Beverly graduate shines at Massachusetts Maritime

October 17, 2015

By Christopher Hurley, Beverly Citizen

There’s simply no stopping Kenny Pierce.

The Beverly High graduate (’13) was always known for his relentless hustle and drive on the football field, guiding the Panthers to a pair of Super Bowl runs in 2010 and 2012.

These days, the gridiron great is still making all the right moves, albeit in the college ranks, as a sophomore running back with Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

In his first three weeks of action, the Centerville resident has rushed for nearly 500 yards, scoring seven touchdowns with the Buccaneers this season. And he shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

“It’s been going great,” Pierce told the Beverly Citizen, Oct. 1. “[The college game] is a lot faster than high school, but I think I’ve adjusted pretty well, as well as a couple of our other freshmen and sophomores.”

“It’s been a great testament to the hard work we’ve put in over the summer and spring,” he added. “Everybody is doing their job and it just reflects on the hard work we’ve put in.”

Pierce was fresh off a history-making weekend. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound running back tied the school’s single-game record with four rushing touchdowns, including the game-winner midway through the fourth quarter of a wild 35-31 victory at Worcester State, Sept. 26.

The Bucs staged the mother of all comebacks, overcoming a 21-point second quarter deficit.

“Our team hates losing more than we like winning,” said Pierce. “That whole game we just put our heads down and just dug deep. The first half we were missing our assignments, hurting ourselves and shooting ourselves in the foot. As the game went on, we realized we had to turn it on. Everyone did their job and it was great.”

Pierce has provided plenty of offensive punch this season. He posted back-to-back 200+ yard games, including a career-high 212 at Maine Maritime, Sept; 19. In just 13 career contests, he has rushed for 1,022 yards on just 131 carries with 11 touchdowns.

Originally recruited by St. Anslem, Pierce opted to transfer to Massachusetts Maritime with an eye on the future.

“It’s definitely a return on an investment,” said Pierce, Facilities Engineering major with dreams of managing a power plan one day. “I decided to transfer because a lot of (graduates) from here are making pretty good money, and get a job right out of college. That takes all the stress off you. So if you work hard here for four years, you can relax the rest of your life, that’s always good.”

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound sophomore exploded onto the college scene making a huge impact on the Buccaneer rushing attack during his rookie season, leading the team with 534 yards on the ground on 76 carries, averaging seven yards per attempt while scoring four touchdowns.

The Buc broke off career-best 81 yard run as part of 186-yard effort in 46-41 win at UMass Dartmouth, Oct. 25, 2014. The three-time MASCAC Rookie of the Week honoree rushed for 149 yards on just 19 carries in 27-7 triumph at Plymouth State, Nov. 8, 20-14. He also hauled in five receptions for 57 yards and a score.

This past weekend, Pierce continued to play a key role in the team's offensive attack. He rushed for 70 yards scoring a touchdown, while also making a 29-yard TD reception, in a 46-39 loss to Western Conneticut State, Oct. 10.

Pierce was lured onto the gridiron at an early age.

“Originally I did it because my friends did, it was the cool thing going on,” Pierce said. “I just kept playing from second grade and never stopped. I got really serous when I got up to middle school and high school and just grew into it really.

A Beverly High graduate, Pierce was an influential member of the Panther’s gridiron gang, leading them to a pair of Super Bowl appearances, culminating with their perfect 2012 season and league championship.

“Coach Bauer and the football coaches over at Beverly really instilled in us hard work,” said Pierce, a three-time All-Conference All-Star and All-Scholastic. “That’s pretty much their main teaching point, work hard in the classroom and work hard in the athletics field. That definitely carried over into Mass Maritime, because there’s a lot is going on. It definitely keeps you busy and you really have to work hard on every aspect of your daily schedule throughout the week to be successful here.”

Looking ahead towards the future Pierce is excited about the possibilities with Massachusetts Maritime.

“I definitely think we’re going up,” Pierce said. “Every week we’re working harder and harder. We’re getting better. We’re just trying to do our jobs going to practice everyday with a positive mindset and just take it week by week.”

And you can count on Kenny Pierce to give it everything he has with each and every snap.