Endicott quarterback Phil Konopka plunged into the end zone from a yard away on fourth down in triple overtime and the Gulls defense shut down host Framingham State's chance to tie it up as Endicott took a thrilling 33-27 victory on opening day.
The Gulls trailed by two touchdowns at the start of the fourth quarter but saw Konopka find Mike Murphy from 44 yards away for their first score early in the period. Neil Powers' 15-yard score tied it up later and the Gulls took their first lead on Dylan Rushe's 32-yard field goal with 2:46 to play.
The Rams nailed a field goal of their own, 27 yards off the boot of Phil Cosmos, to force overtime with 26 seconds left on the clock.
The clubs traded field goals in the first overtime and then the Rams went ahead with a TD in the second. Konopka threw a scoring strike to Alex Avery to force the third extra session.
Konopka finished the day with 195 passing yards and two TDs while Mike Lane was the leading Gull rusher with 78 yards. Beverly's Peter Kallas made three stops on defense for the Gulls while former North Shore Tech great David St. Pierre handled the kick-off duties.
It was Salem's Melikke Van Alstyne who nearly stole the show. Making his college debut, the Framingham State running back jaunted and slashed his way to 128 yards rushing on a workman like 28 carries. Salem High's all-time leading rusher scored his first NCAA touchdown late in the third quarter to put the Rams on top 14-0.
