BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. (Sept. 12, 2013) – Time ran out on the Maritime football team Thursday night, as the squad lost to rival Mass. Maritime, 24-20, in the 2013 season opener up at the Buccaneers' Clean Harbors Stadium. It was the first Chowder Bowl victory for Mass. Maritime in the six-year history of the game.
The Privateers had the ball deep in the Bucs' territory with a chance to take the lead at the end of the fourth quarter, but were held out of the end zone despite their best efforts.
Mass. Maritime got on the board first at the end of the opening quarter when senior Brandon Rodrigues converted a 30-yard field goal. Maritime responded with a 35-yard FG by sophomore Diogo Dietrich (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/DePaul Catholic) to tie the game at 11:39 of the second quarter.
The Privateers would take the lead just three minutes later, as they got the ball back quickly after the Buccaneers fumbled on their first play after the field goal. Junior Greg Caneparo (Nanuet, N.Y./Nanuet) rushed in a two-yard run and the PAT by Dietrich put Maritime up, 10-3. The Bucs struck again before the first half ended, however, when they picked a Maritime pass off at the Privateer 22-yard line and brought it back to the 1-yard line before senior Stefan Gustafson barreled into the end zone. After the PAT by Rodrigues the score was knotted up at 10-10, which it stayed at into halftime.
Dietrich would hit another field goal on the Privateers' opening drive of the third quarter, this one from 37 yards out, to put Maritime ahead, 13-10. Caneparo found the end zone again later in the quarter on a five yard run and Dietrich's PAT put the Privateers in front by ten, 20-10.
The ten-point lead was short-lived, though, as Mass. Maritime junior Bobby Rosano returned the ensuing kickoff 86 yards into the end zone to cut the lead to 20-17 with just eight seconds to go in the quarter. That's where the score stayed most of the fourth quarter until Bucs' junior John Trudel rushed for a 12-yard touchdown with 3:16 remaining in the final quarter.
A personal foul penalty against Mass. Maritime after the kickoff gave the Privateers the ball at the 50-yard line to start the drive with just 3:09 on the clock. After three first downs and the final two timeouts burnt, the Privateers faced a 2nd-and-10 play from the Bucs' 11-yard line with three seconds to play and could not convert.
Sophomore Zach Chilcott (Ulster Park, N.Y./Kingston) got the start at QB for the Privateers and converted 2-of-3 passes for 42 yards and also picked up 59 yards on the ground, but he did not play the second half. Freshman Isiah Covington (Brooklyn, N.Y./FDR) took over behind center and picked up nine passing yards and 26 rushing yards. The top rusher for Maritime was junior Paul Briggs (Shrub Oak, N.Y./Lakeland), who tallied 117 yards on the ground, while senior Frank Laino (Rockaway, N.Y./Fort Hamilton) picked up 47 rushing yards. Senior Sean Belsky (West Islip, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) was the top receiver with two catches for 38 yards.
Mass. Maritime was led by senior QB Mike Stanton, who completed 16-of-25 passes for 176 yards. Gustafson finished the night with 67 rushing yards and senior Keith Caruso was the Bucs' best receiver with seven catches for 59 yards.
Junior Nick Coffiey (Wilmington, Del./Delaware Military Academy) was the Privateers leading tackler on the night with nine (seven solo and two assisted) with one coming for a loss of one yard. Sophomore Kameron Knight (Clayton, N.C./West Johnson) recorded eight tackles (one for a loss of four yards), a fumble recovery and an interception. Freshman Francis Gannon (Pearl River, N.Y./Pearl River) had two picks on the night to go along with six tackles.
For the Bucs, junior Victor Andrade led all players with 11 tackles, including a sack for a loss of six yards. Junior Brian Liamos registered the only pick of the game for Mass. Maritime.
The Privateers return to action on Saturday, Sept. 21, for the Homecoming Game against rival Kings Point. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Reinhart Field.
