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 Football
Release
9.27.08
Maine Maritime wins on homecoming 41-31 over Bridgewater State
 Castine, Maine – Junior running back Jim Bower (South Paris, ME) ran for a game high 225 yards on only 18 carries and three touchdowns, including one for 85 yards, as Maine Maritime improved to 2-2 on the season with a 41-31 victory over Bridgewater State College Saturday afternoon in a Bogan Division New England Football Conference (NEFC) contest.
The Mariners have won two straight contests and improve to 1-0 in conference play while the Bears drop to 1-3 overall and 0-1 in the Bogan Division of the NEFC. The wild homecoming game featured 832 total yards of offense and 72 points as both teams put on an offensive show for the fans in attendance.
Both offenses played scoreless in the first quarter as they traded nine different possessions that resulted in punts or fumbles but no points.
Maine Maritime took a 14-0 lead with four minutes remaining in the second quarter on two long Jim Bower touchdown runs. Bower started the scoring after a Rob Leighton (Auburn, ME) interception, when he ran one in from 27 yards out and then followed that up a minute later with an 85-yard run which was his 10th touchdown of the season.
Bridgewater got on the board with nine seconds left in the first half when Dave Leombruno (Lakeville, MA) connected on a 29-yard field goal to inch the Bears closer at 14-3.
MMA’s Cory Bezanson (Winslow, ME) (5 returns for 131 yards) returned the ensuing kick-off to the Bridgewater State 47-yard line and with three seconds left on the clock MMA struck again. As time expired MMA quarterback, Tyler Angell (Leeds, ME) (2 for 6, 82 yards, 2 touchdowns), connected with junior wide receiver Alex Coulombe (Kennebunk, ME) for a 47-yard strike and the touchdown to put MMA up 21-3 at the half.
The visitors came out in the third quarter and scored just 25 seconds into the stanza when Jessy Resende (Brockton, MA) (11 carries, 139 yards) ran 63 yards to pull them within 11 points at 21-10. On their next possession Bridgewater closed the gap to 21-17 when Bruce Burley (Mansfield, MA) capped off a 6-play and 53 yard drive with a 1-yard run for the score.
Maine Maritime answered on their next two drives and jumped out to a 34-17 lead going into the fourth quarter. The Mariners scored on Bower’s third touchdown of the game before Angell (22 carries, 82 yards) scored with 12 seconds left in the third from 1-yard out.
The Bears’ wouldn’t go away as they scored with 10 minutes left in the fourth on Burley’s second touchdown of the afternoon getting within ten points at 34-24.
MMA put the game away with just five minutes left in the contest when Angell hit Travis Shaw (Old Town, ME) on a 35-yard strike down the right sideline to give the Mariners the 41-24 lead.
Bridgewater defensive end Sean Larkin (Pembroke, MA) recovered an MMA fumble on the Mariners’ 11-yard line and with just over a minute left quarter back Tyler D’Ambra (Mansfield, MA) (8 carries, 34 yards) punched it in from 1-yard out to close out the scoring at 41-31.
Maine Maritime Academy compiled 452 yards (370 rushing) while the Bears’ attack totaled 370 yards, including 320 on the ground.
MMA safety Conor Callahan (Southington, CT) had 10 tackles on the day with seven of them being solo tackles, while Joel Chadbourne (Westbrook, ME) added 10 of his own. Senior linebacker John Logus (Southington, CT) had four tackles and a sack while cornerbacks Rob Leighton and Mike Riley (Milton, VT) each had interceptions.
The Bridgewater State defense was led by defensive end Chris Dijak (New Lunenburg, MA) who had 11 tackles; a sack and two tackles for losses while Casey Florence (Bridgewater, MA) and Mohammed Kanu (Randolph, MA) each collected nine tackles.
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MMA Athletics • Pleasant Street • Castine, ME 04420 • (207) 326-2450
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