Buccaneers With 46th Annual Admiral's Cup
BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. - The Massachusetts Maritime Buccaneers are holding onto the Admiral's Cup for at least another year as they posted a 22-7 victory over Maine Maritime Academy in the 46th Annual Admiral's Cup game Saturday afternoon at Clean Harbors Stadium.
The Buccaneers broke into the scoring column early in the second quarter of Saturday's gridiron contest as Matt Long (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) took a hand-off from MMA quarterback Ty Ebdon (Gales Ferry, Conn./Leyard) and fought his way through the right side of the line and into the end zone from six-yards out. George Lampros (Bridgewater, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham) tacked on the extra point for a 7-0 Massachusetts Maritime lead.
Lampros split the up rights a second time in the final seconds of the opening half from 25-yards out to send the Buccaneers into the locker room with a 10-0 lead.
Midway through the third quarter Massachusetts Maritime took a 13-0 lead on a 34-yard Lampros field goal. Maine Maritime closed the scoring gap with 4:43 to play in the third quarter on a 10-yard pass play from QB Bailey Sawyer (Westbrook, Maine/Westbrook) that found Dominic Casale (Freeport, Maine/Cheverus) in the left side of the end zone. Max Horton (Eliot, Maine/Marshwood) hit the PAT making the score 13-7.
In the opening minute of the fourth quarter a bad snap on a punt and loose ball resulted in a safety when Massachusetts Maritime's Kyle Johnston (Raynham, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham) recovered the ball in the end zone. Leading 15-7, the Buccaneers killed a Maine drive when Connor Hollister (Auburn, Calif./Bear River) intercepted a Maine pass intended for Mason Kaserman (Portland, Maine/Deering) at midfield. With just over five minutes to play the Buccaneers struck again when Ebdon hit Coleson Hammond (Auburn, mass./Auburn) who made a sliding catch in the right corner of the end zone giving the Bucs a 22-7 lead.
Massachusetts Maritime finished the afternoon with eight sacks, three of which came in the game's final minutes as Colin McCabe (Dartmouth, Mass./Dartmouth) and Peter Banks (Webster, Mass./Sharon) teamed up to sack Sawyer and on the next play Banks lowered the boom and hit Sawyer again behind the line of scrimmage.
Ebdon completed 14 of the 21 passes he attempted for the Bucs for a total of 163 yards and a touchdown. Long carried the ball 19 times for 63 yards and Ben Sheehan (Wilbraham, Mass./Minnechaug Regional) ran the ball 16 times for 62 yards. Paul Sances (Middleboro, Mass./Middleboro) hauled down eight passes for 96 yards and Connor Finerty (Mansfield, Mass/Mansfield) returned a Maine punt for 66 yards.
Hunter Leveille (East Hampton, Mass./East Hampton) finished with six solo tackles and an assist. Colin McCabe (Dartmouth, Mass./Dartmouth) had four solo tackles and four assists and Jack Fontana (Grafton, Mass./Grafton) had three solo tackles and three assists.
Sawyer was 12-for-20 for the Mariners for 188 yards through the air. Cooper Chiasson (Carthage, Maine/Dirigo) led the Maine running game carrying the ball a dozen times for 29 yards. Casale hauled in seven passes for 112 yards with a touchdown for the Mariners.
Massachusetts Maritime (1-1) returns to action on Saturday September 22, when they will host Framingham State (2-1) at noon.