THROGGS NECK, N.Y. – Over the past month several members of the Maritime football senior class have been participating in several All Star Bowl Games as well as Pro Development Camps. Senior defensive back Joshua Burris (Folsom, La./Covington/Gavilan), offensive lineman Connor McDaniel (Islip Terrace, N.Y./East Islip), kicker Matthew Murphy (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford), and defensive lineman Billy Silke (Carmel, N.Y./Carmel) all participated in events, looking to potentially play at the next level after exhausting their NCAA eligibility this past season.
 
Burris took part in a pair of events including the National Bowl in Florida on December 10, while he alongside McDaniel and Silke participated in the Dream Bowl in Virginia on January 15. Murphy took part in the Coach Zauner's Pro Development Camp in Arizona from January 5-7.
 
National Bowl Recap
From December 8-10 in Daytona Beach, Florida, Burris took part in the National Bowl Game. The game featured players from both Division II and Division III broken up into two teams; The American and The National.
 
Burris was a member of the American Team and recorded one solo tackle on the game, while also playing special teams. The American Team upended The National Team by a 48-13 score, including an offensive outburst of 28 points in the second quarter. American led 35-6 at the break before outscoring its opponent 13-7 in the second half for the 35-point victory.
 
Dream Bowl Recap
Burris, McDaniel and Silke all took part in the Dream Bowl from January 11-15 at the Salem Football Stadium, which recently finished a 25-year run of hosting the Stagg Bowl, which serves as the NCAA Division III National Championship Game.
 
The trio of Privateers were all placed on the 'Patriots' roster, and were set to go head-to-head with the 'Crusaders'. The game featured senior players from the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), as well as Division II and Division III.
 
Burris on the day unofficially recorded one tackle to go along with a pair of pass breakups on defense, while also playing special teams. McDaniel played approximately seven offensive series, including the first two that resulted in 10 points for the Patriots. Silke on the game had one tackle, and also had one of the biggest plays of the contest with a 25-yard fumble return for a touchdown late in the third quarter to put the game out of reach.
 
The Patriots prevailed by a score of 37-24, as the Privateers all had a hand in the victory.
 
Coach Zauner's Pro Development Camp Recap
In Fountain Hills, Arizona, Murphy was getting hands-on training at the 'Coach Zauner's Pro Development Camp for Snappers, Punters & Kickers' with former NFL coach Gary Zauner, who was a special teams coordinator in the National Football League for 13 seasons, most notably with the Minnesota Vikings from 1994-2001, while also coaching special teams with the Baltimore Ravens and the Arizona Cardinals.
 
The camp featured just around 25 total attendees from the college, free agent, and elite high school levels, with Murphy entering as one of 10 kickers that participated at the event hosted at Fountain Hills High School. Murphy got hands-on coaching from Zauner and the coaching staff, as he and the others at the camp "improve[ed] from the first practice to the fourth practice throughout the three-day camp.