MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME FOOTBALL
Friday, September 14, 2012
Vendetti Field, Dudley, Mass.
FINAL: MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME 41, NICHOLS 13
1 2 3 4 Total
Massachusetts Maritime (1-1) 14 13 14 0 - 41
Nichols (0-3) 0 7 6 0 - 13
SCORING SUMMARY
MAM: Mike Stanton 5 yd run (Brandon Rodrigues kick) 9:28 1st
MAM: Keith Caruso 56 yd pass from Stanton (Rodrigues kick) 4:47 1st
NIC: Anthony Wilga 1 yd pass from Pat Viencek (Casey Lombardi kick) 11:11 2nd
MAM: E.J. Bennett 9 yd pass from John Trudel (Rodrigues kick) 8:54 2nd
MAM: Stefan Gustafson 21 yd run (kick failed) 7:34 2nd
MAM: Stanton 8 yd run (Rodrigues kick) 10:52 3rd
NIC: Brett Franciosi 1 yd run (kick blocked) 6:03 3rd
MAM: Bobby Rosano 58 yd pass from Stanton (Rodrigues kick) 2:53 3rd
Attendance: 890
DUDLEY, Mass. -- Junior quarterback Mike Stanton (Quincy, Mass.) rushed for a pair of touchdowns and completed 13-of-17 passes for 210 yards and two more scores to lead Massachusetts Maritime to a 41-13 non-league college football victory over Nichols Friday evening at Vendetti Field.
The visiting Buccaneers (1-1) scored on four of their first five possessions of the night, as Stanton scampered in from five yards out on Massachusetts Maritime's opening drive of the contest before hooking up with fellow junior Keith Caruso (Hingham, Mass.) on a 56-yard touchdown pass for a 14-0 first quarter advantage. Freshman Anthony Wilga (Dudley, Mass.) enabled the host Bison (0-3) to slice their deficit in half just 3:49 into the second stanza when he hauled in a one-yard scoring pass from junior quarterback Pat Viencek (Bernardston, Mass.), but the Buccaneers struck twice in a 1:20 span midway through the quarter to take a 27-7 edge into the break, as sophomore quarterback John Trudel (Niantic, Conn.) connected with fellow sophomore E.J. Bennett (East Wareham, Mass.) on a nine-yard touchdown pass, and after a bad snap on an ensuing Nichols punt, junior Stefan Gustafson (Plymouth, Mass.) scored from 21 yards out for his career rushing score.
Stanton extended Massachusetts Maritime's lead to 34-7 just 4:08 after intermission, as his second rushing touchdown of the night came from eight yards out, and after sophomore Brett Franciosi's (Leominster, Mass.) one-yard plunge gave the hosts their second visit to the end zone of the evening, Stanton connected on a 58-yard touchdown strike with sophomore Bobby Rosano (North Reading, Mass.) with 2:53 remaining in the third quarter accounted for the final score.
Stanton amassed 229 yards of Massachusetts Maritime's 440 yards of total offense in the victory, as the Buccaneers gained 187 yards on the ground on 51 attempts, including a combined 85 yards form Gustafson and sophomore Brad Skeffington (Salem, Mass.). Bennett hauled in a career-high six receptions for 58 yards for the visitors, who also received four catches from Rosano for 71 yards. Gustafson notched 161 all-purpose yards (64 on punt returns, 56 on kickoff returns and 41 rushing) on the night, as Massachusetts Maritime recorded its yardage and point total while having just under 25 minutes of possession for the contest.
Viencek completed 26-of-37 attempts for 228 yards and a score in the setback for Nichols, which received a combined 61 rushing yards form sophomore Jonathan Winbush (Boston, Mass.) and freshman Andre Rickerson (Boston, Mass.) as part of 305 yards of total offense. Junior Joe Lambert (New Haven, Conn.) hauled in six receptions for 73 yards for the Bison, who also received five receptions from junior Mark Parker (Natick, Mass.).
Sophomore Victor Andrade (Yarmouthport, Mass.) paced Massachusetts Maritime defensively with a career-high 12 total tackles, including eight solo stops, while senior Nick Mazurkiewicz (Attleboro, Mass.) added seven tackles (five solo) for the Buccaneers, who also received interceptions from junior Sheldon Roper (Sharpsburg, Ga.) and senior Derek Mucciarone (Franklin, Mass.). Senior Peter Curto (Braintree, Mass.) led the way defensively with 11 total tackles for Nichols, who also received eight stops each from senior Joe Bresse (Foxboro, Mass.) and sophomore Alex DiNardo (Wellington, Fla.).
Massachusetts Maritime opens New England Football Conference Bogan Division play next Saturday, September 22nd when the Buccaneers entertain Coast Guard at Clean Harbors Stadium beginning at Noon, while Nichols hosts Western New England in its New England Football Conference Boyd Division lid-lifter next Saturday afternoon at Vendetti Field beginning at 1:00 p.m.