For Immediate Release
Contact: Mark Whitehouse
Saxons take ECAC North Atlantic title with 63-20 victory over Maine Maritime
ALFRED, NY— The Alfred University football team completed its most successful season in 16 years with a convincing 63-20 victory over visiting Maine Maritime Academy in the ECAC North Atlantic Bowl Championship Saturday afternoon at Merrill Field.
With the win, AU finishes its season with a 9-2 record, which matches that of the 1989 squad. The Saxons ended that season with a 30-27 victory over Bridgewater State in the ECAC North Championship game.
AU sophomore quarterback Paul Keeley (Caledonia, NY/Caledonia-Mumford) was named the outstanding player in Saturday’s game after completing 16 of 17 passes for 219 yards and three touchdowns.
The Saxons scored the game’s first 21 points. After forcing Maine Maritime to punt on its opening possession, AU drove 62 yards in seven plays, with sophomore tailback Elmer Newsome (Cadosia, NY/Hancock) scoring on a 13-yard run, the first of his three rushing touchdowns. With 3:05 left in the opening quarter, Newsome capped a two-play 34-yard drive with a 26-yard run to give Alfred a 14-0 lead.
The Saxons made it 21-0 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter when Keeley hit senior tight end Chris Reger (Warsaw, NY/Warsaw) with an 18-yard scoring pass. Maine Maritime got on the board on its next possession when quarterback B.J. Dunlap (Norridgewock, ME/Showhegan) connected with wide receiver Cody Schmidt (Jamesport, NY/Riverhead) for a 73-yard scoring pass. The PAT failed and AU led 21-6.
Alfred scored the next 35 points to build a 56-6 lead. Freshman wide receiver Trevor Bork (Fishers, NY/Victor) caught a 52-yard bomb from Keeley for a touchdown that made it 28-6 with 6:39 left in the first half. Reger caught his second TD pass from Keeley, this one from 22 yards out, with 2:52 left before intermission. The Saxons scored on their opening possession of the second half when Newsome scored on a seven-yard run to cap a seven-play 65-yard drive. On Maine Maritime’s next possession, junior strong safety Aaron Meyers (Delevan, NY/Pioneer) intercepted a Dunlap pass at the AU 30-yard-line and returned it 48 yards to the Mariner 22, where he pitched to sophomore linebacker Blake Fuller (Newark, NY/Newark), who ran in for the touchdown. Freshman tailback Julio Fuentes (Olean, NY/Olean) scored on a 19-yard run to give AU a 56-6 lead with 6:19 left in the third.
Maine Maritime answered with 1:45 left in the third when halfback Ken Rackliff (Gardiner, ME/Madison) scored from three yards out to make it 56-13. AU freshman tailback Morgan O’Brien (Bradford, PA/Bradford) scored on a two-yard run to give the Saxons a 63-13 lead before Mariner halfback Jake Labree (Rockland, ME/Orono) ran in from nine yards out to close out the scoring.
For the game, AU racked up 548 yards of offense. Newsome finished with 145 yards on 20 carries, while Fuentes and O’Brien added 64 and 54 yards, respectively. Bork finished with a game-high seven catches for 90 yards and Reger caught four passes for 48 yards.
Maine Maritime finished with 259 yards of offense. Halfback Brandon Goodrich had a team-high 72 yards rushing on 15 carries and Rackliff had 59. Dunlap finished with 80 yards passing.
Junior end Andy Rantz (Montandon, PA/Milton Area) had seven tackles, including a sack, to pace the Alfred defense. Senior linebacker Brenton Brady (Rochester, NY/Marshall) and freshman free safety Kenneth Johnson (Tonawanda, NY/Sweet Home) each had six tackles and sophomore cornerback Josh Rammacher (Angola, NY/Lake Shore) had a forced fumble and recovery.
Linebacker Chris Metcalf (Eliot, ME/Marshwood) led the Mariner defense with 15 tackles (11 solo) and a forced fumble. Linebacker Brian Guillerault (South Portland, ME/South Portland) had 11 tackles, while end Dave Dutkiewicz (Eliot, ME/Marshwood) and strong safety Joe Blier (Bangor, ME/Bangor) each chipped in with eight.
Maine Maritime finishes its season with a 7-3 record.
