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THROGGS NECK, N.Y. (Sept. 2, 2010) – The Maritime football team scored a late fourth-quarter touchdown to overcome a five-point deficit and successfully held off rival-Massachusetts Maritime in their last offensive possession to claim its fourth-straight Chowder Bowl Championship with a 15-12 victory Thursday night at Reinhart Field.

"I'm really proud of how the team responded in the fourth quarter," said sixth-year head coach Clayton Kendrick-Holmes. "Every year this game is a battle and tonight the offense, defense and special teams stepped it up big time in the end when we needed it the most."

A five-yard run by freshman running back Thomas Davis (Westbury, N.Y./Westbury) (Westbury, N.Y./Westbury) that he brought into the corner of the end-zone after a toss left with 4:21 left to play in the final stanza gave the Privateers a 13-12 lead. Sophomore quarterback Joe Dickey (Middletown, N.J./Middletown North (N.J.)) (Middletown, N.J./Middletown North) then hooked up with junior fullback Jamie Spanopoulos (Franklin Square, N.Y./H. Frank Carey) (Franklin Square, N.Y./H. Frank Carey) on a pass for the two-point conversion to bring the score to 15-12.

That drive started after Mass. Maritime pulled ahead 12-7 on a one-yard run by junior running back Nathan Sherr, who ended the night with a game-high 149 yards rushing and that one score. The Bucs two-point conversion failed as their pass was intercepted by senior co-captain Steve Roman (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph's by the Sea) (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph's by the Sea). On the ensuing kickoff, Davis returned the ball 22 yards to give Maritime great field position at their own 42-yard line and set up the score.

However, the night was not over after the late Privateer touchdown as Mass. Maritime got the ball again after the kickoff on its own 35 with 4:13 to play. The Maritime defense stepped up, and after three plays, on 4th-and-2, Sherr was stopped at the line of scrimmage by sophomore linebacker Keith Barnes (Westbury, N.Y./Westbury) (Westbury, N.Y./Westbury) and junior linebacker Rob Gorgy (Hillsborough, N.J./Immaculata (N.J.)) (Hillsborough, N.J./Immaculata) and Maritime took over on downs, leading to the victory.

Barnes led the defense with 15.5 tackles (14 solo and three assisted), while recording one for a loss of eight yards. Gorgy ranked second on the team with 7.0 tackles (five solo and four assisted). Dickey controlled most of the offense, finishing the night with a team-high 108 rushing yards and 37 passing yards. Spanopoulos, who scored the first touchdown of the game for Maritime on a one-yard run in the first quarter, ended the night with 90 yards on the ground.

Buccaneer junior running back Matt White scored the first Mass. Maritime touchdown with a one-yard run in the second quarter, but a missed extra point kick kept the Privateers ahead, 7-6 – a score they took into the half.

The Maritime football team returns to action next Friday, Sept. 10, when they travel up to Danbury, Conn., to take on Western Connecticut at 7 p.m.