MaritimeAthletics.com caught up with Head Coach Clayton Kendrick-Holmes and captains Nick Fischetti, Thomas Korwan and Kendal Parker to talk about the upcoming 2016 season.
BRONX, N.Y.- Entering the 2016 season off of a 5-5 overall record a year ago, the Maritime Football Team will look to improve its record and look to contend for its second Eastern Collegiate Football Conference Championship.
Under the direction of 12th-year head coach Clayton Kendrick-Holmes, the Privateers will blend a strong returning cast with a crop of talented incoming freshmen and newcomers to the team in search of the title.
The Privateers return seven of their 13 All-Conference honorees including First and Second-Team selections Brett McKinney, John Arny, Thomas Korwan and Brian Price.
Korwan and Price will also serve as two of the team's four captains on the season, and will be joined by All-ECFC Honorable Mention linebacker Kendal Parker, as well as senior Nick Fischetti.
Offense
With the departure of the record-setting slinger Zack Chilcott under center, Maritime's offense will run through junior Thomas Wright. Last season, Wright passed for 60 yards and one touchdown in limited action as the primary backup to Chilcott.
McKinney will return as Maritime's most experienced running back, but others will be vying for time as senior Sean Kinney returns off of an injury in 2015, as well as Joe Modica who picked up 244 yards on the ground last season.
Fischetti will move outside to wide receiver this season after leading the team in receiving yards out of the backfield with 264 last year. Matt Ward was second on the team with 228 receiving yards last year, while Modica caught 14 passes for over 200 yards in 2015. Krystian Cardinal-Charles, Jordan Formicola and Christian Castle all saw plenty of time on the field last year and will look to be more involved in the Privateer offense.
Defense
Parker will be the featured member of the Privateer front seven on defense after picking up 92 tackles in his first season with the team. He will look to increase his total from last year and become the first player since 2012 to record over 100 tackles in a campaign.
Parker is joined by Craig Hinrichs (45 tackles), Eric Wallace (27), Corey Palladino (21), and Payton Campbell (19), as the group will be looking to stop the run game and cover the middle of the field defensively.
The defensive backs unit will be anchors by Price, who finished third on the team with 57 tackles a season ago. Nick Conte also continues to be a force from his safety position with 32 tackles and three pass breakups as a sophomore in 2015.
Special Teams
With All-American Kicker Diogo Dietrich graduating, Maritime will be in need of a kicker for the first time in four seasons. As the team's lone returning kicker, look for Matthew Murphy to add field goal and extra point-kicking duties to his resume in addition to his booming kickoffs.
Arny continues to prove his worth for the team as well, with his strong punting ability. Last season, Arny averaged 38.47 yars per punt with seven of those landing inside the opponent's 20-yard line. He will look to finish up his career with another All-Conference selection this season.
Price will continue to be a threat in the return game with his play-making ability heading up the field, which earned him an All-Conference nod as both a return specialist and a defensive back. Karl Riek and Garrett Stryzs also have experience in both the kickoff and punt return games.
Schedule
Maritime will open the 2016 season on the road as the team makes its yearly trip to the state of Maine for the opener against the Maine Maritime Mariners on September 3.
The home slate begins six days later as Maritime will host Mass. Maritime in the annual Chowder Bowl on September 9. Merchant Marine will round out the non-conference slate with another Friday night kickoff at 7 p.m. on Reinhart Field on September 16.
After a bye week, Maritime will open the Eastern Collegiate Football Schedule with Husson on October 1, as part of homecoming weekend on the Maritime College campus. A trip to Anna Maria follows a week later in Paxton, Mass.
The Privateers will welcome Becker to Reinhart Field as the Privateers and Hawks square off for the final time as ECFC foes on October 15. A week later, the Privateers travel to Castleton for a 1 p.m. kickoff against the Spartans.
Maritime closes out the home slate, and the month of October with a matchup against Norwich on the 29th with senior day festivities taking place before the matchup. The Privateers will close out the season with Mount Ida on November 5, and Gallaudet on November 12.
