At College:  Phillips takes starting role and runs with it at Mass. Maritime

September 18, 2016

By Brendan Kurie, South Coast Today

It’s been a steady climb up the depth chart for Richie Phillips.

The Wareham native and Old Rochester graduate has taken a traditional route to his starting gig at Mass Maritime, confidently climbing the backfield ladder from a little-used backup as a freshman to the team’s unencumbered starter as a junior.

On Sept. 10, Phillips had his best game yet for the Buccaneers, rushing for 100 yards on 15 carries (6.7 ypc) and scoring three touchdowns — more than he had in the previous two seasons combined — in a 28-24 win over SUNY-Maritime in Chowder Bowl IX. He added two catches for 22 yards and was later named MASCAC Offensive Player of the Week.

“My offensive line did a good job of opening holes,” Phillips said this week. “I was being patient and reading and they set it up nice. They let me do my thing. The work I put in during the offseason was definitely a huge help.”

His final carry came with 24 seconds left, when he plunged into the end zone from 4-yards out for the game-winning score that capped off a 10-point comeback in the fourth quarter.

“That was an amazing feeling, turning around and seeing my teammates running toward me,” he said. “That was one of the best feelings I’ve had in awhile.”

After running 23 times for 87 yards and a score as a freshman, Phillips came into his sophomore season out of shape after a combination of work, school and self-admitted poor time management kept him from putting in the proper summer conditioning. He still ran for 496 yards on 107 totes (4.6 ypc) and scored once. But he never shook the feeling he was running slower.

So last summer he worked with teammate Bobby Gross at the Wareham YMCA for two hours a day, five days a week.

“It made a huge difference,” Phillips said. “It was really noticeable. Everyone was telling me how much weight I lost.”

Phillips had cut 20 pounds to get down to 215 pounds on his 6-foot frame. That allowed him to beat out Kenny Pierce in a preseason battle for the starting gig. Pierce, who ran for 1,227 yards and 15 scores in 2015 had 31 yards on nine carries in Mass Maritime’s opener.

Phillips played at Wareham his freshman and sophomore years before transferring to Old Rochester before his junior year. After gaining a fifth year of eligibility from the MIAA after missing a season with a broken leg, he ran for 1,168 yards and 14 scores in nine games as a senior, helping the Bulldogs win their first South Coast Conference title in 11 years.

But his grades weren’t where they needed to be, so he entered a special program at Mass Maritime that would grant him admission after a two-week summer course. Turns out, it was the best thing for him.

“I love this place,” he said. “It’s stricter than most colleges, with uniforms and dress codes and you need to be clean-shaven. It helps you grow up fast.”

As a freshman, Phillips was faced with learning the Bucs’ no-huddle offense.

“The offense was very different,” he said. “It was a struggle at first, learning the plays and the pace. It’s a lot more time and effort (than high school). Not only do you have practices right after class for two or three hours, there’s meetings every day, learning the playbook, lifting. You have to put in the work.”

Putting in the work alongside him are several area players and one familiar coach. Wareham’s Cody Stahmer and Austin Stahmer play for the Bucs, as does GNB Voc-Tech’s Avery Tavares and Dartmouth’s Sean Smialek. And the defensive coordinator? That’s none other than former Old Rochester head coach Henry Quinlan.

“I really like having him here,” Phillips said. “He’s my favorite coach of all time.”

Phillips, who is majoring in international maritime business and hopes to be a logistics manager at a company like Amazon, said he hopes to leave the same mark on the Mass Maritime record books that former Wareham standout E.J. Bennett did, finishing his career as the school’s all-time leading receiver.

Toward that end, Phillips, who has 756 collegiate rushing yards, ran for 73 yards on 22 carries with two more touchdowns in Saturday’s 42-35 loss against Maine Maritime, giving him five scores and 173 yards in two games.

A steady climb, indeed.

FOOTBALL

Freshman Jacob Tavares (GNB Voc-Tech) made five tackles, forced a fumble and recovered it for Mass Maritime in Saturday's 42-35 loss to Mass. Maritime. ... Junior Charlie McKeeman (Bishop Stang) caught two passes for 26 yards for URI during Saturday's 51-21 loss to Harvard. He has six catches for 66 yards in three games. ... Sophomore Cam Charette (Fairhaven) finished 16-for-28 passing for 183 yards and one interception for Worcester State in a 34-14 loss to Bridgewater State on Saturday. ... Stephen Smialek (Dartmouth) made seven tackles for Worcester State on Saturday. ... Joel Sodeinde (Dartmouth) had three tackles for Springfield on Saturday during a 32-0 win over Mount Ida. ... Christian Braga (Fairhaven) made three tackles for Curry in a 42-3 win over Ana Maria on Saturday.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Senior Morgan Stott (Dartmouth) made 12 total saves in two games this week for Curry, allowing two goals in 155 minutes. ... Sophomore Taylor Canastra (Fairhaven) was 1-1 in goal for Southern Maine this week, making 16 saves while allowing nine goals.

MEN’S SOCCER

Sophomore Noah Martins (Dartmouth) scored a goal and added two assists in Wentworth's 4-1 win over Emmanuel on Tuesday. He has four goals and three assists in seven games. ... Junior Mike Pruchnik (Apponequet) made six saves and allowed one goal for Mass Maritime on Wednesday. He has made 11 saves and allowed one goal in parts of four games. ... Freshman Matt Stabell (Fairhaven) had two assists for Worcester State on Wednesday. He has one goal and two assists in three games. ... Freshman Nate Morgado (Dartmouth) made two saves and allowed one goal in a half of action for Bridgewater State on Wednesday.

FIELD HOCKEY

Junior Katie Frade (Dartmouth) scored a goal on Tuesday for Wheelock in an 8-2 loss to Simmons. She has four goals and one assist in five games. ... Sophomore Mya Lunn (Old Rochester) recorded 12 saves for Roger Williams on Wednesday in a 3-2 loss to Western New England. She has a 62.8 save percentage on the season.

VOLLEYBALL

Senior Kay Mullen (Fairhaven) had eight kills for Eastern Connecticut State in Tuesday's 3-0 victory over Albertus Magnus. She has 74 kills in 10 matches. ... Senior Kat Mendes (New Bedford) totaled 26 kills, six digs and two blocks in three matches for Salve Regina this week. ... Senior Kat Guillotte (New Bedford) had one kill, one ace and 12 digs for Simmons on Wednesday in a 3-0 loss to Endicott. She has 14 kills, six service aces and 51 digs in five matches. ... Sophomore Caleigh Davis (New Bedford) totaled six digs in three matches this week for Worcester State. She has 25 digs and three kills on the season. ... Sophomore Katie Leidhold (Fairhaven) totaled 30 kills, 31 digs, three assists and two blocks in a pair of matches this week for Franklin Pierce. Leidhold has 113 kills and 112 digs in 10 matches this season.

CROSS COUNTRY

Freshman Paige Fehskens (Wareham) finished fourth overall (20:27) for Bentley on Sept. 4 in the Shacklette Invitational. On Saturday, she finished fifth overall (19:33) and first for Bentley at the Bruce Kirsch Cup. ... Freshman Nina Bourgeois (Old Rochester) was 111th (20:55) for Assumption during the National Catholic Championships on Friday. ... Freshman Zack Viera (GNB Voc-Tech) was 109th (28:01) for Bridgewater State at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational on Saturday. ... Junior Bethany McMeekin (Apponequet) was 44th (23:32) for Westfield State in the Jim Sheehan Memorial Invitational on Sept. 3. ... Junior Bay Gammans (Fairhaven) led Wheaton with a 47th place finish (19:25) at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational on Saturday. She had finished second at the Wheaton Invite on Sept. 2 (12:32).

TENNIS

Jacqueline Andrade (Bishop Stang) fell 6-2, 6-1 at No. 2 singles and lost 8-3 at No. 1 doubles for Becker on Saturday in an 8-1 loss to Regis. She is 1-3 in both singles and doubles play this season. ... Kelsey DeGouveia (New Bedford) lost 6-2, 6-2 at No. 6 singles for Wentworth in a 9-0 loss to Gordon on Wednesday.