An up-tempo offense and a hard hitting defensive unit have been two key ingredients in the success that the Massachusetts Maritime football program has enjoyed in recent years, as Head Coach Jeremy Cameron’s Buccaneers have ranked among the national leaders in several categories on both sides of the ball while producing some of the top individual performances in the region.  And with a veteran group of 48 letterwinners and 12 starters back in the fold this fall, Cameron is looking for his 13^th campaign to be a lucky one indeed in the always rugged Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference.

Massachusetts Maritime is known throughout the world as an institution that produces outstanding leaders, and the Buccaneer football program is no exception to that tradition.  Cameron will look to seniors Tim Churchill (Scituate, Mass./Scituate), Bobby Gross (Tampa, Fla./Plant), Chris Haggerty (Cohasset, Mass./Cohasset) and Ethan Rooney (Rockland, Mass./Rockland) to uphold that reputation on the gridiron as 2017 co-captains, and he describes the quartet as “incredibly focused on setting, meeting and exceeding goals that are set for them both on and off the field.  Their leadership has been built on great character and commitment, and I know they will instill those values into every facet of our program.”

Here’s a look at how things are shaping up for the 2017 edition of Buccaneer Football:

OFFENSE.  Haggerty returns as Massachusetts Maritime’s starting signal caller after earning second team all-MASCAC accolades at the quarterback spot last fall, as he threw for over 1,800 yards and 12 touchdowns while completing 53 percent of his pass attempts.  Sophomores Ty Ebdon (Gales Ferry, Conn./Ledyard) and Matt Smith (Lowell, Mass./Lowell) gained experience in six combined contests as rookies in 2016, as Ebdon threw for nearly 200 yards and a score and Smith threw for 82 yards in a November start at Plymouth State.

Senior Richie Phillips (Onset, Mass./Old Rochester) is the top returning rusher for the Buccaneers after amassing 651 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground to go with 148 receiving yards and two more visits to the end zone.  A two-time MASCAC Offensive Player of the Week selection last September, Phillips has run for over 1,200 yards in his career and will be joined in the backfield by junior Andrew DeCarteret (Nashua, N.H./Nashua South) and sophomore Matt Long (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth), who combined for over 100 yards on the year.

The loss of all-conference wide out Shane Haggerty leaves a void in Cameron’s receiving corps, but that looks to be filled by junior Paul Sances (Middleboro, Mass./Middleboro), who hauled in 29 receptions for 453 yards and four scores in 10 contests last fall.  Seniors Ryan Taft (East Longmeadow, Mass./East Longmeadow), Derek Stegman (Dover, N.H./Dover) and Dylan O’Neil (Hanover, Mass./Hanover) lend additional experience after combining for 25 catches and 264 yards, while senior Alec Frizzell (Pembroke, Mass./Pembroke), junior Brian Fitzpatrick (Nahant, Mass./Bishop Fenwick) and sophomore Angus McNeil (Middleton, Mass./Masconomet Regional) will be vying for time at tight end in Massachusetts Maritime’s offensive scheme this season.

Rooney anchors a solid offensive line unit for the Buccaneers that includes fellow seniors Caleb Brown (Falmouth, Mass./Falmouth) and Matt Massengill (Amherst, Mass./Williston-Northampton) along with juniors Chris Winbourne (Wrentham, Mass./King Philip), James DeLuzio (Germantown, Md./Clarksburg) and James Tranter (Taunton, Mass./Coyle-Cassidy).  Sophomores Victor Ramirez (New Britain, Conn./New Britain), James Cooke (Wrentham, Mass./King Philip), Jared Cormier (Maynard, Mass./Maynard), Hunter Jacques (Peabody, Mass./Pingree School), Matthew Slomski (Jamestown, N.C./Southwest Guilford), Zachary Weidenhof (Manahawkin, N.J./Southern Regional) and Kegan Williams (Hooksett, N.H./Trinity) provide additional size and depth for Cameron’s crew heading into their second collegiate campaign.

DEFENSE.  Massachusetts Maritime has produced some of the top linebackers in the region during Cameron’s tenure as head coach, and last year added to that tradition with the performance of 2016 MASCAC Defensive Player of the Year Marshall McCarthy, who amassed over 200 total tackles in his two seasons in a Buccaneer uniform.  Replacing that production will certainly be a tough task, but sophomore Kenny Kern (Hopkinton, Mass./Xaverian) looks to emerge as the leader in the linebacking corps after notching 66 total tackles (including 49 solo stops, nine tackles for loss and three sacks) in 2016.  Sophomore Sean Smialek (South Dartmouth, Mass./Dartmouth) collected six tackles during his inaugural collegiate season, while fellow sophomore Timothy Faria (East Providence, R.I./LaSalle Academy) provides additional depth at linebacker this fall.

Junior Derek Anson (Braintree, Mass./Braintree) led the way on the defensive line last year with 38 total tackles that included a team-leading 10 ½ tackles for losses of 42 yards to go with five sacks, while Churchill also impressed with 26 solo and 33 total stops in nine outings a year ago.  Sophomore Kamil Bak (Southampton, Mass./Hampshire Regional) added 26 tackles in nine appearances as a rookie, while fellow sophomore Kyle Johnston (Raynham, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham) totaled 24 stops that included four sacks and 7 ½ tackles for losses of 30 yards.  Sophomore Erik Marchant (East Bridgewater, Mass./East Bridgewater) reached double digits in tackles with 11 total (10 solo) in seven outings for Massachusetts Maritime, while fellow sophomores Marco Lagambina (Danvers, Mass./Danvers), Zach Delia (Brookfield, Conn./Brookfield), Mike Searles (Upton, Mass./Nipmuc Regional) and Aidan Riley (Bridgewater, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham) will also be looking to contribute on the defensive front for the Buccaneers in 2017.

Gross, a second team all-MASCAC pick a year ago, leads a talented defensive backfield after finishing third on the team with 65 total tackles (45 solo) and a pair of pass break-ups last season, while fellow senior Alexander Ruddy (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield) lends additional experience after notching 27 stops (20 solo) in eight contests.  Sophomore Cameron Stewart (Uxbridge, Mass./Uxbridge) added 26 tackles in his inaugural collegiate campaign for the Buccaneers, who will also look to sophomores Austin Stahmer (Wareham, Mass./Wareham), Leo Munafo (Wrentham, Mass./King Philip), Josh Dion (Nashua, N.H./Nashua South), Hunter Leveille (Easthampton, Mass./Easthampton), Zach Morrison (Albuquerque, N.M./St. Pius X), Connor Finerty (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield) and Anderson Melendez (Santa Clara, Calif./Santa Clara) for solid performances this year.

SCHEDULE.  Another tough 10-game slate awaits Massachusetts Maritime once again this season, as the Buccaneers will hit the road for four of their first six outings through mid-October.  After opening the year with rivalry clashes against SUNY-Maritime and Maine Maritime, Cameron’s squad opens MASCAC play at perennial league power Framingham State while also heading to Westfield State, Western Connecticut and Worcester State in conference action.  The Bucs will entertain Fitchburg State, Plymouth State and UMass Dartmouth in MASCAC contests while closing out the year along the banks of the Cape Cod Canal against rival Bridgewater State in the 39^th Annual Ocean Spray Cranberry Bowl.

Massachusetts Maritime begins its 45^th season of varsity NCAA intercollegiate football on Friday, September 8^th by hosting SUNY-Maritime in the 10^th Annual Chowder Bowl under “Maritime Night Lights” at Clean Harbors Stadium at 7:00 p.m. EDT.