MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME FOOTBALL

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Endicott Stadium, Beverly, Mass.

FINAL:              ENDICOTT 34, MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME 23

                                                                        1          2          3          4                      Total

Massachusetts Maritime (1-2)                          7          3          7          6          -             23

Endicott (2-1)                                                   6          14        0         14         -             34

SCORING SUMMARY

MMA:   Douglas Dyke 1 yd run (Jake Bickley kick)                                                 4:07 1^st

END:    Colby Hawkins 2 yd run (kick blocked)                                                     1:10 1^st

END:    Neil Powers 32 yd pass from Phil Konopka (Carlos O'Donnell kick)          9:41 2^nd

END:    Mike Lane 40 yd run (O'Donnell kick)                                                       6:27 2^nd

MMA:   Bickley 27 yd FG                                                                                       1:35 2^nd

MMA:   Kyle Rowe 23 yd pass from Matthew Spinazzola (Bickley kick)                 0:31 3^rd

END:    Powers 34 yd pass from Konopka (O'Donnell kick)                                  10:00 4^th

END:    Ryan Carino 24 yd pass from Konopka (O'Donnell kick)                           5:19 4^th

MMA:   Rowe 4 yd pass from Spinazzola (rush failed)                                          0:55 4^th

Attendance:       1,189

BEVERLY, Mass. --  Sophomore quarterback Phil Konopka (Shelton, Conn.) completed 16-of-24 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns to lead Endicott to a 34-23 non-league college football victory over Massachusetts Maritime Saturday afternoon at Endicott Stadium.

The host Gulls (2-1) overcame an early 7-0 deficit with three unanswered scores over the final 15:10 of the opening half, as senior Colby Hawkins (Scituate, Mass.) scored from two yards out late in the first stanza to slice Endicott's deficit to 7-6 after junior Douglas Dyke (Plainville, Mass.) had given the visiting Buccaneers (1-2) the early lead on a one-yard plunge, his second of the season.  Konopka connected with junior Neil Powers (Westford, Mass.) on a 32-yard touchdown pass with 9:41 remaining in the half to give the Gulls the lead for good at 13-7, and sophomore Mike Lane's (Medfield, Mass.) 40-yard scoring scamper 2:46 later extended Endicott's edge to 20-7.

Junior Jake Bickley's (Wilbraham, Mass.) 22-yard field goal with 1:35 to play before intermission sliced Massachusetts Maritime's deficit to 20-10 at the break, and the Buccaneers narrowed that gap to three points in the final 31 seconds of the third stanza when freshman quarterback Matthew Spinazzola (Melbourne, Fla.) connected with sophomore Kyle Rowe (Plymouth, Mass.) on a 23-yard touchdown pass for a 20-17 Gulls lead.  Konopka and Powers hooked up on their second scoring strike of the afternoon, a 34-yarder with 10 minutes remaining, to extend the Endicott advantage to 27-20, and sophomore Ryan Carino (Stratford, Conn.) provided additional insurance for the hosts when he hauled in a 24-yard touchdown reception from Konopka with 5:19 to play.  Rowe's second touchdown catch of the day, a four-yard strike from Spinazzola with 55 seconds remaining, closed out the Massachusetts Maritime scoring.

Lane finished with 106 yards on 15 carries to go with his touchdown for Endicott, while Powers collected three receptions for 74 yards to go with his pair of scores for the Gulls.  Dyke rushed for 88 yards on 14 carries to go with his visit to the end zone for Massachusetts Maritime, which played for virtually the entire contest without sophomore Nathan Sherr (Lynnfield, Mass.), as the leading rusher nationally in NCAA Division III play left after his second carry of the contest on the first Buccaneer drive of the afternoon with an undisclosed injury and did not return.  Rowe hauled in five receptions for 68 yards to go with his two touchdowns for the visitors, as Spinazzola completed 12-of-22 passes for 125 yards in the setback.

Massachusetts Maritime held a 168-142 edge in rushing yards for the contest, but Endicott threw for 239 total yards and outgained the Buccaneers by a 381-293 margin in total offense for the contest.  The Gulls also recorded three take-aways in the contest, including an interception and a pair of fumble recoveries, with one of those leading to Carino's fourth quarter score.

Sophomore Kevin Eagan (West Hartford, Conn.) paced Endicott defensively with 14 total tackles, including seven solo stops and three for losses, while sophomore Mike Bois (Lakeville, Mass.) collected nine total tackles, including a sack and five solo stops, in the setback for Massachusetts Maritime.  Senior Howard Hayes (Westport, Conn.) also notched nine tackles (three solo) for the Buccaneers, who also received a pair of sacks from sophomore Walter Butler (Bourne, Mass.)

Massachusetts Maritime opens New England Football Conference Bogan Division play next Saturday afternoon by hosting Worcester State at Clean Harbors Stadium beginning at Noon, while Endicott heads to Newport, R.I. next Saturday afternoon for a New England Football Conference Boyd Division clash with Salve Regina that kicks off at 3:00 p.m.