Buzzards Bay, Mass. --  Massachusetts Maritime junior quarterback Mike Stanton is the recipient of this week’s Division II-III Gold Helmet Award presented by the New England Football Writers and the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston.  Stanton received the prestigious honor at the weekly New England Football Writers Luncheon that was held earlier this afternoon at Harvard University’s Dillon Field House in Cambridge, Mass.

A native of Quincy, Mass. and a graduate of North Quincy High School, Stanton set a school record for completions (26) and shattered the previous single-game passing yardage mark with 420 in leading the Buccaneers back from a 19-point third quarter deficit en route to a 42-38 victory over rival Coast Guard in the New England Football Conference opener for both squads last Saturday afternoon at Clean Harbors Stadium.  He becomes the fifth player in Massachusetts Maritime history to earn a Gold Helmet, joining Jim O’Neill (1980), Kevin Piecewicz (1992 and 1993), David Burrill (2000) and Nathan Sherr (2009).

With his team trailing 28-9, Stanton threw three touchdown passes of 18, nine and 60 yards in a 6:30 span in the third stanza that erased Massachusetts Maritime’s deficit and gave the hosts a 32-28 cushion.  He guided the Buccaneers to a school-record 695 yards of total offense on the day (420 passing, 275 rushing) as well as his second victory in three meetings with the Bears dating back to 2010, and for his efforts was also named as both the New England Football Conference and ECAC Northeast Offensive Player of the Week.

Stanton leads the NEFC is passing efficiency (176.3) and is also ranked 12^th nationally in NCAA Division III play in that category, as he has completed 71 percent (54-76) of his pass attempts for 803 yards and five touchdowns through three games.  He is directing a Buccaneer offense that also leads the conference in total offense at 489.6 yards per game, as Massachusetts Maritime has scored 40 or more points in back-to-back contests for the first time since 1991.  Since taking over as the starting quarterback in the third game of his freshman campaign, Stanton has guided the Buccaneers to 12 victories, including a pair over Coast Guard and single triumphs over rivals Maine Maritime and Bridgewater State.

Massachusetts Maritime, which stands at 2-1 overall under eighth year Head Coach Jeremy Cameron, hits the road for a showdown of NEFC Bogan Division co-leaders at Framingham State on Saturday afternoon, with kickoff at Maple Street Field in Framingham, Mass. set for Noon EDT.