THROGGS NECK, NY – The Maritime College football team is the 2024 Fusion Bowl Champions!  The Privateers (8-3) trailed 14-7 at halftime, but used two long touchdown drives in the second half to earn their first-ever postseason win, 21-14, over Husson (6-5) at Reinhart Field on Saturday.  Devin Cline (Miller Place, NY) was named the game's Most Valuable Player after rushing for a school-record 233 yards on 33 carries.

Maritime received the opening kickoff and marched 75 yards in 10 plays for the game's first score.  Mario Agyen (Bronx, NY) was credited with the first touchdown in Fusion Bowl history on a 12-yard run.  Husson responded with a touchdown drive of its own.  Max Clark connected with Ja'Quan Myles from 40 yards out to cap the 61-yard drive.

On the Privateers' ensuing drive, Steven Stassi (East Islip, NY) fumbled and it was recovered by Husson's Jahmye Tyson, who returned it to the Maritime 6.  Three plays later, Clark found Myles in the end zone to put the Eagles up, 14-7.

After Husson was stopped on 4^th-and-1 from the Maritime 40, the Privateers took back over with 3:24 remaining in the first half.  Cline gained three yards on 1^st-and-goal from the Husson 6, then got within a half-yard of paydirt on third down.  Stassi's 4^th-and-goal pass to Nate Casaburi (Sayville, NY) fell incomplete, however, and the teams went into the locker room with the Eagles still leading, 14-7.

With the Privateers going into the 21 mph wind in the third quarter, a short punt gave Husson possession at the Maritime 29.  The Eagles needed just two plays to get to the Privateers' 3, but Clark fumbled the snap on 1^st-and-goal, and Zander Timothy (Woodland Park, NJ) picked up the loose ball for Maritime.  After the turnover, the Privateers took over on their own 22 and proceeded to keep the ball for seven minutes.  The 16-play, 78-yard drive ended on Stassi's 15-yard TD pass to Luke Caliendo (North Babylon, NY) that leveled the score at 14-14.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Eagles decided to go for it on 4^th-and-7 from the Maritime 35.  Jack Kellner (Seaford, NY) intercepted Clark's fourth-down pass on the Privateers' 21, however, setting up the game-winning touchdown march.  Maritime again maintained possession for more than seven minutes, with Stassi finding Ian Derda (Guilford, CT) for the go-ahead six-yard strike.  It was Stassi's 53^rd career touchdown pass, breaking the all-time program record previously held by current Assistant Coach Tom Wright.

Husson got the ball back with 5:01 remaining and moved into Maritime territory before the drive stalled on the Privateer 46.  Cline then sealed the victory with back-to-back long runs.  He picked up 12 yards on first down, then broke free for a 41-yard gain.  Cline voluntarily stopped short of the end zone with under a minute remaining, allowing Stassi to take a knee and run out the clock.

In his final game for the Privateers, Stassi was 14-for-29 for 132 yards and two touchdowns.  Caliendo had five receptions for 45 yards and a score, while Derda finished with 43 receiving yards on four catches, and he scored the game-winning touchdown.  Cline, meanwhile, broke Kyle Gardner's 11-year-old single-game school record for rushing yards.  Overall, Maritime tallied 285 rushing yards and 417 yards of total offense while possessing the ball for more than 38 minutes (including nearly 20 minutes in the second half).  The Privateers ran 79 total plays to the Eagles' 44.

Dennis Matich (Floral Park, NY) paced the Maritime defense with nine tackles.  Timothy recorded four solo stops to go along with his fumble recovery, while Kellner recorded four tackles and a pass breakup, as well as his interception.  Gino Fundaro (Levittown, NY) made the game's only sack.

Three Husson players tallied double-digit tackles.  Bryaden Trombly led the way with 14 stops, and Evan Bourget and Ricky Hendrix posted 11 tackles each.  Walker Lenz, meanwhile, had eight tackles and forced a fumble.

Clark finished 10-for-19 passing for 96 yards.  He threw two touchdowns and one interception.  Myles was on the receiving end of both scores, while Nason Berthelette made a team-high three catches.  Aiden Sergent was the Eagles' leading rusher.  He gained 38 yards on 11 carries.

This was Maritime's first bowl appearance in six years and first-ever postseason home game.  The Privateers' eight wins this season were their most since 2017, when the team went 9-2.