THROGGS NECK, NY - The Maritime College football team picked up its third consecutive win and clinched a spot in the NCAA tournament with a 24-13 victory over Gallaudet on Saturday afternoon. The Privateers defense shined again as they held the Bison to just 13 points, while the offense ran for 272 yards to lead Maritime to a 3-1 record in the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC).

Although the Dean Bulldogs defeated both Maritime and Gallaudet earlier this season and stand at 4-0 in ECFC play, they are still a provisional member of the NCAA and are not eligible to accept the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. With the Privateers win today, they clinched second place in the conference, and the bid to the NCAA tournament.

Maritime started the game in good field position, with their opening drive beginning on their own 43-yard line. Starting quarterback Jack Lynn (Rockville Centre, N.Y./Chaminade) and the Privateers took advantage as he completed two passes in the drive for 22 yards to Christian Judge (Springfield Gardens, N.Y./Springfield Gardens). Also highlighting the drive was five carries for 20 yards by Hezekiah Williamson (Albany, NY/Albany). Unfortunately, Maritime stalled at the 11-yard line, but a 28-yard field goal from Joseph Gagliardi (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Sachem North) got them on the board with a 3-0 lead.

On the ensuing drive, the Bison put together a drive of their own, but faced a third and long from the Privateers 29 yard line. Justin Snuffer (Maple Shade, N.J./Maple Shade) came up clutch for the Privateers defense as he made back-to-back tackles in the open field, including a massive stop on fourth-and-three to force the turnover on downs. Maritime's offense turned around and took advantage of the key stop by the defense as they drove down the field for a touchdown. Lynn opened up the drive with a 24-yard completion down the sideline to Judge. Christian Schiavone (White Plains, N.Y./White Plains) took over from there as he picked up three more first downs. The drive was capped off by a key fumble recovery in the end zone by Michael Korwan (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh). Korwan's touchdown made it a 10-0 lead in the first quarter for the Privateers.

Unfortunately, Gallaudet found the end zone on their next drive and cut the lead to 10-6. After a Maritime turnover, the Bison were looking to take their first lead of the game, but the Privateers defense made sure that didn't happen. Dennis Hanley (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) came up with the key tackle on fourth-and-four from the Maritime 12-yard line. Neither team was able to tack on more points for the rest of the half, and the teams entered the locker room with a 10-6 Privateer lead.

Following a stop from the Maritime defense on the first drive of the half, Williamson continued his strong day as he ran for 42 yards and a touchdown, while also adding two catches for 12-yards and he helped the Privateers take a 17-6 lead on the next drive. The third quarter continued to be impressive for the Maritime offense as they scored their second touchdown of the quarter on their very next drive. Lynn completed a 27-yard pass to Kevin Murphy (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford) to keep the momentum going, and then a 6-yard touchdown run from Williamson capped it off.

The Bison were able to cut the advantage to 24-13 before the start of the fourth quarter, but an impressive fourth quarter from the Privateers clinched the game. Gallaudet was able to drive down to the Maritime nine-yard line, but a stop on fourth-and-seven gave the ball back to the Privateers offense. With 8:38 on the clock, the Privateers managed to put together a 15-play, 75-yard drive that took the remainder of the game. Schiavone and Williamson were both stellar out of the backfield on the drive, combing for all 75 yards.

Lynn finished 11-18 with 114 passing yards on the day, while Williamson tacked on 153 rushing yards and two scores. Schiavone also surpassed the 100-yard mark with 19 carries for 104 yards. Judge led all pass catchers with six receptions for 72 yards.

Defensively, Justin Snuffer (Maple Shade, N.J./Maple Shade) led the way with 11 solo tackles. Liam Bailey (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) and Jabari Corsfield (Ozone Park, N.Y./Jamaica) also turned in solid performances with eight and seven tackles, respectively. 

Maritime will return to action next Saturday as they travel to Alfred St. for a 12:00 p.m. kickoff. They will then conclude the regular season at home on Nov. 16 for senior day against Mount Saint Joseph. Check out the post-game press conference below and stay tuned for post-game highlights by following @MTimePrivateers on Twitter or subscribing to our YouTube channel by clicking here!