AMCATS Defense Dominates Mariners, Gain First Win of Season
PAXTON, Mass. – The Anna Maria AMCATS Football team squared off against the Mariners of Maine Maritime on a cloudy afternoon at AMCAT Field. The AMCATS proved to be too much in this one, pulling away for a 34 - 14 victory over the Mariners.
The AMCATS are now 1-1 following this one, and the Mariners go to 0-1 on the season.
The Mariners struck on their first drive of the game, capping off an 8 minute drive with a 12 yard rushing touchdown by sophomore Quarterback Bradley Reed (Belfast, ME).
The AMCATS Quarterback Santino Simone (Worcester, MA) answered back by running in a 7 yard touchdown of his own in the 8th minute of the second quarter. Kicker Jamal Mitchell (Shelton, CT) added a 28 yard field goal to the total, giving the AMCATS a 10-7 lead going in to the half.
Anna Maria's offense kept on rolling in the second half, scoring on their next four drives. Simone broke loose for an 87 yard rushing TD to open up the second half. On the next drive, Simone would connect with senior Wide Receiver David Marsh (Boston, MA) through the air on a 32 yard touchdown strike.
Simone ended up finishing off the day with 184 yards and one TD through the air on 12 of 23 passing and added 2 touchdowns on 135 yards on the ground.
Junior Running Back Robert Small (Sleepy Hollow, NY) rushed 4 yards in to the end zone five minutes in to the fourth quarter, marking the third consecutive drive ending in a score and giving the AMCATS a commanding 31-7 lead over the Mariners. Breaking his own record set just last week, Mitchell booted a 48 yard field goal straight through the uprights with just under 7 minutes left to give Anna Maria their last score of the game.
The Mariners managed to put together one last drive in the fourth, scoring on a 4 yard rush by freshman Quarterback Michael Fahey (Union, CT), and bringing the score to the final result of 34-14.
It wasn't all offense for the AMCATS today. The defense played nearly perfectly, surrendering only two scores on the day. Junior Linebacker Jordan Koehler (Warwick, RI) and sophomore Linebacker Kevin Card (Deer Park, NY) dominated the Mariners' offense, wrapping up the ball an astounding 16 times each. Card and sophomore Defensive Lineman Keagan Gorman (Newburyport, MA) each had one sack as well.
This win over the Mariners gives Head Coach Vincent Sinagra his first career win as the head coach of the Anna Maria College Football program.
The AMCATS will be in action again in Bangor, Maine when they take on the Husson College Eagles at 1:00 pm in what is sure to be another thriller.
