NEWTON, Mass. (Oct. 20, 2012) – Mount Ida senior kicker Bobby Hemmann nailed a 38-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Mustangs to a home victory over Maritime, 24-21, Saturday afternoon in a very important ECFC matchup. The Privateers fall to 3-4 (2-2 ECFC) in defeat, while Mount Ida improves to 6-1 (4-0 ECFC).
The Privateers actually rallied back from being down 21-0, with all those points for the Mustangs coming in the first quarter. Mount Ida had touchdowns on their first three drives on a 14-yard rush by sophomore running back Kareem Cope, a 24-yard pass by senior QB Scott Drosendahl to junior Jordan Hyman and a 15-yard pass from Drosendahl to freshman Dejhaun Williams.
Maritime responded with 13 points in the second quarter, both coming on runs by junior Gary Bigham (Jacksonville, Fla./The Bolles). The first was a five-yard TD at 12:07 and the second came on a one-yard run with nine seconds left in the half. The play prior to that helped set up the touchdown, as junior Tyler Trodden (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Kennedy Catholic) hooked up with senior Xavier Torres (Orlando, Fla./Colonial) for a 55-yard completion the brought the ball down to the Mount Ida one-yard line. After freshman Diogo Dietrich's (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/DePaul Catholic) second PAT of the day was good, the score was 21-13 in favor of the Mustangs, and that's how the half would end.
There was no scoring in the third quarter, but the Privateers did start a drive at 4:11 that carried on into the fourth quarter. 16 plays and 71 yards later, with 7:15 off the clock, Bigham found the end zone again on another one-yard run to make the score 21-19. Maritime had to go for a two-point conversion to tie the game and the rush by Bigham was successful to tie it up at 21-21.
Mount Ida was forced to punt on the ensuing possession and the Privateers started another march up-field late in the fourth. On a 3rd-and-5 play from the 20-yard line, Trodden threw a pass that was intercepted in the end zone for a touchback with 45 seconds to play.
Drosendahl led the Mustangs up the field, completing four passes to get to the Maritime 21-yard line. After a Mount Ida timeout with four seconds to play, Hemmann came onto the field to kick the winner as the last second ticked off to give the Mustangs the victory.
The Privateers lost despite outgaining Mount Ida, 385-258, on the day. Sophomore fullback Paul Briggs (Shrub Oak, N.Y./Lakeland) was the game's leading rusher with 129 yards, while Bigham ended the day with 56 yards and the three scores. Trodden was 12-for-19 on completions for 188 yards with three interceptions. Senior Erik Heedles (Staten Island, N.Y./New Dorp) hauled in five catches for 68 yards, while Torres had three receptions for 71 yards.
On defense, senior Keith Barnes (Westbury, N.Y./Westbury) led Maritime with seven tackles, including a half-tackle for a loss of one yard. Sophomore Ryan McCoy (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) and senior Pat Lasher (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford) both ended the day with six tackles, with 1.5 of Lasher's for combined losses of 11 yards, including a sack for a loss of 10. Junior Chris Klass (Nanuet, N.Y./Nanuet) had the Privateers' only interception of the game.
Drosendahl was 15-for-24 for the Mustangs for 167 yards and two TDs, while also throwing a second-quarter interception. Hyman finished with five receptions for 67 yards and a score, while senior Matt Valentini hauled in five catches for 61 yards. Williams had three receptions for 28 yards and one TD. On the ground, sophomore Chris McNally led Mount Ida with 79 rushing yards. Mustang sophomore Jovan Wilkins was the game's leading tackler with 11, including three for combined losses of nine yards.
Maritime is back in action next Saturday, Oct. 27, when the Privateers' host ECFC-foe Husson University. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Reinhart Field. The Maritime football program will be celebrating its Annual Youth Day on Saturday, with various activities for kids. More information will follow later in the week.
