Although NESCAC football teams do not participate in an official postseason tournament, the Bowdoin Football Team will effectively enter its playoffs this weekend. The team will play Bates on Saturday, beginning its defense of last year's CBB title.
The CBB is a round-robin tournament pitting NESCAC in-state rivals Colby, Bowdoin, and Bates against one another. Aside from the thrill of beating its rivals, the winner of the tournament also receives a trophy as a reminder of the accomplishment.
The CBB tournament "is very important to our guys," said Head Coach Dave Caputi.
"To win it means a lot. We're pretty fortunate to have a built-in playoffs at the end of the year where games mean something to people," he said.
Last season the team claimed the CBB championship for the first time since 1998. This year, the team 1-5 looks to end the year at 3-5 and with another CBB trophy.
"Winning the CBB would be a great way to finish off our season," senior tri-captain Rogan Donelly said. "It's something the seniors look forward to every year. We have the trophy in our locker room and we definitely want to keep it."
Bowdoin will travel to Lewiston to face a Bates squad hungry for its first win. "We're playing another game against an evenly matched team," said Donelly. "We really don't have to change much from last week's gameplan, we just have to play hard-nosed football."
Last weekend, the team dropped a 21-14 decision to Wesleyan at home on Parents Weekend.
After the Cardinals scored on their first possession, sophomore quarterback Oliver Kell led the Polar Bears on a 59-yard scoring drive. Kell connected with classmate Justin Starr on a 20-yard touchdown pass to knot the score at 7.
Wesleyan scored again in the first quarter, but junior Laurence Dugan scored on a 15-yard run for Bowdoin in the second quarter. The Cardinals were able to take the lead on a 54-yard pass with 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter, and the Polar Bears were not able to recover.
Bowdoin gave Wesleyan all it could handle, but couldn't come up with the win. "We really did play well, and we played tough," said Donelly. "It's frustrating that we lost."
Caputi said he believes the team has been close in a number of games.
"We've been in a position to make plays and we haven't come up with them," Caputi said. "We have to make sure that we continue to put guys in the same positions and then get them to understand that we have to do things one step better."
Although the team has lost its past five games, the Polar Bears feel that if they can win their last two games, they can still end the season on a high note.
"We've got something to play for," Donelly said. "It's nice to finish with a chance at a CBB title. We're plenty motivated and we've just got to keep playing hard and finish off with a bang."