.
Defensively, the Owls were one of the most disruptive units in the league in 2024, finishing top three in the MASCAC with 20 sacks and 20 forced turnovers. Westfield returns a core group in the secondary including MASCAC Co-Defensive Rookie of the Year Andrew Lovell (Barnstable, Mass.). Lovell finished fourth on the Owls in tackles (44) and secured two interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
Andrew's brother and cornerback counterpart Eric Lovell (Barnstable, Mass.) is also back for the Owls as he led the team with four interceptions which was tied for fourth in the conference. Zach Allen (Chelmsford, Mass.) and Tafari Proctor (Amherst, Mass.) return in the back end as well with the duo combining for four interceptions.
Up front, the Owls bring back a pair of top pass rushers in Dylan Zuerblis (Wethersfield, Conn.) and Budder Ferreira (Haverhill, Mass.). Both finished within the top five in the MASCAC in sacks with Zuerblis registering five sacks and Ferreira recording 4.5 sacks despite missing the first three games of the season due to injury.
Ferreira is joined by Justyn Gardener (East Hartford, Conn.) to form a strong tandem at linebacker as Gardner's 45 tackles was second on the team last year.
Offensively, Westfield will be replacing their top two passers, two leading rushers and five of their top six receiving leaders from the 2024 season. The Owls lost over 1,000 yards of production on the ground from a season ago and one returning candidate that could be in line for a larger role in the offense is running back Curtis Dion (Seymour, Conn.) who rushed for 106 yards and caught 12 catches for 207 yards last season. He found the endzone three times as well.
Westfield State begins the 2025 regular season on Saturday, September 6 as the Owls host Vermont-State University Castleton at 1:00 P.M. from Alumni Field in Westfield, Mass.