THROGGS NECK, NY – On Saturday afternoon, the Maritime College football team played its first home game in 22 months…and its first home contest against archrival Merchant Marine since 2018.  The Privateers (0-2) got off to a good start, scoring the game's first touchdown, but ultimately fell to the Mariners (2-0) by a 56-7 count at Reinhart Field.

The Privateers received the opening kickoff and put together a strong first drive.  However, it was thwarted by a red zone interception.  After forcing a Merchant Marine punt, Maritime marched 65 yards down the field for the game's first score.  David Keogh (Mahopac, NY/Kennedy Catholic) connected with Eric Borchert (Marlboro, NY/) on a four-yard touchdown pass with 2:59 remaining in the first quarter to cap the nine-play drive.

Merchant Marine immediately responded with a four-play, 68-yard touchdown drive that knotted the score at 7-7.  The Mariners then took their first lead of the game on Ian Blankenship's 43-yard TD pass to Talsen Smith on the first play of the second quarter.  Merchant Marine added a Caesar Gonzalez five-yard touchdown run later in the period to take a 21-7 lead into the locker room.

Maritime forced a fumble on the Privateers' first possession of the second half, but came up short on a 4^th-and-5 from the Merchant Marine 37 on the ensuing drive.  Merchant Marine then scored touchdowns on each of its next two drives before an 80-yard punt return by Smith made it 42-7.  The Privateers then scored twice in the fourth quarter to close out the victory.

Keogh went 17-for-34 for 152 yards and a touchdown, and Borchert had four catches for 64 yards and a touchdown.  Defensively, Sean Hart (Brooklyn, NY/Fort Hamilton) led the Privateers with nine tackles, while Frank Vano (Babylon, N.Y./Babylon) and Paul Tchinnis (North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) contributed five solo tackles apiece.

As a team, Merchant Marine gained 447 rushing yards, led by quarterback Ian Blankenship's 161 yards on 13 carries.  He also had a rushing touchdown to go along with a TD Pass.  In the air, Blankenship was 4-for-7 for 83 yards and a touchdown.  Smith, meanwhile, scored a pair of touchdowns—one receiving and one on a punt return.  Daniel Falzone had 10 tackles to pace the Mariner defense.

Next Saturday, Maritime heads to William Paterson (1-2) for a 1 p.m. matchup.  It will be the Privateers' final game before the start of Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) play.