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Football Week 10 Preview: Privateers Host Fellow Conference-Undefeated Norwich For Important Final Home Game Of 2011 Regular Season

11/4/2011 4:35:00 PM

By: by Joe Guster, Sports Information Director

Live Audio Link
 
        THROGGS NECK, N.Y. (Nov. 4, 2011) – The Maritime football team (7-1, 5-0 ECFC) will play host to the Norwich University Cadets (6-3, 6-0 ECFC) on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 5, in a matchup of undefeated conference teams. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Reinhart Field.
 
Live Audio Available From The Privateer Radio Network!
        If you can't make it out to the field on Saturday to see all the action live, you can listen to the game on the internet via the Privateer Radio Network. Play-by-play man Greg Rice will call all the action from the press box at Reinhart Field. The pre-game show will begin at 12:45 p.m., followed by the live action. The audio stream of the game can be accessed by clicking here.
 
Fourth-Annual FDNY Chili Cook-Off To Be Held Saturday At Reinhart Field
        If the heat from the intensity of the action on the field doesn't warm you up on the crisp fall day Saturday, then perhaps a number of free samples of some warm chili will! For the fourth-straight year, the Maritime Football team will be hosting its annual Bronx Firehouse Chili Cook-Off. Before the game, representatives from several local firehouses will be stationed behind the bleachers, each with their own chili, which you, the fans, will vote on for the “BEST FDNY FIREHOUSE CHILI.” The winner will be announced at halftime.
 
17 Seniors To Be Recognized Prior To The Game
        Before the coin toss on Saturday, the Maritime football team will be paying tribute to its largest and most impactful class of seniors to date in the six-year history of the program. 17 seniors will be recognized in an on-field ceremony taking place at midfield. The class features a number of program record-setters, members of the 2010 ECFC Championship squad and NCAA participants. Also, this set of seniors have been a part of the team that has boasted an undefeated 7-0 record over Maritime Industry rivals Kings Point and Mass. Maritime, as well as the squad that has been 8-1 in home conference games over the past three seasons. For the complete list of seniors, click here.
 
Winning This Game Has Produced The ECFC Champion The Past Two Seasons
        The winner of the game between Norwich and Maritime has gone on to claim the ECFC Championship in each of the first two seasons of the young conference. In 2009, Norwich won the meeting up in Vermont, 15-3, and later defeated Mount Ida in the ECFC Championship game. Then last season, Maritime was victorious at home, 20-2, clinching the best record in the conference with the win.
 
The scenarios for winning the championship surrounding this game are fairly simple – if Norwich wins, they are the outright champions, but if Maritime wins and Gallaudet loses on the road at Mount Ida, then the Privateers are the champions. If Gallaudet wins, then the championship can be determined next week in the final weekend of action, when Maritime travels to D.C. to take on the Bison.
 
Maritime Ranked 10th In East Region In NCAA's First Regional Rankings
The NCAA released its first regional rankings this past Wednesday and the Privateers checked in at tenth in the East Region. The rankings are used to determine the seedings for the 32-team DIII NCAA Football Championship Tournament. The champion of the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference will earn an automatic berth to the national playoffs. There will be one more regional ranking released by the NCAA following this weekend's action and then the bracket for the NCAA Tournament will be revealed on Sunday, Nov. 13.
 
For the complete listings of the regional rankings, click here.
 
Privateers Honored 11 Times With ECFC Player Of The Week Accolades
        The Maritime football team has had a Player of the Week by the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference 11 times so far in 2011, which ties for the most in the conference. After the Week Two win over Western Connecticut, seniors Jamie Spanopoulos (Franklin Square, N.Y./H. Frank Carey) (Franklin Square, N.Y./H. Frank Carey) and Madison Leary (Tavares, Fla./Tavares) (Tavares, Fla./Tavares) earned Offensive and Special Teams Player of the Week accolades, respectively. Sophomore Tyler Trodden (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Kennedy Catholic) (Putnam Valley, N.Y./JFK Catholic) and junior Thomas Boney (Jacksonville, Fla./University Christian (Fla.)) (Jacksonville, Fla./University Christian) earned offensive and defensive awards, respectively, after the Week Three win over Kings Point.
 
        Leary was again named Special Teams Player of the Week twice more for Weeks Five and Six. After the Week Seven win over Anna Maria, junior Jeremy Garcia (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) was named Defensive Player of the Week and senior Sean Wiggers (Norwood, N.J./Northern Valley Old Tappan (N.J.)) (Norwood, N.J./Northern Valley Old Tappan) earned Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
 
        The Privateers earned their fourth-straight Special Teams Player of the Week award after the Week Eight win when freshman Greg Caneparo (Nanuet, N.Y./Nanuet) (Nanuet, N.Y./Nanuet) got the honor, while Spanopoulos earned his second Offensive Player of the Week honor. Finally, just this past week, freshman Zach Spector (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./St. Anthony’s Prep.) (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./St. Anthony's) was named Rookie of the Week after the 34-13 Week Nine win over Husson.
 
Inside The Series
Norwich holds the slight edge in the series, 3-2, having won in 2006, 2007 and 2009. Last year, at Reinhart Field, the Privateers won, 20-2, to clinch the ECFC Championship. Maritime scored two touchdowns off of turnovers in the contest, as the squad took advantage of the Cadet's six turnovers on the day (four fumbles and two interceptions). The Privateer defense held Norwich to just 179 yards of total offense. Senior John Gagliano (Islip Terrace, N.Y./St. Anthony's) scored twice on four- and six-yard runs and then-sophomore Fritz Jean (Palm Coast, Fla./Palm Coast (Fla.)) (Palm Coast, Fla./Palm Coast) provided Maritime's other score on a seven-yard run.
 
Team Comparison Of National Rankings
        Maritime's total offense ranks 113th in the country, but the squad's rushing offense is 13th with 269.13 yards per game, while Norwich's rushing defense ranks 100th, allowing just 144.11 yards per game. On the flip side, Norwich's total offense is 79th in DIII with a fifth-ranked rushing offense (324.11 ypg), while Maritime's total defense is 13th in the country, allowing just 249.38 total yards per game.
 
        The Privateers rank in the top-20 in eight categories: sixth in time of possession (34:13), ninth in sacks allowed (0.63 per game), ninth in kickoff return (24.69 yards per return), 12th in first-down defense (13.88 first downs allowed per game), 13th in total defense and rushing offense and 16th in tackles for losses allowed (4.13 per game).
 
        The Cadets rank in the top-20 in four categories: second in red zone offense (scoring 93-percent of the time), third in sacks allowed (0.44 per game), fifth in rushing offense (324.11 yards per game) and 18th in kickoff defense (allowing just 15.19 yards per return).
 
Maritime Privateer Breakdown
        Maritime's total offense is led by quarterback Tyler Trodden (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Kennedy Catholic), who has rushed for 407 yards and passed for 631 yards. He ranks second on the team in rushing and has two touchdowns on the ground and three scores via the air. Jamie Spanopoulos (Franklin Square, N.Y./H. Frank Carey) is the team's leading rusher and ranks 48th in the country with 98.75 yards per game (790 total yards). He is also tied for 56th in DIII in scoring with 8.25 points per game (66 total). Junior Fritz Jean (Palm Coast, Fla./Palm Coast (Fla.)) is the team's leading receiver with 167 yards on 10 catches for an average of 16.7 yards per catch. Sophomore Thomas Davis (Westbury, N.Y./Westbury) (Westbury, N.Y./Westbury) leads the team in receiving touchdowns with two.
 
        On defense, junior Keith Barnes (Westbury, N.Y./Westbury) (Westbury, N.Y./Westbury) leads the team in tackles with 71 total (55 solo and 14 assisted), including a team-high 7.0 tackles for combined losses of 21 yards. He also has 3.0 sacks for losses of 14 yards and one interception with an 11 yard return, one pass break up, QB hurry and two forced fumbles. Junior Pat Lasher (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford) (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford) is second on the squad with 45 total tackles (31 solo and 14 assisted).
 
        Freshman Greg Caneparo (Nanuet, N.Y./Nanuet) has taken over the primary returning duties for the past four games and has returned nine kickoffs a total of 236 yards (26.2 yards per return). Kicking-wise, senior Madison Leary (Tavares, Fla./Tavares) is 8-for-14 in field goals with a long of 47 yards, while he has an average of 52.1 yards per kickoff on 51 kicks this year with two touchbacks. Punting, Leary has an average of 38.2 yards on 20 punts, landing four inside the opponent's 20-yard line and three that were 50-plus yards.
           
Scouting The Norwich Cadets
        Under first-year head coach Mark Murnyack, the Cadets started the 2011 season with three non-conference losses to Western New England (28-24), St. Lawrence (29-14) and Hartwick (37-14). Since then, Norwich has won each of its six conference games and will be seeking the program's second ECFC Championship on Saturday. Junior quarterback Kris Sabourin is the team's offensive leader with 1,399 yards of total offense. He has a team-high 897 rushing yards with eight touchdowns on the ground and is 50-for-108 in completions for 502 yards and four passing TDs with nine interceptions. Senior running back Andrew Fulford ranks second on the squad with 791 rushing yards and has a team-high 10 rushing touchdowns. The receiving corps is led by freshman Derrick Pitts, who has 195 yards on 19 catches with one score.
 
        The Cadets' defense is led by sophomore Jimmy Labell, who has a team-high 62 tackles (45 solo and 17 assisted), including 13.5 for combined losses of 45 yards, three sacks for losses of 27 yards and one interception with a 14 yard return. Sophomore Stephen Gilmore ranks second on the squad with 51 tackles (34 solo and 17 assisted).
 
        On special teams, senior kicker Long Ding has converted 9-of-12 field goals with a long of 41 yards. He has also averaged 47.1 yards on 52 kickoffs and 34.7 yards on 35 punts. Junior Brandon Rudd has gotten the majority of the returns for Norwich and 21.1 yards on 19 kickoff returns and 5.7 yards on nine punt returns.
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