Football navigation headerFootball
Release

11.8.08

Maine Maritime routs Fitchburg 66-32

Mariners win Bogan Division title and will play for NEFC Championship

Castine, Maine – Junior running back Jim Bower (South Paris, ME) ran for a game high 229 yards on just 23 carries and scored three touchdowns, as Maine Maritime beat Fitchburg State College 66-32, clinching their first Bogan Division title since the 1998 season, Saturday afternoon at Ritchie Field.

The win improves MMA’s record to 7-3 overall and 6-1 in the Bogan Division while Fitchburg drops to 4-6 overall and 4-3 in conference play. With the win, MMA now hosts the New England Football Conference title game next Saturday against Plymouth State with the eventual winner getting the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The Mariners broke a school record with eight rushing touchdowns in the game. The MMA offense also broke the school record for total offensive yards in a game, compiling 572 in the lopsided victory.

Maine Maritime took an 8-0 lead on their first drive of the game when Jonathan Farrin (Boothbay Harbor, ME) ran 27 yards down the right sideline for the score. MMA went for the two-point conversion and converted the Matthew Rende (Augusta, ME) run to take the 8-0 lead. On the ensuing kick-off, Fitchburg returner, Marlon Thornton (Bloomfield, CT) returned the kick 75 yards to the end zone, and after the extra point, Fitchburg trailed just 8-7.

MMA struck again on their next possession, marching 67-yards on seven plays, as freshman quarterback Matthew Rende (10 carries for 88 yards and 2 td’s) found pay dirt from 6 yards out. MMA once again converted the two-point conversion and led 16-7.

Maine Maritime took a 24-7 lead after MMA linebacker Wade Mondoux (Berwick, ME) intercepted a Jim Miller (East Hampton, NY) pass and returned it to the Fitchburg 15-yard line. On the very next play, Jim Bower went over the left side and scored to give MMA the 17-point lead (Bower two-point conversion was good).

The Falcons showed some fight scoring two of the next three touchdowns getting to within 10 points. The first score came on a Jim Miller (10 for 23 for 184 yards and a TD) rush from 1-yard out bringing the score to 24-14. MMA’s Nick Bourassa (Jay, ME) then scored on a 56-yard rush before Fitchburg tight end Kenneth Russell, Jr. caught a pass from Miller and went 78-yards to bring the score to 30-20. The Mariners closed out the first half with a flurry, scoring on a 56-yard Todd Murphy (Middlesex, VT) run and then a 2-yard Bower run to give MMA the 44-20 half time lead.

The Mariners had three interceptions and a fumble recovery in the first half, which they converted to 16 points.

The Mariners started the third quarter with a bang, scoring just 2:15 in, on a Jim Bower 16-yard rush, and upping the lead to 52-20.

The Mariner defense continued it’s outstanding play, on the Falcons next series, Joel Chadbourne (Westbrook, ME) intercepted Miller for the fourth time on the afternoon and took it 68-yards for the score and the route was on with MMA leading 59-20. The Mariners scored again at the end of the third quarter when Rende scampered 52-yards and put MMA up 66-20 after the Michael Brennan (Manchester, ME) extra point.

Fitchburg ended the day on a positive note scoring the final two touchdowns of the day. The Falcons scored two minutes into the fourth quarter when sophomore quarterback Jordan Cannava (Woburn, MA) hooked up with wide out Devon Jennings (Boston, MA) from 16-yards bringing the score to 66-26. Two minutes later, after an MMA fumble, Cannava (5 for 10 for 72 yards and 2 touchdowns) hooked up with Carlos De La Rosa (Holyoke, MA) for a 12-yard strike and the touchdown. The De La Rosa score ended the scoring on the day and MMA came away with the 34-point victory.

The Maine Maritime Academy running game was unstoppable on the afternoon, as five MMA running backs rushed for 50-yards or more. Todd Murphy joined Bower over the century plateau gaining 105 yards on three carries while Nick Bourassa (62 yards) and Jon Farrin (50 yards) each averaged over 11-yards per carry. Alex Coulombe (Kennebunk, ME) had the only catch (32 yards) of the day for MMA.

The Falcons offense was led by Steve Austin (Jupiter, FL), who had 19 rushes for 111 yards. Fitchburg running back Marlon Thornton was limited to just 2 carries for 6 yards before leaving the game with an undisclosed injury. Kenneth Russell, Jr. led the Falcons with 5 catches for 135 yards and a score while Jim Miller threw for 183 yards before leaving the game.

Maine Maritime linebacker Wade Mondoux had 8 tackles and two interceptions on the day, while senior Cody Andrews (Holden, ME) finished with 9 tackles and 1.5 sacks. MMA linebacker Travis Fergola (Mexico, ME) had 8 tackles and an interception while Joel Chadbourne finished with 6 tackles and the interception that he ran back for a score. Dale Whittredge, Jr. (Haverhill, MA) led the Falcons with 10 tackles while freshman Jim Jaworski (Cranston, RI) led the team with 1.5 sacks.

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