Worcester State 32, Maine Maritime Academy 31
Worcester, MA --- Junior Will Earley (Fitchburg, MA) finished with 171 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns while junior cornerback Tom Szalno (Hyde Park, MA) notched three blocked extra points to help propel Worcester State, 32-31, over visiting Maine Maritime Academy in New England Football Conference action at Coughlin Stadium.
With the win the Lancers improve to 2-4 on the season while the Mariners slip to 3-3 overall. Both teams now stand at 2-1 in NEFC.
"This was a great win," said head coach Brien Cullen. "It was nice to have a great comeback after a disappointing loss to Framingham State last week. We hung together and our offense stepped up and answered the call."
After Maine Maritime's first drive stalled, Worcester State marched down the field and scored the first points of the game on a one-yard quarterback keeper by senior Pat Good (Hull, MA). The Mariners promptly responded with an 87-yard kickoff return by freshman Nick Bourassa (Jay, ME).
MMA scored the go-ahead score on the first of junior full back Jim Bower's (South Paris, ME) four touchdowns to go up 13-7 with 2:37 left in the first on a 13 play drive that lasted 6:12 (kick blocked).
Worcester replied six minutes later when sophomore Garrett Jones (Stow, MA) rumbled into the end zone with a one-yard run.
The Mariners scored just before the end of the half on an 11 play drive when Bower snuck into the end zone with 7:53 left in the first stanza to make the score 19-14 in favor of the visitors (pass failed).
The Lancers came out of the locker room and scored on their first possession of the third quarter when Earley leaped over the pile for a one-yard score. Bower and Maine Maritime re-took the lead on a 22-yard scamper by Bower with 4:52 left in the third (kick blocked).
Junior placekicker Patrick Skelton (Dedham, MA) knotted the game 25-25 on a 29-yard field goal just before the start of the fourth period.
A 35-yard return by Bourassa setup the Mariners with good field position at midfield as they went ahead 32-25 on a one-yard scamper by Bower (kick blocked).
A 34-yard kickoff return by sophomore Jason Patterson (Attleboro, MA) and three Early rushes for 33 yards put the Lancers on the MMA 23, but the Mariners sacked Good twice putting the Lancers in a bad spot.
Following a missed 48-yard field goal attempt, Worcester State kept the Mariners in check for three downs and forced them to punt the ball away. Senior receiver Dave Salvi (Bedford, MA) then took the ensuing punt return for 44 yards to put the Lancers on the 18. That set the stage for Earley's 10-yard game-tying score. After an extra point by Skelton, the Blue and Gold had the 32-31 lead.
Maine Maritime tried to rally on Worcester's 25 yard-line, but the defense held MMA to a sack and two incomplete passes in the game's waning minutes to preserve the victory.
"The telling difference in the game was the PAT's," said Cullen. "Offensively, their special teams play was very good. Earley had a breakout game while (Garrett) Jones had some huge runs for us today."
The Mariners, coming into the game as the second-best rushing team in the country with 344 yards per game, ran for 337 yards on the ground while WSC held them to just seven yards through the air.
Good finished with 201 passing yards while Patterson hauled in three receptions for 90 yards. Jones added eight rushes for thirty yards.
Bower rushed for 167 yards with four touchdowns while Bourassa and quarterback Tyler Angell (Leeds, ME) combined for 86 yards on the ground.
Sophomore Tyler Russell (Princeton, MA) paced the Lancers defensively as he tallied a season-high 18 tackles (12 solo) with 1½ for a loss. Freshman Patrick Dapkas (Billerica, MA) recorded 10 stops while sophomore Connor Hogan (Millis, MA) chipped in with four tackles including 1½ sacks.
The Mariners were led by sophomore Wade Mondoux (Berwick, ME) who registered 10 stops (six solo). Senior Rob Leighton (Auburn, ME), junior Travis Fergola (Mexico, ME) and freshman Joel Chadbourne (Westbrook, ME) finished the afternoon with five tackles apiece while Cody Andrews (Holden, ME) and Ryan Vokey (York, ME) each added one sack.
After today Worcester State heads north to Fitchburg State for a 1:30 game next Saturday while Maine Maritime hosts Mass Maritime Academy at 1 PM.