THROGGS NECK, N.Y. (Oct. 9, 2009) – The Privateers football team (3-2, 0-1 ECFC) will play host to conference-opponent Castleton State (1-3, 0-2 ECFC) Saturday afternoon at Reinhart Field. Kickoff against the Spartans is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. The game will be part of Maritime's Homecoming Weekend Festivities, as the college community will welcome back many of its alumni, family and friends for what hopes to be a joyous occasion.

 

Listen Live On The Internet At MaritimeAthletics.com

If you are unable to make it to Reinhart Field for the action on the gridiron on Saturday, fear not! The Maritime football game against Castleton State will be heard around the world on Saturday via the internet on the newly-created Privateer Radio Network! Just click here to begin listening at 12:45 p.m., as play-by-play man Matt Gregory and color analyst Mike Vitello will call all the action and play back interviews with coaches and athletes. Live audio is FREE for the 2009-10 season!

 

Maritime Regiment To “March-On” Before Kickoff

            Prior to the start of the game on Saturday, the Maritime Regiment of Cadets will be holding a Homecoming Football March-On Ceremony to celebrate the college's homecoming weekend. The cadets, who will be accompanied by the band, will be in formation across the field before the colors are presented for the National Anthem. They will then form a student-tunnel for the Privateers to run through to get onto the field.

 

Spanopoulos Makes History Halfway Through The Season

            Sophomore Jamie Spanopoulos (Franklin Square, N.Y./H. Frank Carey)-FB (Franklin Square, N.Y./H. Frank Carey) tallied two rushing touchdowns in Week Five's 61-21 win over Anna Maria College to raise his season-total to 11 rushing TDs. The 5-9, 228-pounder has now taken over sole possession of first place in Maritime's single-season record books, surpassing his previous record of 10 from one season ago.

 

            Spanopoulos, who's 105.8 rushing yards per game ranks second in the ECFC and 32nd in the nation, now sits just one touchdown shy of the overall single-season TD mark of 12, which was set by former Privateers quarterback Michael Smooke (Land O'Lakes, FL/East Lake (FL)) back in the 2007 season (10 rushing and two passing).

 

Privateers Rank Among Top Rushing Teams In Nation

            The Maritime rushing offense currently ranks tenth among all Division-III schools in the nation with an average of 274.8 yards per game, while its average of 31.2 points per game is good for 60th. The Privateers pass defense ranks 64th in the country with a yards-against average of 163.8 per game.

 

Travis Scott (Pace, FL/Pace (FL)) Earns ECFC Weekly Honor, Adding To Maritime's Leauge-Leading Tally

            Maritime freshman Travis Scott (Pace, FL/Pace (FL))-RB (Pace, Fla./Pace) was named the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) Rookie of the Week for his Week Five performance in the Privateers' 61-21 home victory over Anna Maria on Oct. 3. Scott played a major role on just four plays of the game in the first quarter and contributed to Maritime's 392 yards of total offense, which were all on the ground.

 

            The 5-10, 162-pounder rushed for 43 yards on four carries for an average of 10.8 yards per carry and scored the first two touchdowns of his career on back-to-back drives for Maritime late in the first quarter. The freshman ran one in from one yard out with 5:44 to play in the opening period and then carried one 29 yards to the house with just 44 seconds on the clock. The TDs gave Maritime a 27-0 lead over the AMCATS.

 

            Scott joins four other Maritime players that have earned weekly honors from the ECFC, raising the total to six times that a Privateers player has received an accolade from the first-year conference throughout the 2009 season, which is a league-best.

 

Sophomore Keith Barnes (Westbury, N.Y./Westbury)-LB (Westbury, N.Y./Westbury) was named Defensive Player of the Week for Week One, while classmate Madison Leary (Tavares, Fla./Tavares)-K/WR (Tavares, Fla./Tavares) was named the Special Teams Player of the Week for Week Two. 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 Privateers Breakdown

            Spanopoulos has been the go-to back for the Privateers, as he leads the offense with 529 net rushing yards on the season with an average of 4.6 yards per carry. Sophomore Anthony Gagliano (Islip Terrace, N.Y./St. Anthony's)-QB (Islip Terrace, N.Y./St. Anthony's) ranks second with 341 rushing yards and two scores, while his 238 passing yards on 12-for-42 on completions leads the team. Gagliano also has one pass touchdown.

 

Anthony's twin brother John Gagliano (Islip Terrace, N.Y./St. Anthony's)-RB (Islip Terrace, N.Y./St. Anthony's) has three scores on the ground, with 91 rushing yards, and has caught Maritime's only pass TD of the season back in Week One; he has a team-high 138 receiving yards.

 

On defense, the Privateers are led by Barnes, whose 35.5 tackles (29 solo, 13 assisted) for an average of 8.4 per game currently ranks fourth in the ECFC. Senior-captain Mike Oehl-LB (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown West) and junior Steve Roman (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph's by the Sea)-DB (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph's by the Sea) rank second and third on the team with 20.5 and 18.0 tackles, respectively.

 

On Special Teams, Leary has kicked an average of 58.8 yards per kick and has one touchback, while hitting Maritime's only field goal of the season back in Week Two, a 25-yarder. Sophomore David Kittinger (Fort Myers, Fla./South Fort Myers (Fla.))-P (Fort Myers, Fla./South Fort Myers) has punted 16 times for an average of 34.1 yards per kick and has two touchbacks and four balls that have landed inside the opponents' 20-yard lines.

 

Scouting The Castleton State Spartans

            First-year head coach Rich Alercio and the Spartans come into Saturday's matchup with a 1-4 record, earning their only win of the season in the first game back on Sept. 5 over Anna Maria, 43-28, at home. Castleton has lost its last three contests to Utica on the road (62-10 on Sept. 12), and conference opponents Gallaudet (49-18 on Sept. 26) and Mount Ida on the road (39-7 on Oct. 3).

 

            The Spartans are a threat both on the ground and in the air, as freshman Tyler Carpenter has averaged 61.8 rushing yards per game (247 net yards gained) and has four touchdowns on the season, while freshman quarterback Shane Brozowski has thrown for 663 yards on 58-for-104 passing, with four touchdowns and three interceptions. Freshman Evan Cassidy leads the wideout corps with 190 receiving yards, an average of 63.3 per game, and two touchdowns.

 

            On defense, Castleton is led by sophomore Jared Skilba, who has a team-high 28 tackles (19 solo and nine assisted), while classmate Bryon Ayers is right behind with 26 tackles (17 solo and nine assisted). The special teams unit is led by junior Luis Robitaille, who is 3-for-4 in field goal attempts with a season-long of 42 yards. Robitaille is also the main kickoff man, averaging 45.3 yards per kickoff. The Spartan's punter is sophomore James DeVoe, who has tallied 1030 yards on 28 punts for an average of 36.8 yards per kick.

 

A Look Ahead

            In Week Seven, the Privateers will travel up to Leicester, Mass., to take on Eastern Collegiate Football Conference opponent, Becker College, on Oct. 17. Kickoff against the Hawks is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Becker's Alumni Field.