THROGGS NECK, N.Y. – The Maritime football team opened the 2017 season with a victory on Saturday afternoon as the Privateers knocked off the Maine Maritime Mariners by the score of 59-13 on Reinhart Field.
Maritime had an offensive outburst, which saw the team amass 447 yards of total offense while registering 20 first downs. Defensively the Privateers held Maine Maritime to just 230 yards of offense and just 15 first downs over the course of the game.
Individually junior Thomas Wright (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) spearheaded the offensive attack with 214 yards on 14 completions as he tied a program record with three touchdown passes in one game. His favorite target was junior Brandonn Drumgole (Mt. Sinai, N.Y./Mt. Sinai), who became just the fourth Privateer to record 100 receiving yards in a game, and also became the sixth Privateer to record two touchdown receptions in one game.
Senior Matt Ward (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Sachem North) also had three grabs and one touchdown score, while junior Curtis Smith (Brooklyn, N.Y./New Utrecht) hauled in three catches for 75 yards. On the ground Maritime added four more touchdowns, with Wright along with seniors Devin Kenny (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) and Chris Olberding (Dix Hills, N.Y./Walt Whitman), and freshman Christian Schiavone (White Plains, N.Y./White Plains) all scoring touchdowns on the ground.
Defensively Maritime had a balanced attack with senior captains Kendal Parker (Evans, Ga./Lakeside) and Craig Hinrichs (Islip, N.Y./Islip) having big days. Parker had a team-leading nine tackles and 2.5 sacks for a loss in 17 yards, while Hinrichs was second on the team with seven stops. Sophomore Justin Snuffer(Maple Shade, N.J./Maple Shade) had a 28-yard interception return while Steven Fehr (Patterson, N.Y./Carmel) had a pair of sacks and forced a fumble in a big second half for the junior.
Senior Matthew Murphy (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford) led the special teams unit with a pair of field goals and was also 7-for-7 on extra point attempts, which was one shy of the program record set back in 2011. Murphy also handled the team's lone punt with one boot for 42 yards. Schiavone led the kickoff return game with a pair of returns for a combined 27 yards, Kenny also had one return for 16 yards and senior Nick Conte (Franklin Square, N.Y./Carey) had one for 11 yards.
Maritime scored early and often with scores on each of its six offensive drives in the opening half. Wright got the scoring started with a one-yard touchdown run after the defense caused a three-and-out on the opening possession of the game. After a botched snap went out of the back of the Maine Maritime endzone made it 9-0, the Privateers marched right back down the field as Olberding scoring on a one-yard touchdown score of make it 16-0.
The Privateers got the ball back on offense with 3:24 left in the first quarter before Wright connected with Ward on a 19-yard touchdown strike to increase Maritime's lead to 23.
In the second quarter the Privateers forced another quick punt from the Mariners and made quick work on the very next play as Wright found Drumgole for a 60-yard score to make it a 30-0 score. Snuffer short-circuited the next Maine Maritime drive with an interception in Mariner territory, which set up a three-yard score as Wright found Drumgole once again to give the Privateers 37 unanswered points to open the game.
Murphy connected on the first of his two field goals with a 43-yard attempt with 5:55 left in the half, which is where the Privateers held the lead at the halftime break.
To open the third quarter Kenny found the endzone on a five-yard dash, before a second botched snap cost the Mariners another two points on the ensuing drive. Maritime got the ball back and Murphy then connected on a career-long 47 yard field goal to give the Privateers a commanding 52-0 advantage.
Maine Maritime got on the board with a touchdown on its next possession, but missed the extra point as senior Ryan McGrath (Campbell Hall, N.Y./Goshen) got a finger on the ball to misdirect the kick.
The Privateers got the ball back to open the fourth quarter and returned to a rush-first mentality as freshman Jake Skrezec (Orient, N.Y./Greenport), sophomore William Patsakos (Staten Island, N.Y./Susan E. Wagner) and Schiavone handled the rock on the ground as it was eventually Schiavone to sniff out the endzone with a one-yard touchdown score.
The Privateers had one giveaway on the day midway through the fourth quarter, but made up for it on the next drive as Fehr registered the strip sack with sophomore Dennis Hanley (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville)scooping up the loose ball.
Maine Maritime scored on its final drive and converted on the extra point to cap off the scoring at 59-13. The Privateers ran out the final 1:55 of the game to give the team their third consecutive season-opening victory.
Maritime (1-0) will travel to Maine Maritime on Friday evening for the Chowder Bowl matchup with the Mass. Maritime Buccaneers. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Clean Harbors Stadium in Buzzards Bay, Mass.
Maine Maritime (0-1) will also play Mass. Maritime in their next matchup, which comes on Saturday, September 16 with a 12:00 p.m. kickoff slated in Castine, Maine.
Football Opens Season with Convincing 59-13 Victory over Maine Maritime
/seasons/2017/boxscores/20170902_ne4q.xml
2017
Maine Maritime
13
SUNY-Maritime
59
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maine Maritime (0-1) | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 13 |
| SUNY-Maritime (1-0) | 23 | 17 | 12 | 7 | 59 |
Sep 02, 2017