By Kim J. Harmon

 

As head coach Ken Roberts took his team into the 2006 season, he expressed concerns that the defensive line might be a bit too small to rush the passer or stop some of the stronger running teams in the South-West Conference.

Well, it seems as if senior Kevin Regan – at 6-2 and 230 pounds – took that as a personal challenge.

Now, heading into the final game of the regular season, Regan has 34.5 tackles (second-best on the team) with a team-high six sacks and a team-high eight tackles for a loss while helping lead a defense which has limited opponents to only 209 yards of total offense per game.

“Kevin definitely has the ability to be one of those special players,” said coach Roberts. “Last year he was just short of being All-State defensive end, but he has really matured this year.”

Last year Regan was mentally and physically slowed by a dislocated elbow, but this year, he said, “I wanted to be nasty. I wanted to get it done.”

That attitude will serve him well next year. The lineman – who had feelers from Lafayette College and Bucknell and Lehigh Universities – just committed to play defensive end at the College of Holy Cross in Massachusetts.

“These last few weeks I made up my mind,” said Regan, who attended a Lafayette combine this past summer before getting invited to a Holy Cross camp in Worcester where he was officially made an offer by the Crusaders. “I felt comfortable with Holy Cross. It was a nice fit. And I think I can be more of an impact player at Holy Cross. They finished 7-4, but they are a building program and I really wanted to be a part of that.”

Knowing that he had college options well in hand, Regan took to the field this fall almost with a vengeance and registered two sacks in the season-opener against Stratford … after registering two sacks all of last year. He got two more sacks the following week against Brookfield, as well, and the defensive line was really making its mark.

So was the offensive line, on which Regan plays offensive tackle. Through nine games, the ‘Hawks have out-gained their opponents 2,519-1,889 and better than one-third of those yards (actually 35.9%) were allowed to just two opponents – Joel Barlow (423) and Bunnell (256).

“We knew we wouldn’t be the biggest team,” Regan said, “and everyone understood we had to be at our best for everything to work. We had to be quicker and smarter than everyone else and we had a bend, don’t break attitude this year with teams like Barlow, Bunnell and Stratford and that has helped us a lot.”

They have helped themselves by working hard.

“Guys like (Steve) Orrico, (Joe) Greenfield, (John) Aminti, (Brian) Cullinan – we all work really hard in practice,” said Regan, “and we understand what we have to do.”

Regan also understands what he has to do to step it up another level next fall when he puts on the pads for the Crusaders. Holy Cross would like him to add on another 20 pounds or so and get a bit stronger in the weight room.

“It will be a big challenge,” said Regan, “but it will also be a lot of fun. The Patriot League has some of the best football in the country.”