Football
Release
9.29.07
Maine Maritime Defeats Westfield State College 21-14
Castine, Me. – In New England Football Conference (NEFC) Bogan Division action, the Mariners of Maine Maritime Academy, behind a solid defensive effort, downed the Owls of Westfield State College, 21-14, this afternoon at Ritchie Field.
The Mariners (2-2, 1-1 NEFC Bogan) forced Westfield (1-3, 0-2 NEFC Bogan) to punt the ball 8 times and only allowed 23 rushing yards on the day. The MMA defense held the Owls to 191yards of total offense while piling up 329 of their own.
Sophomore running back Jim Bower (South Paris, ME) rushed for 133 yards and a pair of touchdowns while sophomore quarterback Tyler Angell (pictured left) ran for 140 yards and a score. MMA rushed 69 times for 305 yards in the win.
The Owls jumped out to a quick lead 5 minutes into the game when Dan Cohen (Wilbraham, MA) found Scott McIntyre (Bristol, CT) in the end zone for a 10 yard touchdown pass. Mark Tarlow (Melrose, MA) converted the extra point to give Westfield the 7-0 lead. MMA answered on their first possession of the half when Jim Bower (South Paris, ME) capped off a 9 play drive with a 1 yard touchdown run. The Mariners extra point attempt was blocked by Westfield State leaving the score at 7-6.
Both teams exchanged punts before Westfield State found the end zone again with 14:50 remaining in the second quarter. The Owls took advantage of great field position and drove the ball 44 yards in 5 plays for the score. Tim Thomas (Ashland, MA) finished off the drive when he rushed the ball in from 1 yard out to put the Owls up 14-6. Once again, MMA responded with a score, when quarterback Tyler Angell (Leeds, ME) punched the ball in from 1 yard out. The Mariners finished the 11 play drive with an Angell two point conversion to knot the score at 14-14 going into the half.
The Mariners moved ahead at the 6:41 mark of the third period when Jim Bower scored his second touchdown of the game. Bower’s 5 yard touchdown run capped off an 11 play drive that took 4:16 off the clock. Chris Cunningham (Round Pond, ME) converted the extra point to put MMA up 21-14. MMA had the last good scoring chance of the afternoon, but fumbled the ball on the Westfield 11 yard line and both teams exchanged punts the rest of the game. The Mariner defense got stingy after half time and never allowed the Owls to cross midfield in the second half.
The Mariner defense was terrific all game long allowing just 23 yards on the ground. Mike Riley (Milton, VT), Nate Bolduc (Farmington, ME), Chris Tracy (Westbrook, ME), and Travis Fergola (Mexico, ME) all recorded 7 tackles for the Mariners. Junior tackle Steve Keroack (York, ME) made 6 tackles (3 for loss) and junior tackle Cody Andrews (Holden, ME) added 5 tackles and a sack. Chris Kates (Lisbon Falls, ME) intercepted a pass and returned it 38 yards to seal the win for MMA in the closing seconds.
The Mariner running game along with a solid defense helped stop Westfield State, but one of the real keys to the game was the punting of Alex Coulombe (Kennebunk, ME). The sophomore punter had 7 attempts, which totaled 274 yards, and 4 of those punts were downed inside the 20 yard line.
Junior quarterback Dan Cohen (Wilbraham, MA) led the way offensively for Westfield State as he passed for 168 yards and a touchdown. Senior wide receiver Scott McIntyre caught 14 balls for 100 yards and a score. Tim Thomas (Ashland, MA) had a rushing touchdown in the loss. Defensively, junior linebacker Jay Fielding (Methuen, MA) notched 23 tackles and Matt Pawlishen (South Hadley, MA) recorded 13 tackles and a sack.
The Mariners will try to make it two in a row next Saturday as they host divisional rival Worcester State at 1:00 pm. Westfield State takes on Mass Maritime next Saturday at 1 in Westfield.
