LEICESTER, Mass.- Maritime College scored 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to defeat Becker College 30-7 in Eastern Collegiate Football Conference action on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field. The win ups the Privateers record to 2-3 (2-0 ECFC), while the Hawks fall to 1-4 (0-2 ECFC).
After a scoreless first quarter, the Privateers got on the board when sophomore kicker Diogo Dietrich (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) nailed a 34 yard field goal. Becker would respond on their next drive. Facing a fourth and nine from the Maritime 14 yard line, Becker lined up for a 31 yard field goal attempt, but Dylan McGuire (Somers, N.Y.) tossed the hold attempt out to kicker DeJahn Dawkins (East Hartford, Conn.), who scampered into the far corner of the end zone for a touchdown.
On the Privateers next possession they went 58 yards on 13 plays, taking a 10-7 lead on a Kyle Gardner (Amityville, N.Y.) six yard touchdown rush.
On the Hawks first possession of the fourth quarter, Maritime defensive lineman Andrew Auriemma (Melville, N.Y.) stripped the ball from Dylan McGuire at the Hawks 10 yard line, Hugh O'Brien (Westbury, N.Y.) gathered the loose ball and returned it for a touchdown, putting the Privateers in front, 16-7.
The Privateers added to the lead with 10:59 remaining in regulation when Ryan Heizman (Commack, N.Y.) called his own number for a one yard touchdown, making the score 23-7. Maritime put the game out of reach on their next possession when Greg Caneparo (Nanuet, N.Y.) took a sweep down the near sideline for an 85 yard touchdown run.
The Maritime rushing attack was led by Kyle Garner who finished with 123 yards on 31 carries. Greg Caneparo added 95 yards on four carries and Ryan Heizman chipped in with 84 yards on 13 attempts.
Junior linebacker Nick Coffiey (Wilmington, Del.) led the Privateer defense with a game high 11 tackles. Hugh O'Brien, Chris Shehata (Lynbrook, N.Y.), and Jimmy Daly (Oceanside, N.Y.) recorded sacks for Maritime.
Freshman running back Romario Vincent (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led Becker with 41 yards on eight carries. Shaun Llewellyn (Bloomfield, Conn.) pulled in four catches for 43 yards to pace the Hawks receivers.
The Hawks defense was led by senior linebacker Melvin Booker (Roxbury, Mass.) with ten tackles. Defensive linemen Michael Calafiore (Franklin, N.J.) and Derek McMichael (Jamaica, N.Y.) each registered two tackles for a loss.
Both teams return to the gridiron on Saturday, October 19 when they continue Eastern Collegiate Football action. Becker will travel to Husson University at 1:00 p.m., while Maritime heads to Norwich University for 1:30 p.m. tilt with the Cadets.
