Box Score

NEWTON, Mass. – The Maritime football team opened up Eastern Collegiate Football Conference play on Saturday afternoon on Alumni Field, and fell to the Mount Ida Mustangs by the score of 7-6 in a low-scoring affair.
 
Maritime's points consisted of a pair of field goals from the right foot of junior placekicker Diogo Dietrich (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/DePaul Catholic), who connected on a 39-yard and 46-yard field goal in the effort.
 
The Privateer offense struggled to get anything going as the unit picked up just 156 yards on 52 total offensive plays. Junior quarterback Zack Chilcott (Ulster Park, N.Y./Kingston) led the team with 63 yards on the ground and 21 yards in the passing game. Senior Kyle Gardner (Amityville N.Y./St. Anthony’s) netted 45 yards on the ground, while junior Vincent Jones (Cudjoe Key, Fla./Key West) hauled in two passes for 11 receiving yards.
 
On defense, senior Hugh O'Brien (Westbury, N.Y./Westbury) led the team with 13 tackles and also recorded another sack for a seven-yard loss. Classmate Nick Coffiey (Wilmington, Del./Delaware Military Academy) was second on the team with 12 tackles. Linebackers Duke Alvora (Harrison, N.Y./Harrison) and Kameron Knight (Clayton, N.C./West Johnson) each recorded eight tackles. Sophomore Eric Wallace (West Point, N.Y./James O'Neill) collected a four-yard sack, and senior Chris Klass (Nanuet, N.Y./Nanuet) led the defense with a pair of pass breakups. Junior Patrick Connick (Spanish Fort, Ala./Spanish Fort) also had an interception on the afternoon.
 
"It was a typical slugfest between the two teams," commented head coach Clayton Kendrick-Holmes after the game. "Give credit to Mount Ida for making a few critical plays when they had to. I am also proud of the effort our players made on the field this afternoon."
 
As for the game, the Mustangs won the opening coin toss and deferred to the second half, giving Maritime possession to start the game. After a 33-yard runback by senior Greg Caneparo (Nanuet, N.Y./Nanuet), the Privateer offense took over near midfield. After a few short runs by Chilcott and Gardner, the number of senior Timothy Kazinduka (Carmel, N.Y./Kennedy Catholic) was called as he ran the ball for 14 yards.
 
Three players after the Kazinduka-run, Dietrich lined up for a 39-yard field goal attempt and sent the ball through the uprights to give Maritime the early 3-0 lead after a drive of just under five minutes.
 
On Mount Ida's first possession, the Mustangs picked up two first downs on their first two plays but the Privateer defense then stood up to the test of stopping the offense three plays later and forced a punt. Neither side put up any more points on the scoreboard in the opening stanza as the Privateers held on to its 3-0 lead.
 
In the second period, Maritime went three-and-out on its first two series, giving the ball back to Mount Ida with 8:40 to go in the half. After milking just under six minutes off the clock, the Mustangs punched the ball into the end zone with a two-yard run to take its first lead of the game at 7-3.
 
The Privateers put together a lengthy drive of their own on a 45-yard drive that was highlighted by back-to-back first down plays on an 11-yard pass to Jones, followed by a 12-yard run by Chilcott to eventually put the Privateers in a scoring position.
 
After a three-yard loss to force fourth down, Dietrich came on once again and connected on a 46-yard field goal with four seconds left in the half.
 
With the game shifting into the second half, Mount Ida got the ball back and turned it over on downs to give possession back to the Privateers. The teams then exchanged a combined seven punts back-and-forth, with the game shifting into the final quarter with Mount Ida taking over control of the ball with 10:40 left in regulation.
 
The Mustang offense looked deep into their "methodical" playbook, as the team chewed up 86 yards, on 21 plays trying to keep the Maritime offense from getting the ball back. Maritime used all three of its timeouts on the drive, including its third on 4th-and-5 situation for Mount Ida. However, the Mustangs completed a six-yard pass to pick up the first down, and virtually icing the game and sealing the league victory.
 
Maritime (1-3, 0-1 ECFC) will return home to Reinhart Field for its home conference opener, as the Privateers will welcome in the Husson Eagles for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
 
Mount Ida (1-3, 1-0 ECFC) will travel to Northfield, Vt. to take on the Norwich Cadets for a 1 p.m. start next Saturday.