Football To Finish Third in 2020 Northeast Conference Preseason Poll; Four Members Named to All-NEC Preseason Team
7/22/2020 12:00:00 AM | Football
SOMERSET, N.J.- The Sacred Heart University Football team was picked to finish third in the 2020 Northeast Conference Preseason Poll as announced at the conferences "Virtual Media Day" on Thursday.
Previous NEC Champion Central Connecticut State was picked to finish first receiving all six first-place votes followed by Duquesne to finish second while SHU was picked to place third. Saint Francis U, Wagner, Bryant and LIU round out the 2020 preseason poll. The Pioneers were picked to finish second a year ago while they finished tied for third in the conference in 2019. The previous year, the Pioneers defeated the prediction of a sixth place finish as SHU tied for first in the conference to become the NEC Co-Champion with Duquesne.
The NEC also announced its All-NEC Football Preseason Team which featured four players featuring running backs Julius Chestnut, and Jordan Meachum as well as offensive linemen J.D. DiRenzo and Josh Sokol.
The two players featured on the ESPN3 broadcast of the virtual media day were Shawn Ramcheran and Josh Sokol as well as head coach Mark Nofri as they discuss the keys to a successful season as well as a preview of the upcoming season. Nofri also goes into detail about how he has been preparing his team during the offseason as well as highlights the key players that could make a big a impact on the field this season.
The Pioneers are coming off a 2019 season in which SHU went 7-5 overall and 4-3 in conference play. SHU will be looking for its seventh winning season over the last eight years. SHU is expected to kick off the 2020 season on the road at LIU on Saturday, Sept. 12 with a time to be determined.
Key Quotes From The Day
"Being away for three months, hopefully the bond doesn't go away. We told the kids to reach out to kids on both sides of the ball. When we get together, some of the guys will be rusty physically. It's going to be a transition." Head Coach Mark Nofri on the team returning.
"Defensive guys are hungry. We come into camp and stress getting turnovers. It's a team effort, but we stress takeaways to help the offense. Coach Cooke prepares us well beyond measure." Shawn Ramcheran on the teams defensive mentality.
"We stressed communication between everyone. Make sure everyone was on the same page." Josh Sokol on how the team stayed in contact throughout the summer.
2020 NEC Football Preseason Poll
1. Central Connecticut (6)
2. Duquesne
3. Sacred Heart
4. Saint Francis
5. Wagner
6. Bryant
7. Long Island
First-place votes in parentheses ( )
