Maine Maritime Academy Athletics

Football
Release - Coast Guard

11.1.08

Maine Maritime defeats Coast Guard 42-34

Castine, Maine – Junior running back Jim Bower (South Paris, ME) ran for a game high 131 yards on 30 carries and scored a touchdown, as Maine Maritime improved to 6-3 on the season with a thrilling 42-34 victory over the United States Coast Guard Academy Saturday afternoon in a Bogan Division New England Football Conference (NEFC) contest.

The Mariners improve to 5-1 in conference play while the Bears drop to 3-5 overall and 3-3 in the Bogan Division of the NEFC. Maine Maritime rushed for 368 yards and got a career day from linebacker Wade Mondoux (Berwick, ME) who collected 26 tackles and recovered a fumble in the victory.

Maine Maritime took a 6-0 lead late in the first quarter when senior Jonathan Farrin (Boothbay Harbor, ME) ran down the right sideline for 45-yards and the score. MMA went for the two-point conversion and converted the Tyler Angell (Leeds, ME) run to take the 8-0 lead. The drive covered 90 yards on 9 plays and took up over four minutes.

After recovering an MMA fumble deep in Mariner territory, Coast Guard got on the board when freshman kicker Jacob Shackleford (Richardson, TX) converted the first of two field goals on the day, when he knocked in a 24-yard attempt to inch the Bears within five points at 8-3.

Maine Maritime responded on their very next possession when Tyler Angell (16 rushes for 85 yards and two touchdowns) ran in from 11-yards out giving MMA the 14-3 advantage (two-point conversion rush failed).

The Bears ended the first half scoring when Steve Arguelles (Yuma, AZ) scored his first of four touchdowns on the day, running it in from 1-yard out. Shackleford’s extra point was good and Coast Guard went into halftime trailing 14-10.

Coast Guard wasted little time in the third quarter, scoring on just their second play when Argualles caught a pass in the right flat from quarterback Niles Pierson (Cheshire, CT) and ran 56-yards through the MMA defense for the score and the 17-14 lead (extra point good).

On the third play of MMA’s next possession Doug Piper (Baltimore, MD) pounced on a Todd Murphy (Middlesex, VT) fumble and gave Coast Guard the ball at the Mariner 48 yard line. Nine plays later, Arguelles caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Pierson (24 completions for 283 yards and three touchdowns), giving the Bears the 24-14 lead.

The Mariners answered the call scoring the next two touchdowns and regaining the lead at 26-24. The first touchdown came on a 23-yard Tyler Angell run over the right side to bring MMA within 4-points at 24-20. MMA scored again on a Jim Bower (21^st touchdown of the year) run after a Wade Mondoux fumble recovery capping off a 5-play and 64-yard drive.

The Mariners’ lead didn’t last as Coast Guard scored a minute and a half later when Pierson (28 rushes for 116 yards) connected with Arguelles from 14-yards out giving the Bears the 31-26 lead going into the fourth quarter.

MMA opened up the fourth with a Jon Farrin (4 rushes for 64 yards) run from 9-yards out and capped the drive off with a Matthew Rende two-point conversion giving MMA the 34-31 lead.

After both team’s exchanged punts, the Coast Guard Academy tied the score at 34-34 on a career long 45-yard field goal from Jacob Shackleford with just five minutes left in the game.

On the ensuing kickoff, Nick Bourassa (Jay, ME) returned the ball 45-yards to the Coast Guard 40 yard line. After six straight Jim Bower rushes, freshman quarterback Matthew Rende completed the drive and the MMA comeback with a 1-yard dive over the right tackle to give MMA the 40-34 lead. Bourassa (4 rushes for 38 yards) ran the ball in for the two-point conversion and the 42-34 lead.

The Mariners’ defense stopped the Bears on the next possession and ran the clock out for the thrilling 42-36 victory.

Maine Maritime Academy compiled all but 34 of their 402 offensive yards on the ground while the Bears compiled 438 yards of their own. Niles Pierson was outstanding in the loss for Coast Guard, passing for 283 yards and rushing for another 116. Steve Argualles had 132 all-purpose yards on the day including four scores while Sam England (Grand Prarie, TX) had 9 catches for 96 yards.

The Coast Guard defense had impressive outings by Brian Michka (Cypress, TX), Brian Yurovich (Marlboro, MA) and Brian Field (Wantagh, NY), all collecting 11 tackles on the afternoon. Doug Piper had eight tackles, a sack, and a fumble recovery in the loss.

Maine Maritime linebacker Wade Mondoux had 26 tackles (19 solo), a fumble recovery, a forced fumble and three tackles for loss in the win. Steve Keroack (York, ME) had seven tackles (2 for loss) and a sack on the afternoon. Joel Chadbourne (Westbrook, ME) and Cody Andrews (Holden, ME) each played well for the Mariners collecting ten and 11 tackles respectively.

MMA Athletics • Pleasant Street • Castine, ME 04420 • (207) 326-2450