Northeastern’s demise has southern exposure Alex Dulski says the death of football at Northeastern is just beginning to hit.

Globe South Sports Notebook

Alex Dulski says the death of football at Northeastern is just beginning to hit. (AP File Photo/Nancy Palmieri)

By Justin A. Rice December 3, 2009

Globe South Sports Notebook

Northeastern University’s recent decision to discontinue its football program was a crushing blow, particularly for a number of Husky players from the area. The team’s roster lists 17 players who either reside in a town south of Boston or attended a high school there.

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“A lot of guys get recruited from the area because it’s close and [coaches can] see a lot of good games,’’ said junior quarterback Alex Dulski, who led Walpole High to a Super Bowl appearance. “There’s a lot of good talent from the area.

“It’s not easy on anyone, no matter where you’re from.’’

Dulski has already spoken to several colleges, from the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly 1-AA) to Division 3. But he said that his plans, like many of his teammates with eligility remaining, are still not clear. Will they transfer or stay at NU? The university will honor their scholarships. But if they choose to transfer, they can do so without sitting out a year.

Former Braintree High star Nick Chambers, a freshman linebacker who transferred to NU from UMass-Amherst, is considering Bryant University. But former Mansfield High standout Greg Martell, a sophomore offensive lineman, says he will stay.

“I’ve got a good co-op job, so I’m going to stick with that and finish my education here,’’ said the criminal justice major, who is interning in the Immigration and Customs department in Boston’s Federal Building.

Martell said he can’t imagine what it will be like to not have football practice next fall.

“Even today, I’m done with classes, and it’s kind of like ‘Now what?’ ’’ he said. “I’m so used to having a structured schedule. It’s a weird feeling now.’’

Xaverian Brothers grad CJ Parsons, a freshman defensive end, spent the week interviewing with coaches who flew to Boston to recruit Huskies looking to transfer, but would rather be focusing on his finals.

“It’s pretty stressful,’’ said Parsons, who may stay to play baseball at NU.

Weymouth’s Frank McPhee, who played at Catholic Memorial, has two more years of eligibility but is being advised to stay at NU.

“I’m still kind of in a sense of denial but the [Thanksgiving] break was good, it gave me some time to think about it,’’ the offensive lineman said. “It’s just a little ridiculous.’’

For Dulski, reality is starting to stick.

“It has sunk in a little bit,’’ said the quarterback, who threw for 655 yards and three TDs this season. “It will really hit a lot of guys in the coming months, and guys who aren’t going on to play, it will hit them in August when we normally report to camp.

“It’s been surreal this past week. I can’t say it has sunk in yet, but it’s starting to.’’

Ferbert made up for his late start
His freshman year at Bridgewater State College, John Ferbert didn’t go out for the football team, instead focusing his attention on his studies.

“When I took a year off and came back I thought I’d just play special teams,’’ said Ferbert, a criminal justice major who wants to get into coaching. “I went out to get into shape and meet some guys. I never expected it to be like this.’’ In his final season, the 5-foot-10, 220-pound linebacker made 90 tackles in 10 games, the most by a Bears player since 1997, and was a second team NEFC all-Bogan Division selection.

“John is a great example of what you can do with hard work,’’ said Bridgewater State coach Chuck Denune. “We weren’t sure of his physical ability to play the game at the Mike [or middle] linebacker position when he came to us, but the work he put in over the last couple off-seasons shows what a young man can do with his body over the course of two to three years of hard work.

“What he did on the field was just short of amazing.

Here and there
Stonehill finished 5-5 overall, but four players were named to the Northeast-10 Conference first team: sophomore cornerback/return specialist Stephan Neville, senior lineman Thomas Pheifer, senior defensive lineman Andrew Lesko, and sophomore punter Chris Rooney. Defensive back Jareed Gaines was chosen the conference’s co-freshman of the year. . . . Former Bridgewater-Raynham standout Kevin Kearns, a senior linemen at Bentley, was also a first-team pick, while former Brockton High players Sharrief Hall and Mike Gomes made the second team and all-rookie team in their inaugural seasons at the University of New Haven. . . . Bridgewater native and Saint Anselm College senior linebacker Dan Bohenek was named to the All-NE-10 second team. . . . Bridgewater State College women’s soccer coach Andrea Zeigler-O’Connor retired as the program’s all-time winningest coach, going 96-81-20 in 11 years.
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