By James Schneider - Foxboro Reporter
jtoland@telegram.com

They were once teammates, Mike Swanton, the senior, taking the snaps behind center of the 2005 Foxboro football team while Drew Connolly, a year younger, was his backup on offense while playing safety for the Warriors.

And when Swanton graduated and went to Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the fall of 2006, Connolly took over the helm of the Warriors, quarterbacking Foxboro to a Super Bowl championship, then going to prep school after graduation.

It didn't seem the two would ever share the same field again after that 2005 season. But fate would eventually bring the ex-Warriors together.

After a year in prep school, Connolly transferred to Union College, a member of the Eastern College Athletic Conference, along with none other than WPI. Connolly earned the starting quarterback job in his freshman year. Swanton earned his starting QB job this year for WPI. And so it was destined, a clash between two former teammates in a battle for Warrior pride.

"We had seen each other in the summer. We knew it was coming," Swanton said.

So, on Saturday night, Swanton and WPI traveled to Schenectady, N.Y. to take on Connolly and Union in an ECAC clash that meant just as much in Foxboro as in upstate New York or Worcester.

"It was a little weird, but there's always that competition we've had between us," Connolly said. "We both played a good game, I think it shows that Foxboro (High) has a good program and that coach Jack Martinelli helped develop us."

"They were both very intelligent, great kids to be around," Martinelli said. "I knew both of them would be successful at the next level somewhere."

Swanton, a senior, was 13-for-23 for 162 yards with an interception and a touchdown, and did just as much damage with his legs, running 17 times for a team-high 89 yards and a touchdown.

Connolly, now a sophomore, was equally impressive, completing 12-of-19 passes for a game-high 237 yards while running the ball five times for 33 yards.

The game was a back-and-forth affair. Swanton led WPI down the field for a field goal late in the first quarter to give the visitors an early 3-0 lead. Connolly and Union responded with 14 unanswered points before Swanton threw a 2-yard touchdown pass with two minutes remaining in the first half, Union going into the half with a 14-10 lead.

Union capped off a 93-yard drive at the beginning of the fourth quarter to take a 21-10 lead but WPI wouldn't give in, Swanton answering just under three minutes later with a 14-yard touchdown run to cut the score to 21-17.

But neither team scored again, the sophomore taking the first ever battle of the Warrior quarterbacks.

And the last one, as Swanton will graduate this year.

"I don't know if I'll be around to see him again," Swanton said. "Union has always been a college football powerhouse, we always knew it was going to be tough. We squeaked one by them last year, but this year we failed in the red zone a little bit."

"It was nice, especially because he's older," Connolly, Swanton's former understudy, said of the win. "I think it was a big victory for us too, to go to 2-0 on the league. I had a pretty good game, so it was a pretty good feeling after the game."

While one former Warrior QB had to lose the game, both have been fantastic this season, making their hometown proud.

Four games into his sophomore season, Connolly has been great, completing 51-of-100 passes for four touchdowns and 878 yards, averaging 219.5 yards per game.

In league play Connolly has been even better. Last week in Union's ECAC opener, he threw for 325 yards and two touchdowns, including a game-winning pass with 10 seconds remaining in regulation, helping Union defeat Rochester 28-21.

And he followed that performance with a mistake-free outing against WPI, retribution for last year's loss against their rivals from Massachusetts.

"Last year it was tough, I was a freshman and I was starting," Connolly said. "It was different playing with grown men. And everything is a lot harder at the college level. It was definitely an adjustment with the speed of the game."

And he can thank his Foxboro experience, playing under the lights at the Ahern Field, for some of his success.

"I think I learned just how to play under a big atmosphere and how to be mentally tough," Connolly said. "I think toughness is a big part and having tradition, having pride in our team is what Martinelli taught us."

"Both of them played for four years where they knew how to win," Martinelli said. "And they both had a confidence about them in themselves and the (ability) to make the people in the huddle feel confident."

When Swanton was the Warrior quarterback in 2005 his offense was relatively simple. A lot of straightforward hand-offs and simple passing patterns. It was much different when he arrived at WPI.

Now Swanton is no intellectual slouch, that's pretty much a given considering the school he attends. But it took him a while to grasp the complicated option offense in Worcester.

"It's like a known thing at WPI that you can't even get in the huddle and take a snap as a freshman," he said. "It's overwhelming and the dropout rate is overwhelming. It's almost another class that you need to get an A in."

So Swanton took his time, learning the offense from the sidelines until he was finally given the reigns as a senior.

And he hasn't disappointed. Swanton has completed 62-of-116 pass attempts for 778 yards, throwing for five touchdowns. And he's been just as valuable with his feet. Leading the option attack, Swanton has team-highs in carries (58), yards (328) and touchdowns (5).

"At our school you have to make checks at the line, we run the option too, the ball is basically in your hands, you have to decide who is going to run the ball, and you have to know your reads for the pass," Swanton said. "Normally it takes the quarterback a long time to figure out what's going on here."

Now the two former Warriors will go their separate ways. One a WPI Engineer and the other a Union Dutchman. But they'll still always be Warriors, and they'll always be interested in how the school that got them started is doing.

"I think as long as they keep playing tough, and they run the ball, I think they have a chance to restore the tradition at Foxboro," Connolly said. "I wish them nothing but the best."

The feeling from their home town is, no doubt, mutual.

Story appeared in Foxboro Reporter - Friday, October 9th
http://foxbororeporter.com/articles/2009/10/08/sports/6232857.txt