Box Score THROGGS NECK, N.Y. – The Maritime football team opened its 2015 season with a convincing 30-0 victory over the Maine Maritime Mariners on Saturday afternoon on Reinhart Field.
 
Maritime was led on offense by senior quarterback Zack Chilcott (Ulster Park, N.Y./Kingston), who let the team with 137 yards passing and also one passing touchdown while rushing for 41 yards. Junior Brett McKinney (Westernville, N.Y./Rome Free Academy) sprinted for 111 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns. Junior Krystian Cardinal-Charles (Brooklyn, N.Y./Boys and Girls) also found the end zone as he picked up 18 yards on five carries, sophomore Matt Ward (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Sachem North) received three passes for 57 yards and also scored a touchdown.
 
Defensively the team was led by senior Kameron Knight (Clayton, N.C./West Johnson), who had 3 1/2 sacks on the day while amassing nine tackles. Sophomore Kendal Parker (Evans, Ga./Lakeside) led the team with 10 tackles and also had an interception that he returned for six yards. Junior Brian Price (New York, N.Y./Wadleigh) and sophomore Craig Hinrichs (Islip, N.Y./Islip) also recorded seven tackles apiece.
 
On special teams, senior Diogo Dietrich (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/DePaul Catholic (N.J.)) converted on a 43-yard field goal, and also tacked on three extra points for a total of six points. Junior John Arny (Metuchen, N.J./Metuchen) averaged 40.4 yards per punt as he booted the ball away on five separate occasions, while sophomore Matthew Murphy (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford) averaged 62 yards per kickoff on his six kicks, two of which went for touchbacks.
 
"We were really pleased in all three facets of the game," said Maritime Head Coach Clayton Kendrick-Holmes. "We've got to give a lot of credit to our defense, the unit looked solid against the difficult offense to stop that Maine Maritime has. We're glad we were able to get them on the schedule and start this new rivalry."
 
As a team, Maritime picked up 20 first downs on the day while picking up 243 yards on the ground and 143 yards through the air. The Privateers were also 2-for-2 on fourth down conversions, while also totaling seven sacks defensively to push the Mariners back 26 yards.
 
After winning the coin toss, Maritime deferred to the second half and sent the defense on the field first. The strategy worked as the defense forced the Mariner offense to punt after a sack by junior Corey Palladino (Merrick, N.Y./St. Anthony's).
 
The offense took over and Chilcott rushed for four yards, then completed a pass to junior Nick Fischetti (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford) to pick up a first down. On the seventh play of the drive, McKinney dashed to the end zone on a 23-yard carry to put the Privateers ahead 7-0, with the Dietrich extra point.
 
After senior Michael Brunk (Hidden Valley Lake, Calif./Glenwood Springs (Colo.)) picked up a fumble on the next defensive series for Maritime, the offense went to work once again as McKinney got the drive kick-started with a 35-yard run. After an eight-yard Fishetti run, the Privateers punched the ball home from three yards out as Cardinal-Charles bolted into the end zone, Dietrich tacked on the extra point to make it 14-0.
 
The Privateer offense took over once again with 28 seconds left in the first quarter, after forcing Maine Maritime to turn the ball over on downs with another strong defensive stand. The team went on to milk over eight minutes off the clock before Dietrich sent a 43-yard field goal sailing through the uprights to make the game 17-0 in favor of the home team.

Neither side was able to get their offenses going through the remainder of the half, as the Privateers took the 17-0 lead into the locker room.
 
After both sides went three-and-out to start the third quarter, the Privateers got going once again as Chilcott completed a pass to senior Vincent Jones (Cudjoe Key, Fla./Key West) on the first play of the drive. The call was to McKinney, and the fullback dashed down the field for a 43-yard score. Maritime had taken a 24-point lead following the Dietrich extra point.
 
On the next defensive stand, the Privateer defense short-circuited the Mariner offensive drive as Parker picked off a pass and set up 1st and 10 for Maritime in enemy territory. It didn't take long to score as Chilcott found a wide-open Ward down the sideline for a 42-yard touchdown reception.
 
Neither side scored through the entirety of the fourth quarter as juniors Joe Modica (East Islip, N.Y./East Islip) and Thomas Wright (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh), in addition to sophomores Jacob Shinnick (Pleasanton, Calif./Granada), Devin Kenny (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) and Brad Pitz (LaGrange, N.Y./Millbrook) all got to control the offense through the final two drives. Wright also hooked up with sophomore Mike Yorkey (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) on a six-yard gain.
 
Maritime (1-0, 0-0 ECFC) will head on the road for its next two contests with next week's game coming on Friday evening in Buzzards Bay, Mass. against the Mass. Maritime Mariners. Maine Maritime (0-1, 0-0 NEFC) will take next weekend off before its next game which also comes against Mass. Maritime on September 19 at 12 p.m. in Castine, Maine.