MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME FOOTBALL

Chowder Bowl X

Friday, September 8, 2017

Clean Harbors Stadium, Buzzards Bay, Mass.

FINAL:              SUNY-MARITIME 37, MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME 32

BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. --  Junior quarterback Thomas Wright (Wantagh, N.Y.) threw for 342 yards and accounted for three touchdowns (two rushing) as SUNY-Maritime used a last minute defensive stand near midfield to notch a 37-32 victory over Massachusetts Maritime in the 10^th Annual Chowder Bowl played Friday evening at Clean Harbors Stadium.

The visiting Privateers (2-0) overcame an early six point deficit by scoring the final 13 points of the opening half on a pair of field goals of 27 and 39 yards off the foot of senior Matthew Murphy (Seaford, N.Y.) and an eight yard touchdown pass from Wright to junior Brandon Drumgole (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.), and Wright gave SUNY-Maritime the first of three 14-point cushions on the opening drive of the second half on a one-yard plunge.  Senior Richie Phillips (Onset, Mass.) answered with a one-yard scoring run of his own on the ensuing drive for the host Buccaneers (0-1), but sophomore Robert Wheeler’s (Staten Island, N.Y.) 14-yard scamper capped a nine play, 61-yard drive just 4:11 later that restored the visitors’ two-touchdown edge.  Phillips again answered for Massachusetts Maritime just 90 seconds later, as he hauled in 14-yard scoring strike from senior quarterback Chris Haggerty (Cohasset, Mass.) to slice the deficit back to six heading into the final frame, but Wright’s second visit to the end zone from three yards out capped an 11-play, 78 yard drive that gave the Privateers a 34-20 advantage with 11:28 remaining in the game.

Phillips’ second one-yard plunge less than two minutes later enabled the Buccaneers to creep back to within eight, but junior Karl Riek (Sweetwater, N.J.) blocked the extra point attempt for the visitors, and that proved to be a key late in the contest when Murphy connected from 35 yards out for his third field goal of the night and a 37-26 SUNY-Maritime lead.  Junior Paul Sances (Middleboro, Mass.) hauled in a 64-yard scoring strike from Haggerty on the hosts’ second play of the ensuing drive to slice the deficit to five with 2:37 to play, but Haggerty’s two-point conversion pass fell incomplete, and the visitors recovered an onside kick attempt at midfield.  Massachusetts Maritime forced a Privateer punt after two failed pass attempts by Wright with just over two minutes remaining, and a pair of completed Haggerty passes to Sances and senior Derek Stegman (Dover, N.H.) brought the Buccaneers to their own 41 yard line with under a minute to play where the drive ended, as a pair of 3^rd-and-1 and 4^th-and-2 defensive stops by junior Payton Campbell (Rockaway, N.J.) and sophomore Liam Bailey (Sayville, N.Y.) enabled SUNY-Maritime to force a turnover on downs that iced its first Chowder Bowl triumph since 2014.

Wright completed 32-of-44 pass attempts and accounted for 372 yards of total offense in the win for the Privateers, who ran 88 plays, amassed 496 yards of total offense and held the ball for over two-thirds (40:55) of the contest.  Drumgole hauled in 13 receptions for 151 yards to go with his score for SUNY-Maritime, which received 73 rushing yards from senior Chris Olberding (Dix Hills, N.Y.).  Haggerty completed 20-of-34 pass attempts for 331 yards and three touchdowns in the setback for Massachusetts Maritime, as Sances hauled in 10 receptions for a career-high 226 yards and two scores.  Phillips rushed for 50 yards and recorded his second straight three touchdown performance against the Privateers, as the hosts amassed 383 yards of total offense on the evening.

Senior Kendal Parker (Evans, Ga.) recorded five total tackles (one for a loss) to lead the way defensively for the visitors, who also received five solo stops each from senior Nick Conte (Franklin Square, N.Y.) and junior Matthew Mavrovich (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.).  Sophomore Kenny Kern (Hopkinton, Mass.) registered 11 total tackles (10 solo) in the setback for Massachusetts Maritime, which received nine stops each from senior Alexander Ruddy (Mansfield, Mass.) and sophomore Sean Smialek (South Dartmouth, Mass.) as well as seven total tackles that included a pair of sacks and 3 ½ tackles for losses of 22 yards from freshman Colin McCabe (Dartmouth, Mass.) in his collegiate debut.  The victory was the Privateers’ seventh in the 10-game Chowder Bowl series and ended the Buccaneers’ run of two straight and three of four wins in a series that began in 2007.

Massachusetts Maritime heads to Castine, Maine next Saturday afternoon to square off with Maine Maritime in the 45^th Annual Admiral’s Cup at Ritchie Field beginning at Noon, while SUNY-Maritime ventures to Kings Point, N.Y. next Saturday afternoon to take on Merchant Marine in a non-league clash that kicks off at 2:00 p.m.

(Photo Credit:  Justin Reidy)