KINGS POINT, NY – On Saturday afternoon, the Maritime College football team defeated rival Merchant Marine for the first time in eight years.  After falling behind 14-0, the Privateers (3-3, 1-2 New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference) scored 34 unanswered points to knock off the Mariners (4-1, 2-1 NEWMAC) at Brooks Stadium.  Will Pickett (Rockville Centre, NY) had a role in all five touchdowns, passing for three and rushing for the other two.

Merchant Marine reached the end zone on each of its first two possessions and held a 14-0 edge at the end of the first quarter.  After a Ryan Costales (Brewster, NY) sack forced a Mariners punt with 9:22 left in the second quarter, Maritime got on the board when Pickett connected with Nate Casaburi (Sayville, NY) on a 63-yard TD strike.  The Privateers then used a 12-play, 86-yard drive to tie the game.  Pickett again found Casaburi, this time from 13 yards out, with 28 seconds left in the first half, and Gianni D'Agnese (Melville, NY) added the extra point to send the teams into the locker room even at 14-14.

A blocked punt on Merchant Marine's opening drive of the third quarter set up Maritime on its own 41.  Three plays later on 3^rd-and-4, Pickett broke free for a 53-yard touchdown run that put the Privateers in front, 21-14.  The Mariners fumbled on the first play of the ensuing drive, giving Maritime another short field.  The Privateers proceeded to keep the ball for more than half the quarter, with Pickett capping the 13-play, 41-yard march with his second rushing TD of the period.

After Merchant Marine went three-and-out, Maritime ended its fifth consecutive possession with a touchdown.  The 10-play, 48-yard drive ended when Pickett hit Enrique Hernandez (Northport, NY) from 11 yards out for Hernandez's first collegiate score.  The 34-14 triumph was the Privateers' first win over the Mariners since a 38-31 victory on Sept. 16, 2017 and snapped a six-game losing streak against Merchant Marine.

Pickett was responsible for 343 yards of total offense.  He finished 12-for-18 passing for 181 yards and three scores while gaining 162 yards and finding the end zone twice on 21 rushing attempts.  Casaburi paced Maritime with 129 receiving yards and two touchdowns on six catches.  For the second straight week, the Privateers' time of possession was over 40 minutes.

Nick Spista (White Plains, NY), Patrick Noto (Smithtown, NY) and Dennis Matich (Floral Park, NY) paced the Maritime defense with six tackles apiece.  Noto also forced a fumble.  Costales, meanwhile, had five tackles, including a sack, and a forced fumble.

For the Mariners, Bubba Mustain went 4-for-9 in the air for 89 yards and a touchdown to go along with 26 rushing yards on 13 carries.  Gervy Alota posted a team-best 34 yards on the ground, while Dane Grunder had a 53-yard reception.  Aidan Graham recorded a game-high 10 tackles, and Sam MacDonald made eight solo stops for Merchant Marine.

The Privateers return to Reinhart Field next Saturday for their annual Homecoming game.  All of the traditional pregame festivities will take place in the morning, followed by kickoff between Maritime and Norwich (1-4, 0-2 NEWMAC) at 2 p.m.