Mariners Rush for 559 Yards, Beat UMass Dartmouth 42-0
Castine, ME – Junior quarterback Matthew Rende (Augusta, ME) ran for 169 yards and scored three times while senior full back Jim Bower (South Pars, ME) rushed for 179 yards propelling Maine Maritime to a 42-0 victory Saturday afternoon (Sept. 18) over the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth in a non-division New England Football Conference (NEFC) contest.
The Mariners, who have outscored their opponents 89-0 this season, are now 2-0 while the Corsairs dropped to 1-2 following their road defeat.
Maine Maritime scored the only points of the first half on a touchdown pass thrown by Matthew Rende (2-for-5 for 38 yards) to Nick Bourassa (Jay, ME) from 27 yards out. The drive started on the MMA 35-yard line and went eight plays and covered 65 yards.
The Mariners scored on their first play of the second half on an 84-yard touchdown run down the left sideline by Rende (16 carries for 169 yards) to give MMA the 13-0 advantage. The extra point was good by Michael Brennan (Manchester, ME) giving MMA the 14-0 lead with 14:45 left in the third.
MMA struck again with 6:58 remaining in the third when Rende dove off the right side from 1-yard out capping off an 11-play, 74-yard drive. Senior fullback Jim Bower (25 carries for 179 yards) had 41 of the 74 yards gained during the drive. Brennan capped off the drive with the extra point giving MMA the 21-0 lead.
MMA began the fourth quarter with its fourth touchdown of the game, extending the lead to 28-0. The drive lasted only three plays and covered 67 yards. Jim Bower started the possession with a 35-yard rush and then added another 6-yard rush that put the Mariners to the UMass Dartmouth 26 yard line. Nick Bourassa finished off the drive with a 26-yard reverse that found the end zone.
Rende scored his third rushing touchdown of the day at the 11:34 mark of the fourth quarter giving MMA the 34-0 lead. The drive was set up by a 25-yard punt return from Nick Bourassa (3 returns for 72 yards) to put the Mariners at the UMD 41 yard line. Three plays later Rende dove to the marker from 17 yards out for the score.
MMA finished the scoring late in the fourth when freshman Bill Wetherbee (Veazie, ME) scampered in from 59 yards out to give MMA the 42-0 victory.
Patrick Orlando (Manchester, MA) was the lone bright spot on offense for the Corsairs, completing 12-of-29 passes for 118 yards while rushing 11 times for 82 yards.
The Mariner defense was stellar for the second straight week, holding UMass Dartmouth to 237 total yards and no touchdowns. The Mariners also forced three turnovers. The defense was led by Wade Mondoux (Berwick, ME) who collected 11 tackles with six being solo. Joel Chadbourne (Westbrook, ME) tallied nine tackles and two for loss while Josh Elwell (Owls Head, ME) intercepted a pass for the second week in a row.
The Corsairs were led defensively by Mike Fraser (Peabody, MA) and Ross O'Toole (Weymouth, MA) who had 11 and 10 tackles respectively.
