BUZZARDS BAY, Mass -- The Buccaneers hosted the Fitchburg State Falcons on Saturday on rainy Taylor's Point in the team's first conference game of the season and Homecoming Weekend at the Academy. The Bucs fell behind early then ripped of 21 straight beating the Falcons 21-3.

The Basics

Final: Buccaneers 21, Falcons 3

Records: Maritime (1-2, 1-0)

               Fitchburg (0-4, 0-2)

Inside The Numbers

Maritime

• Quarterback Marc Murphy threw the ball just eight times completing two passes for 27 yards. On the ground, Murphy carried the ball five times for 38 yards and a touchdown. 
• Zach Proctor led the Bucs rushing attack with 67 yards on 15 carried.

  BUZZARDS BAY, Mass -- The Buccaneers hosted the Fitchburg State Falcons on Saturday on rainy Taylor's Point in the team's first conference game of the season and Homecoming Weekend at the Academy. The Bucs fell behind early then ripped off 21 straight beating the Falcons 21-3.

   

  The Basics

  Final: Buccaneers 21, Falcons 3

  Records: Maritime (1-2, 1-0)

                 Fitchburg (0-4, 0-2)

   

  Inside The Numbers

  Maritime

  • Quarterback Marc Murphy threw the ball just eight times completing two passes for 27 yards. On the ground, Murphy carried the ball five times for 38 yards and a touchdown. 
  • Zach Proctor led the Bucs rushing attack with 67 yards on 15 carries.
  • To go along with Murphy's touchdown on the ground, Chase Dombroski ran the ball nine times for 43 yards and a touchdown and Saverio Relle II ran the ball 10 times for 41 yards and a score.
  • Ryan Keilty and Andrew Brightman each caught one pass for 14 and 13 yards respectively. 
  • Defensively, Demetri Boozer led the Bucs with seven tackles and a tackle for loss.
  • Owen Shea and Chris O'Brien each had a sack and Will Eltringham and Marcus Mauceri combined for a sack. 
  • Eltringham, Shea, and Mauceri all forced fumbles in the game as well.
  • Joshua Cannon, Connor Garland, and Nicolas Ford all had interceptions in the win.
  • On special teams, Logan Tsika converted one of two extra points and had the other blocked. 
  • Charlie Naylor converted a two-point conversion for the Bucs on an end around.
  • Punter Jack Mulligan punted five times averaging 36.8 yards per punt and had one settle inside the Falcons 20 yard line. 

  Fitchburg

  • Quarterback Rocky Marchitelli completed 28 of 55 passes for 207 yards and threw three interceptions.
  • Oriowokite Fatoke led the rushing attack with 19 yards on nine carries.
  • Peter Norton caught 11 passes for 76 yards in the loss.
  • Defensively, Camren Topkin and Cameron Monette finished with seven total tackles. Monette added two tackles for loss.
  • Nicholas Polanco forced a fumble and Cesar DeCosta and Christian Cordova each recovered fumbles.
  • On Special teams, Jonah Costa scored the only Falcons points with a 30-yard field goal. 
  • Punter Ryan McDonald punted six times for an average of 37.2 yards per punt with two inside the Buccaneers twenty.

  How It Happened

  The Buccaneers received the opening kickoff of their Homecoming matchup with the Falcons and on the first play from scrimmage turned the ball over on a fumble. Fitchburg took over at the Maritime 43 and drove 30 yards in eight plays, stalling at the Maritime 13. Costa came on to kick a 30-yard field goal converting it to put the Falcons up 3-0 early in the first. Both defenses held strong the remainder of the quarter with the Bucs turning the ball over on downs, Marchitelli threw an interception, the Bucs punted and the Falcons ran out the clock in the first. Fitchburg held a 3-0 lead after the first quarter.

  In the second, the Buccaneers forced a Falcons punt and took over on offense at their own 16 yard line. Murphy and MAritime marched down the field, 84 yards in 14 plays, capping the drive off with a Dombroski touchdown. The Bucs led 6-3 with 5:30 left in the second after a blocked extra point. On the ensuing kickoff, the Falcons fumbled and the Bucs recovered at the Fitchburg 27. With a short field, James Cassidy ran for 22 yards followed by a Murphy five yard score as he hurdled the Falcons defense to go up 12-3. The Buccaneers went for two and converted on an end around by Naylor to take a 14-3 lead. Maritime stopped the Falcons on their next drive and kneeled out the remaining 53 second of the second and went to the half with the same 14-3 lead.

  Maritime kicked off to start the second half and forced the Falcons to punt on the first drive of the third quarter. Neither offense could get anything going as they went three-and-out on the next three possessions. With 6:49 left in the third, Maritime took over at the Fitchburg 22 after a Ford interception. The Bucs went 22 yards on three plays with a 13-yard Murphy scamper, a six yard run from Relle and a three yard run by Relle for a touchdown. Tsika converted the extra point and extended their lead to 21-3 which they carried to the fourth quarter.

  Neither team scored in the fourth but the Falcons got close. They went 75 yards in 18 plays taking eight minutes off the clock and were stopped at the Maritime six. Going for it on fourth down, Marchitelli's pass was incomplete and the Bucs took over on downs. Each team had two more possessions followed by the final possession of the game with the Buccaneers taking over with 48 seconds left. Murphy kneeled the ball twice and ran out the clock securing the 21-3 victory over the Falcons.

   

  What's Next

  The Buccaneers are on the road for their next game on Saturday, September 30th against Westfield State at 12pm.

• To go along with Murphy's touchdown on the ground, Chase Dombroski ran the ball nine times for 43 yards and a touchdown and Saverio Relle II ran the ball 10 times for 41 yards and a score.
• Ryan Keilty and Andrew Brightman each caught one pass for 14 and 13 yards respectively. 
• Defensively, Demetri Boozer led the Bucs with seven tackles and a tackle for loss.
• Owen Shea and Chris O'Brien each had a sack and Will Eltringham and Marcus Mauceri combined for a sack. 
• Eltringham, Shea, and Mauceri all forced fumbles in the game as well.
• Joshua Cannon, Connor Garland, and Nicolas Ford all had interceptions in the win.
• On special teams, Logan Tsika converted one of two extra points and had the other blocked. 
• Charlie Naylor converted a two-point conversion for the Bucs on an end around.
• Punter Jack Mulligan punted five times averaging 36.8 yards per punt and had one settle inside the Falcons 20 yard line. 

Fitchburg

• Quarterback Rocky Marchitelli completed 28 of 55 passes for 207 yards and threw three interceptions.
• Oriowokite Fatoke led the rushing attack with 19 yards on nine carries.
• Peter Norton caught 11 passes for 76 yards in the loss.
• Defensively, Camren Topkin and Cameron Monette finished with seven total tackles. Monette added two tackles for loss.
• Nicholas Polanco forced a fumble and Cesar DeCosta and Christian Cordova each recovered fumbles.
• On Special teams, Jonah Costa scored the only Falcons points with a 30-yard field goal. 
• Punter Ryan McDonald punted six times for an average of 37.2 yards per punt with two inside the Buccaneers twenty.

How It Happened

The Buccaneers received the opening kickoff of their Homecoming matchup with the Falcons and on the first play from scrimmage turned the ball over on a fumble. Fitchburg took over at the Maritime 43 and drove 30 yards in eight plays stalling at the Maritime 13. Costa came on to kick a 30-yard field goal converting to put the Falcons up 3-0 early in the first. Both defenses held strong the remainder of the quarter with the Bucs turning the ball over on downs, Marchitelli threw an interception, the Bucs punted and the Falcons ran out the clock in the first. Fitchburg held a 3-0 lead after the first quarter.

In the second, the Buccaneers forced a Falcons punt and took over on offense at their own 16 yard line. Murphy and MAritime marched down the field, 84 yards in 14 plays, capping the drive off with a Dombroski touchdown. The Bucs led 6-3 with 5:30 left in the second after a blocked extra point. On the ensuing kickoff, the Falcons fumbled and the Bucs recovered at the Fitchburg 27. With a short field, James Cassidy ran for 22 yards followed by a Murphy five yard score as he hurdled the Falcons defense to go up 12-3. The Buccaneers went for two and converted on an end around by Naylor to take a 14-3 lead. Maritime stopped the Falcons on their next drive and kneeled out the remaining 53 second of the second and went to the half with the same 14-3 lead.

Maritime kicked off to start the second half and forced the Falcons to punt on the first drive of the third quarter. Neither offense could get anything going as they went three-and-out on the next three possessions. With 6:49 left in the third, Maritime took over at the Fitchburg 22 after a Ford interception. The Bucs went 22 yards on three plays wit ha 13-yard Murphy scamper, a six yard run from Relle and a three yard run by Relle for a touchdown. Tsika converted the extra point and extended their lead to 21-3 which they carried to the fourth quarter.

Neither team scored in the fourth but the Falcons got close. They went 75 yards in 18 plays taking eight minutes off the clock and were stopped at the Maritime six. Going for it on fourth down, Marchitelli's pass was incomplete and the Bucs took over on downs. Each team had two more possessions followed by the final possession ofthe game with the Buccaneers taking over with 48 seconds left. Murphy kneeled the ball twice and ran out the clock secuting the 21-3 victory over the Falcons.

What's Next

The Buccaneers are on the road for their next game on Saturday, September 30th against Westfield State at 12pm.