MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME FOOTBALL
36th Annual Cranberry Bowl Presented By Ocean Spray
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Swenson Field, Bridgewater, Mass.
FINAL: MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME 31, BRIDGEWATER STATE 21
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Senior wide receiver E.J. Bennett (East Wareham, Mass.) hauled in 11 catches for 239 yards and a pair of touchdowns to earn Lee Harrington Most Valuable Player award honors in leading Massachusetts Maritime to a 31-21 victory over Bridgewater State in the 36th Annual Cranberry Bowl Presented By Ocean Spray Saturday afternoon at Swenson Field.
The visiting Buccaneers, who close out the season at 4-6 overall while finishing 3-5 in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference play, captured "The Scoop" for the first time since 2010 and for the ninth time in the game's 36-year history. The triumph was Massachusetts Maritime's first at Bridgewater State in 30 years, as the last Buccaneer win on Bear soil came in a 10-3 decision on November 10, 1984.
Massachusetts Maritime raced out to a 17-0 first quarter advantage, as sophomore Ryan Quinn (North Andover, Mass.) converted a 23-yard field goal 5:14 into the contest to cap a 14-play, 54-yard opening drive, and the Buccaneers extended that margin to 10-0 with 1:58 to play in the opening stanza when senior quarterback John Trudel (Niantic, Conn.) connected with junior Kevin Healy (Palmetto, Fla.) on a four-yard touchdown pass. After the host Bears (4-6, 3-5 MASCAC) punted for the third time in the quarter to pin the visitors back at their own seven, Trudel hooked up with Bennett down the sideline for a career-long 93-yard scoring strike with 17 seconds remaining in the frame and the 17-point lead.
Following Bridgewater State's fourth straight punt, Trudel guided Massachusetts Maritime on a 13-play, 71-yard drive that consumed nearly seven minutes before ending on freshman Richie Phillips' (Onset, Mass.) one-yard plunge with 6:35 remaining in the half and a 24-0 Buccaneer advantage. The Bears answered back on the ensuing possession when freshman Alex McLaughlin (Littleton, Mass.) broke through the middle for a 59-yard touchdown run and a 24-7 visitor's edge at the break, and the Bears crept to within 10 on the opening drive after intermission when sophomore quarterback Danny Higgins (Manahawkin, N.J.) hooked up with senior Nick Jablonski (Assonet, Mass.) for a 25-yard scoring strike to cap a 12-play, 66-yard drive that consumed the first 5:20 of the third quarter. The hosts were once again driving late in the stanza before a Higgins pass was tipped and intercepted by Buccaneer senior Richard Ford (Lynn, Mass.) at his own 41-yard line, and Trudel directed Massachusetts Maritime down to the Bridgewater State 2-yard line before being stopped short on a 4th-and-goal situation with 12:36 remaining in the game. Higgins again led the Bears on a long scoring drive (nine plays, 98 yards) that was capped when he connected with freshman Travis Bassett (Littleton, Mass.) on a six-yard touchdown pass with 8:14 to play in the contest that sliced the visitors' lead to three, but Trudel helped the Buccaneers ice their triumph on the ensuing possession, directing a 12-play, 69-yard drive that featured a key 3rd-and-14 connection to Bennett of 15 yards with just over three minutes remaining. Facing 4th-and-1 at the Bridgewater State nine, Trudel found Bennett in the back of the end zone for the second time on the afternoon with 1:36 remaining to seal the Massachusetts Maritime win.
Bennett set the Buccaneer career receptions record with his 11-catch performance, and he ends his career with 182 receptions (topping Keith Caruso's mark of 177 set last year) while extending his career receiving yards mark to 2,568. Trudel closed out his collegiate career with 383 yards of total offense while accounting for 404 total yards, as he completed 22-of-32 pass attempts for 315 yards (with completions to eight different receivers) and three touchdowns while adding 68 rushing yards and hauling in a 21-yard first quarter reception from fellow senior Bobby Rosano (North Reading, Mass.). Massachusetts Maritime finished with 454 yards of total offense and held the ball for 34 ½ minutes of play, and Trudel guided the visitors to a combined 9-of-17 effort on third and fourth down conversions. Higgins completed 16-of-26 pass attempts for 177 yards to go with his two scores in the setback for Bridgewater State, including seven connections for 88 yards with senior Matthew Green (Stoughton, Mass.). McLaughlin rushed for a game-high 112 yards and a touchdown for the Bears, who amassed 427 yards of total offense, including 91 rushing yards from senior Blaise Branch (Brockton, Mass.).
Senior Victor Andrade (Yarmouth Port, Mass.) paced Massachusetts Maritime once again defensively with nine total tackles, including seven solo stops and one for a loss, as he finished the season with 85 total tackles and 16 for losses of 49 yards. Fellow senior Kyle Hardy (Salem, Mass.) added eight tackles (seven solo) for the Buccaneers, who also received three solo stops and a key sack from senior Zach Ryan (Danvers, Mass.), who forced the Bears into a long field goal attempt late in the first half with that nine-yard sack of Higgins. Freshman Kyle Dance (West Roxbury, Mass.) registered 10 solo tackles in the setback for Bridgewater State, which also received 10 stops as well from juniors David Console (Malden, Mass.) and A.J. Pascuzzo (Wallingford, Conn.).