Pierce, Corkery Named As MASCAC Football Offensive, Defensive Players Of The Week
Massachusetts Maritime sophomore running back Kenny Pierce and sophomore defensive back Liam Corkery were named as the respective Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week for their performances in Saturday’s 35-31 come-from-behind victory at Worcester State.
Pierce, a native of Beverly, Mass. and a graduate of Beverly High School, rushed for 202 yards on 33 carries and tied the school single-game record with four rushing touchdowns of 51, 7, 14 and the game-winning 30 yard score midway through the fourth quarter. Pierce has rushed for nearly 500 yards (488) in the first three games of the season and has visited the end zone seven times over the last two weeks, as he ran for a career-high 212 yards and three touchdowns in a 47-41 Admiral’s Cup setback at Maine Maritime on September 19th. Kenny, who entered the weekend leading all rushers nationally in Division III in yards gained per attempt, has run for 1,022 yards on just 131 carries in 13 career contests (7.8 yds per rush) while scoring 11 touchdowns. Pierce, who shared this week’s honor with Framingham State quarterback Matt Silva, becomes the second Buccaneer to earn MASCAC Offensive Player of the Week accolades in three weeks, as senior teammate Brad Skeffington (Salem, Mass./Salem) won the award for his performance in the season-opening 48-13 Chowder Bowl triumph over SUNY-Maritime on September 11th.
Corkery, a native of Merrimac, Mass. and a graduate of Pentucket Regional High School, registered eight total tackles (three solo) to go with a pass break-up and a key late fourth quarter interception for Massachusetts Maritime, which rallied from a 21-point second quarter deficit. He has recorded 16 total tackles (nine solo) while adding three tackles for loss and a fumble recovery to date, and in nine career games, Liam has broken up six passes.
Head Coach Jeremy Cameron’s Buccaneers, who stand at 2-1 overall and 1-0 in MASCAC action, return home on Saturday afternoon when Massachusetts Maritime entertains Fitchburg State in a league clash on Homecoming weekend at Clean Harbors Stadium that kicks off at Noon EDT.
