THROGGS NECK, NY – On Saturday, the Maritime College football team welcomed rival Merchant Marine to Reinhart Field. After snapping their six-game losing streak in the series last season, the Privateers (2-4, 0-3 New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference) were unable to pick up a second straight win over the Mariners, as Merchant Marine (5-0, 3-0 NEWMAC) came away with a 55-6 victory.
Mariners quarterback Bubba Mustain threw three touchdown passes in the first quarter, then ran in another from one yard out early in the second quarter. After Blake Bishop scored on a 30-yard interception return, Merchant Marine added two more TDs to increase its advantage to 48-0 at the break.
Maritime put together its first sustained drive on the first possession of the second half. The 10-play, 75-yard march ended with
William Siebert's (Warwick, NY) two-yard run that got the Privateers on the board. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful, however, keeping the margin at 48-6. The Mariners extended that cushion to 55-6 on Dallas DeForest's 14-yard run that capped a 10-play, 70-yard drive at the 13:46 mark of the fourth quarter.
For Maritime,
Gianni Spinelli (Holtsville, NY) led the way with 114 rushing yards on 18 carries.
Jaden Rotella (Mt. Sinai, NY) went 13-for-28 passing for 125 yards, while
Enrique Hernandez (Northport, NY) made six catches and tallied 44 receiving yards.
Eddie Crishom (Jamaica, NY), meanwhile, compiled 105 return yards.
Dennis Matich (Floral Park, NY) paced the defense with 15 tackles, and
Simon Wareham (Oceanside, NY) added 12 tackles.
Merchant Marine had 538 yards of total offense, including 330 on the ground. Mustain finished with 71 rushing yards on 12 carries to go along with 206 yards on 6-for-8 passing. He contributed to five touchdowns—four passing, one rushing. Angelo Cimino made two catches for 107 yards and a score, while both of Sonny Endicott's receptions went for touchdowns. In addition to his pick-six, Bishop led the Mariners with five tackles. Armondo Orcesi also made five tackles.
Up next for the Privateers is a 2 p.m. matchup at Norwich (2-3, 0-2 NEWMAC) next Saturday. Maritime has won its last three meetings with the Cadets.
