Mass Maritime 31, Worcester State 14
Buzzards Bay, MA --- Freshmen Tyler Mansfield (Falmouth, MA) and Deonte Fielder (Haines City, FL) rushed for a combined 239 yards and two touchdowns to lead Massachusetts Maritime to a 31-14 victory over Worcester State in the New England Football Conference Bogan Division opener for both teams Saturday afternoon at Clean Harbors Stadium.
The two teams combined for eight turnovers in the opening half of action and 14 total in the contest, as senior Ryan Howley (New Fairfield, CT) gave the host Buccaneers (2-2, 1-0 NEFC) their lone touchdown in the first 30 minutes of play by returning a forced fumble on a sack 11 yards for a score with 2:56 remaining before intermission.
Junior Jake Bickley (Wilbraham, MA) extended that margin to 10-0 at the break by connecting on a career-long 44-yard field goal, but the visiting Lancers (0-4, 0-1 NEFC) answered on the first play from scrimmage in the second half when sophomore quarterback Tony Tokarz (Holden, MA) visited the end zone on a 74-yard run that enabled Worcester State to creep to within 10-7.
Massachusetts Maritime, which scored three of its four touchdowns off Lancer turnovers on the day, took advantage of a fourth visitor fumble at the Worcester State 22-yard line, and Mansfield capped a three-play drive with a three-yard plunge (his first career touchdown) and a 17-7 Buccaneer lead with 10:36 remaining in the third stanza.
Tokarz struck back for the Lancers after an interception by senior Jason Patterson (Attleboro, MA) gave Worcester State the ball on the hosts' 24-yard line, as he found sophomore Marcus Price (Worcester, MA) on a 12-yard touchdown pass to close the gap to 17-14 with 3:27 to play in the quarter.
The visitors forced a Massachusetts Maritime punt and drove to the Buccaneer 19-yard line in the early stages of the fourth quarter, but Howley stopped Tokarz on a key 4th-and-2 play that turned the ball over on downs. The hosts then put together a nine-play, 79-yard drive over the next three-plus minutes that was capped by Fielder's 14-yard touchdown run (the first of his career), but Worcester State gained ensuing possession at the Buccaneer 40 and looked to close the gap back to three on a second Tokarz touchdown pass before senior Matt Wiszowaty (Clearwater, FL) forced a fumble on a one-yard line and recovered it in the end zone for a touchback.
Junior Douglas Dyke (Plainville, MA) capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive with a one-yard plunge with 4:26 remaining following the turnover for the final points in the contest and his third touchdown of the season.
Dyke added 93 yards on the ground for Massachusetts Maritime, which amassed 346 rushing yards for the afternoon as part of 436 yards of total offense. Mansfield and fellow freshman quarterback Matthew Spinazzola (Melbourne, FL) combined for 90 yards through the air for the Buccaneers, including a combined four times to junior Michael Tanner (Andover, MA) and freshman Jonathan Emond (Green Harbor, MA).
Tokarz collected 274 yards of total offense in the setback for Worcester State, completing 14-of-33 passes for 202 yards and adding 72 more rushing yards, but he was intercepted twice and sacked six times, including three times alone by Howley. Senior Jake Macleay (Greenfield, MA) hauled in six catches for 92 yards for the Lancers, who finished with 307 yards of total offense after amassing just 39 total yards on 34 plays in the opening half of action.
Howley paced Massachusetts Maritime defensively with eight total tackles, including seven solo stops, to go with three sacks, five tackles for losses of 31 yards, a pair of forced fumbles and his fumble return for a touchdown, while fellow senior Howard Hayes (Westport, CT) added six total stops for the Buccaneers, who also received 1.5 sacks each from senior Jim Erlwein (Livingston Manor, NY) and sophomore Walter Butler (Bourne, MA). Junior Andy Hirko (Uxbridge, MA) recorded a pair of interceptions, a fumble recovery and two break-ups in the win for the hosts, while sophomore Joe Sweet (Walpole, Mass.) posted 10 solo tackles on the day for Worcester State, which also received nine total tackles (eight solo) from sophomore Ray St. Laurent (Shrewsbury, Mass.).
The two teams combined for 743 yards of total offense despite each team losing possession on all 10 of the combined fumbles (six by Worcester State, four by Massachusetts Maritime) on the day , and each squad threw a pair of interceptions while also combining for 16 penalties. The Buccaneers held the ball for nearly 37 minutes and converted 9-of-16 third down chances, compared to just 2-for-13 in that department for the Lancers.
Massachusetts Maritime hosts Coast Guard in a New England Football Conference Bogan Division match-up next Saturday afternoon at Clean Harbors Stadium beginning at Noon, while Worcester State hosts Framingham State in a New England Football Conference Bogan Division clash next Saturday afternoon in Worcester, Mass. beginning at 1:30 p.m.
Release Courtesy of Mass Maritime Sports Information