Salve Regina was driving down the field with 5:49 on the clock in the third quarter of this Saturday’s NEWMAC showdown against Springfield College. The Seahawks quarterback, Padraig Brown, stepped up in the pocket and looked left, deciding to pull the trigger and launch the ball towards the goal line. Springfield College senior linebacker Mike Mendicino locked eyes with Brown, jumped the route with his heels touching his own end zone, and picked the ball off. With nothing but 100 yards of green ahead of him, Mendicino was off to the races. The 200-pound linebacker looked like a horse galloping his final straightaway at the track, all the way to the end zone.
“It did feel really fun,” Mendicino said. “I was glad to be able to celebrate with my teammates after, but I was definitely gassed.”
Mendicino, who has played for the Pride all four years, has finally gotten his chance to be a full-time starter, and he hasn’t looked back. After contributing last season by being in and out of the lineup, the senior has been on a tear in the NEWMAC the past two weeks. Over the last two games, Mendicino has racked up four interceptions, with two of them going back for touchdowns in the same game, and 14 total tackles. Mendicino knows that the reasoning behind his success comes from the people around him, a true testament to the brotherhood that the Pride football team relishes so deeply.
“I think it started with the calls our DC was making,” Mendicino stated. “He had us dropping into coverage more where we could just sit on the hash and read the hand of the quarterback.”
But the play call is only half the battle. Mendicino has to know what the quarterback is going to do with the ball before the play even starts. His ability to read what an opposing offense is doing doesn’t just come from being in the right spot at the right time; it’s a factor of preparation.
“I think just his awareness of the game and game situations and where he has to be, he puts so much time, energy, and effort into the game,” Springfield College Football Coach Mike Cerasuolo said. “And then it shows up when he has the opportunity to play.”
The awareness level that Mendicino brings to the turf is built largely from his commitment to watch films and get better every day. During the game against MIT on Sept. 26, Mendicino finished the game with two interceptions. His second one was the dagger, as MIT was trying their best to recover from having their kick blocked, which Springfield returned for a touchdown on the drive before. The Engineers were driving the ball down the field and into the Pride red zone. Mendicino stepped up and jumped a route on the right side of the field perfectly and went down to a knee, clinching the 19-13 win.
“It really starts in practice,” Defensive Coordinator Will Nipon said. “We talk about practice, and how it’s developed game realities, and the way ‘Mendy’ practices is second to none; he relentlessly sprints to the football every time and is always doing everything asked of him.”
The Pride has now won two straight games primarily because of the defensive side of the ball. Against Salve Regina, three defensive touchdowns were the difference in the game, setting a program record. Mendicino walked away with two of them, accounting for 114 return yards in the 36-23 victory. However, for Mendicino, brotherhood is far more important than personal accomplishments. As long as his boys win, so does he.
“It’s awesome to be able to celebrate these little victories along the way,” Mendicino said. “Hopefully we can win the natty this year, and being able to celebrate with the guys on the defensive side of the ball is really awesome.”
Mendicino played his cards perfectly. Through hard work, he was able to promote himself from the scout team to the second unit, and now, in his senior year, is a crucial leader and contributor for the defense. Mendicino is proof that determination and preparation both on and off the field can take you to an uncharted level