THROGGS NECK, N.Y. – On a day that saw the Maritime football team recognize its 15-member senior class, the Privateers and the Norwich Cadets clashed in an overtime battle with the Cadets coming out on top by the score of 17-14 on Reinhart Field on Saturday.
Before the game, seniors Andrew Short (Covington, La./St. Paul's), Joe Modica (East Islip, N.Y./East Islip), Dwayne Lacroix (Rockville Centre, N.Y./Malverne), Krystian Cardinal-Charles (Brooklyn, N.Y./Boys and Girls), Kendal Parker (Evans, Ga./Lakeside), Shawn Todd (Jamaica, N.Y./Jamaica), Brian Leonard (Selden, N.Y./Centereach), Brian Price (New York, N.Y./Wadleigh), Brett McKinney (Westernville, N.Y./Rome Free Academy), Nick Fischetti (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford) Sean Kinney (Calvert, Md./Calvert), John Arny(Metuchen, N.J./Metuchen), Sam Feliciano (Orlando, Fla./Colonial), Eric Wallace (West Point, N.Y./James O'Neill), and Corey Palladino (Merrick, N.Y./St. Anthony's) were all honored in a pre-game ceremony prior to kickoff.
As for the game, Maritime trailed by a 7-0 score in the early-going of the second quarter, but sophomore Joseph Butterworth (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) found junior Matt Ward (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Sachem North) for a 30-yard touchdown to even the game later in the period.
Norwich took the lead again with a touchdown scramble in the fourth quarter, but the Privateers were able to drive late in the game on a 20-play, 87-yard touchdown score as McKinney found the endzone with time expiring to force the extra session.
In the first series of overtime, Norwich got the ball first and settled for a 34-yard field goal. On the ensuing Maritime possession of the first overtime period, the Privateers lost the handle on the ball and Norwich recovered the fumble to end the contest at a 17-14 score.
Butterworth led Maritime as he completed 14 passes for 144 yards and one touchdown. Ward hauled in two passes for a team-leading 45 yards including a one-handed 30-yard touchdown score. Short was Butterworth's most popular target as he caught four passes for 41 yards. Sophomore Christian Castle(Felton, Pa./Red Lion) and Fischetti each had three grabs, while McKinney had a pair.
On the ground, Butterworth also led the team with 53 yards, while classmate Severino Torelli (Bayville, N.Y./Locust Valley) had 52 yards on the game. McKinney carried the ball 16 times for 34 yards including his game-tying touchdown as time expired in the fourth.
Parker led the defensive unit with 11 stops on the game, while junior Nick Conte (Franklin Square, N.Y./Carey) and Wallace were second on the team with nine stops apiece. Junior Wesley Joseph(Brooklyn, N.Y./Midwood) continues his strong season with another eight tackles including 3 1/2 stops behind the line of scrimmage.
Sophomore Karl Riek (Sweetwater, N.J./Cedar Creek) had an interception for four yards, while classmate Payton Campbell (Rockaway, N.J./Morris Knolls) forced a fumble. Price led the defense with two pass breakups, and also had four tackles.
On special teams, Arny had his second busiest afternoon of the season with eight punts for 329 yards, including a pair of 50-yards or more as he averaged 41.1 yards per punt. Cardinal-Charles had one kickoff return for nine yards, while Price had a pair of kickoff returns for 35 yards. Junior Matthew Murphy (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford) had a pair of kickoffs for a 63.0 yard average, while also converting on his two extra point chances.
The game was evenly matched between the two sides as Maritime had picked up 17 first downs, while Norwich moved the chains 16 times. The Cadets had a slim 165-139 rushing advantage, but Maritime was able to throw for more yards at a 144-113 difference. The Privateers led in total offensive yards by just five at 283-278.
After the first four drives of the game resulted in punts, the game progressed to the second quarter with Norwich driving to the Privateer 19-yard line before stalling out. The Norwich kicker missed a field goal to five the Privateers possession once again with 13:46 left in the half.
After another Arny punt, the Cadets took the ball back in prime field position, and completed a 42-yard pass to set up first and goal from the 3-yard line. A quick pass to the back of the end zone put the first points on the board as Norwich opened up a 7-0 lead.
Maritime took over on offense and Butterworth opened the drive with an eight-yard carry. He then found Short for a 16-yard completion, then again later in the drive for another nine yards. After getting back up on a false start penalty to the Norwich 30-yard line, Butterworth found Ward over the middle for a one-handed grab before falling ahead into the end zone to tie the game at seven.
Neither side could get their offenses restarted again in the third quarter as play moved to the final 15 minutes of regulation. Both teams punted on their first respective drives of the quarter, as Norwich took over again with 10:59 left in the game.
After a rush of 31 yards opened the drive for the Cadets, Norwich converted on short plays and eventually found its way into the endzone to regain its one-score lead.
Cardinal-Charles returned the ensuing kickoff to the Privateer 16, and the offense went back to work with 8:27 to go in the game. The methodical offense saw Butterworth start the drive with a six-yard rush, followed by a couple of handoffs to Torelli. Butterworth found Fischetti for an eight-yard completion, followed by a few more rushes by Butterworth and Torelli.
Needing to convert on 4th down and two to go, Butterworth called his own number and darted across the first down marker to convert a key fourth down conversion. McKinney, Short and Castle helped the drive continue with a few more rushes and short receptions.
As the drive continued Ward drew a defensive pass interference call to give Maritime another first down inside the Norwich 10-yard line. After McKinney got the ball to the one-yard line on second down, McKinney was unable to punch it in on his first attempt. The Privateers called a timeout with three seconds left, and called McKinney's number once again, who was able to make his way into the end zone with time expiring.
Murphy's extra point sent the Privateers to overtime for the second time this season, and the first time on Reinhart Field since October 27, 2012 vs. Husson.
Norwich got possession first in the extra session, which saw the Cadets run four plays for eight yards before kicking a 34-yard field goal.
Maritime took over and McKinney collected a five-yard carry to set up third down, the call was for Torelli, who lost the handle on the ball causing a chaotic pile in the middle of the field. After the referees peeled the players off, it was determined that Norwich had picked up the loose ball and sealed the victory.
Maritime (4-4, 2-3 ECFC) will be on the road for its final two games of the season, as the month of November begins with Mount Ida at 12 p.m. next Saturday from Newton, Mass.
Norwich (4-4, 4-1 ECFC) will square off with Husson next weekend in Maine, kickoff is slated for 12 p.m. in Bangor.
Maritime Football Falls in Overtime Contest to Norwich, 17-14, on Senior Day
/seasons/2016/boxscores/20161029_jqfh.xml
2016
Norwich
17
SUNY-Maritime
14
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norwich (4-4) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
| SUNY-Maritime (4-4) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
Oct 29, 2016