Live Stats: Oct. 17 – Maritime at Becker – 1 p.m.

 

THROGGS NECK, N.Y. (Oct. 16, 2009) – The Maritime football team (4-2, 1-1 ECFC) will travel up to Leicester, Mass., just outside of Worcester, to meet up with Eastern Collegiate Football Conference opponent Becker College (0-6, 0-2 ECFC) on Saturday, Oct. 17. Kickoff against the Hawks' is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Alumni Field in what promises to be a cold New England afternoon, with an expected game-time forecast of cloudy skies and a temperature teetering around 40-degrees.

 

Live Stats For Becker Game Available

            If you cannot make the trip up to Becker for Saturday's game, you can still follow along with the action, as the Hawks' athletics department will be providing live stats of the contest that will be updating as play goes on. You can access the live stats by clicking here.

 

Privateers Rankings In ECFC And The Nation

            Maritime currently leads the conference and the nation with just .17 sacks allowed per the six games played thus far. Offensively, the Privateers rushing ranks fifth in the nation and first in the ECFC with an average of 306.0 yards per game, while the scoring offense comes in at 32nd among DIII schools with 35.67 points per game, a mark that leads the conference along with its 368.5-yard per game total offense.

 

            Individually, sophomore Jamie Spanopoulos (Franklin Square, N.Y./H. Frank Carey)-FB (Franklin Square, N.Y./H. Frank Carey) is tied for sixth in the nation and leads all ECFC players with an average of 13.0 points per game. Spanopoulos also ranks 37th among all rushers in the country and second in the conference with 101.67 rushing yards per game. Defensively, sophomore Keith Barnes (Westbury, N.Y./Westbury)-LB (Westbury, N.Y./Westbury) ranks fourth in the ECFC with 8.67 tackles per game, while freshman Ricky McClain (Wantagh, N.Y./Saint Anthony's)-DL (Wantagh, N.Y./St. Anthony's) is sixth in the conference with .33 sacks per game.

 

Spanopoulos Ties Modern Maritime Single-Season Touchdown Record

            Jamie Spanopoulos (Franklin Square, N.Y./H. Frank Carey) scored two touchdowns last weekend in the 58-20 win over Castleton to move into a first place tie on Maritime's single-season leader board for touchdowns with 13. The record was previously set by former Privateers quarterback Michael Smooke (Land O'Lakes, FL/East Lake (FL)) back in the 2007 season.

 

            The sophomore has tallied 12 rushing touchdowns thus far in 2009, which breaks the previous record of 10 that he scored last year, which he held with Smooke. Spanopoulos also recorded his first career receiving touchdown last weekend with after a 35-yard pass TD in the third quarter.

 

Scott And Leary Earn ECFC Week Six Honors

            Freshman Travis Scott (Pace, FL/Pace (FL))-RB (Pace, Fla./Pace) and sophomore Madison Leary (Tavares, Fla./Tavares)-K/WR (Tavares, Fla./Tavares) were named the ECFC Rookie and Special Teams Players of the Week for Week Six, as announced by the conference on Monday. This marked both players' second league accolades this season.

 

            Scott earned his second-straight Rookie of the Week honor after leading all players and setting a new career-high with 149 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the victory over Castleton. The 5-10, 162-pounder got a game-high 15 touches for an average of 9.9 yards per carry. The freshman's longest run was 69 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage after the Spartans first touchdown of the game.

 

Leary got his second honor of the season after he kicked the Privateers second field goal of 2009 in the win, converting on a 25-yarder. The sophomore got the crowd's attention when he nearly made a 54-yard field goal at the end of the third quarter. The kick, which was a line drive, hit the crossbar and bounced into the air only to come down just short of going through, much to the fans' displeasure. Leary also converted seven PATs and, on 10 kickoffs, he averaged 55.1 yards with three touchbacks.

 

The two honors add to Maritime's league-leading eight ECFC Players of the Week earned by a Privateers player thus far in 2009. Three other Maritime players have earned the accolades from the conference: Keith Barnes (Westbury, N.Y./Westbury) was named Defensive Player of the Week for Week One and Spanopoulos, Barnes and sophomore Rob Gorgy (Hillsborough, N.J./Immaculata (N.J.))-DL (Hillsborough, N.J./Immaculata) were named Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week, respectively, in Week Three.

 

Maritime Football Breakdown

The Privateers are coming off a big 58-20 win over Castleton on Oct. 10 for Homecoming Weekend at Maritime. They enter the matchup against Becker with a 4-2 record overall (1-1 ECFC) and is one win shy of setting the modern-program record for most wins in a season.

 

Sophomore Anthony Gagliano (Islip Terrace, N.Y./St. Anthony's)-QB (Islip Terrace, N.Y./St. Anthony's) is the Privateers' total offense leader with 798 total yards (417 rushing and 381 passing), while Spanopoulos leads the team in all-purpose yards with 645 (610 rushing and 35 receiving) and touchdowns with 13.

 

Anthony's twin-brother John Gagliano (Islip Terrace, N.Y./St. Anthony's)-RB (Islip Terrace, N.Y./St. Anthony's) ranks second on the team in all purpose yards with 447 (144 rushing, 138 receiving, 109 kickoff return and 56 punt return) and is also second on the team with six touchdowns.

 

After his career-best 149-rushing yard, three touchdown performance, which led all players last weekend, Travis Scott (Pace, FL/Pace (FL)) now ranks third on Maritime with five touchdowns and fourth with 199 rushing yards.

 

On defense, the Privateers are led by Barnes, who has amassed a total of 44.5 tackles (37 solo and 15 assisted). He also has four tackles for losses amounting in a loss of 10 yards, including one sack, and has one forced fumble and picked off his first pass of the season last weekend against Castleton. Senior-captain Mike Oehl-LB (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown West) ranks second on the squad with 24 total tackles (20 solo and eight assisted), while McClain ranks third with 22.5 (18 solo and nine assisted) but leads the team with two sacks. Sophomore Sean Wiggers (Norwood, N.J./Northern Valley Old Tappan (N.J.))-DB (Norwood, N.J./Northern Valley Old Tappan) has a team-leading two interceptions.

 

On special teams, Leary has kicked two field goals successfully on five tries, both from 25 yards out, and has averaged 57.1 yards on 22 kickoffs, with four touchbacks. On 16 punts, sophomore David Kittinger (Fort Myers, Fla./South Fort Myers (Fla.))-P/K (Fort Myers, Fla./South Fort Myers) has averaged 34.1 yards, with a season-long of 67 yards, and has put four balls within the 20-yard line and recorded two touchbacks.

 

Scouting The Becker Hawks

            Becker and second-year head coach Bill McDoanld come into Saturday's matchup with a 0-6 record overall and are 0-2 in ECFC action. The Hawks lost at Utica, 64-7, on Sept. 5, at home against Maine Maritime, 62-39, on Sept. 12, WPI, 52-0, on Sept. 19 and Hartwick, 55-3, on Sept. 26, on the road to Norwich, 42-2, on Oct. 3 and at home to Mount Ida, 17-6, on Oct. 10.

 

            The Hawks offense is led by freshman quarterback Robert Baker, who has compiled 598 passing yards and three touchdowns and is 53-for-120 on completions with nine interceptions. Baker has an efficiency rating of 79.3 and averages 99.7 passing yards per game. Junior running back Jimmy Chery leads Becker in rushing yards with 273 yards on 78 carries for an average of 3.5 yards per carry. Pacing the Hawks' wideout corps is senior Ryan Grillo, who has amassed 183 receiving yards, while senior tight end Ryan Mercado ranks second with 107 yards and has scored two of Becker's seven touchdowns on the season.

 

            On defense, junior d-back Jake Bateman has a team-high 46 tackles (34 solo and 12 assisted) and has recorded one of the Hawks' two interceptions this year. Sophomore linebacker John Dutchick ranks second on the team with 39 tackles (31 solo and eight assisted) and has Becker's only blocked kick of 2009.

 

            The special teams is led by punter Ryan Mercado, who averages 32.2 yards per kick (1,095 total yards) and has had seven balls land inside the 20 and one touchback. Freshman kicker Melvin Mah has made 3-of-5 field goals this season with a long of 47 yards and is averaging 53.1 yards per kickoff.

 

A Look Ahead

            The Privateers will play host to ECFC-opponent Mount Ida College in Week Eight on Saturday, Oct. 24, in what has been designated “Bronx Warrior Football Day.” Kickoff between Maritime and the Mustangs is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Reinhart Field.