MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME FOOTBALL
Eighth Annual Chowder Bowl
Friday, September 11, 2015
Clean Harbors Stadium, Buzzards Bay, Mass.
FINAL: MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME 48, SUNY-MARITIME 13
BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. -- Senior quarterback Brad Skeffington (Salem, Mass.) completed 19-of-29 passing attempts for 254 yards and a school-record five touchdowns in his first career start to lead Massachusetts Maritime to a 48-13 victory over SUNY-Maritime in the Eighth Annual Chowder Bowl played Friday evening at Clean Harbors Stadium.
The host Buccaneers (1-0) overcame an early 3-0 deficit by scoring 41 unanswered points in the second and third quarters, as Skeffington hooked up with junior Cody Stahmer (Wareham, Mass.) on a seven-yard touchdown pass just 35 seconds into the second stanza to give Massachusetts Maritime the lead for good. An interception by senior Grady McCarthy (Madison, Conn.) on the ensuing possession gave the Buccaneers great field position at the visiting Privateers' (1-1) 28-yard line, and Skeffington converted a 15-yard rush that set up his second scoring strike in a 94-second span, a three-yarder to fellow senior Kevin Healy (Palmetto, Fla.), to extend the hosts' lead to 14-3. After a SUNY-Maritime punt, Skeffington directed a 15-play, 83-yard drive in a 4:13 span and plunged in from one-yard out to give Massachusetts Maritime a 21-3 edge with 5:54 remaining in the half, as an interception by senior Matthew Anson (Braintree, Mass.) at his own goal line prevented a late Privateer score right before intermission.
Skeffington struck for his third touchdown pass of the contest on the hosts' first possession of the third quarter, as he again directed a long (69 yards) drive in nine plays while connecting with junior Jonathan Furtado (Swansea, Mass.) on a 23-yard strike and a 28-3 advantage. After another SUNY-Maritime punt, Skeffington tied the school record with his fourth touchdown pass of the night, a 34-yard connection for Healy's second score of the game, to extend the lead to 35-3, and following an interception by freshman Paul Sances (Middleboro, Mass.) at his own 35-yard line, Skeffington broke the record previously held by five different Buccaneer quarterbacks with a seven-yard strike to Stahmer (his second of the evening) that capped with just over a minute remaining in the third quarter to complete the run.
Senior Diogo Dietrich (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), who opened SUNY-Maritime's scoring with a 42-yard field goal that came with 48 seconds to play in the opening stanza, converted a 47-yarder with 12:08 to play for the first Privateer points in nearly 34 minutes of action, and Massachusetts Maritime closed out its scoring on the ensuing possession when senior Mike Williams (Marshfield, Mass.) rushed in from five yards out to cap a nine-play, 65-yard drive with 6:51 remaining. The visitors capped the contest's scoring with 3:17 to play, as junior quarterback Thomas Wright (Wantagh, N.Y.) hooked up with fellow junior Joe Modica (East Islip, N.Y.) on a 33-yard touchdown pass to account for the final.
Skeffington amassed 331 yards of total offense in the triumph for the Buccaneers, as he rushed for 77 yards on 17 carries and accounted for six touchdowns overall. Sophomores Kenny Pierce (Beverly, Mass.) and Richie Phillips (Onset, Mass.) added a combined 131 rushing yards on 19 attempts, as Massachusetts Maritime collected 541 yards of total offense on 80 plays (257 on the ground, 284 through the air). Stahmer hauled in four receptions for 80 yards for the hosts, who saw seven different receivers catch at least two passes on the night.
Senior quarterback Zack Chilcott (Ulster Park, N.Y.) completed 8-of-23 passing attempts for 132 yards but threw three interceptions in the setback for SUNY-Maritime, as he added 56 rushing yards to finish with 188 yards of total offense for the contest. Junior Nick Fischetti (Seaford, N.Y.) hauled in four receptions for 75 yards and added 38 rushing yards to finish with 113 all-purpose yards for the Privateers, who amassed 344 yards of total offense (174 rushing, 170 passing).
Senior David Yerxa (Milford, Conn.) paced Massachusetts Maritime defensively with seven total tackles (five solo), while senior Ash Ergle (Modoc, S.C.) and junior Marshall McCarthy (Duxbury, Mass.) each added six stops for the Buccaneers. Junior Brian Price (New York, N.Y.) registered a game-high 10 solo tackles in the setback for SUNY-Maritime, which also received nine total stops (eight solo) from sophomore Kendal Parker (Evans, Ga.).
The victory was Massachusetts Maritime's second in the last three meetings with SUNY-Maritime, who had won the first six Chowder Bowls from 2007-2012. For the first time in school history, the Buccaneers now hold all three of the trophies in their annual rivalry contests with SUNY-Maritime, Maine Maritime and Bridgewater State in their possession at the same time.
Massachusetts Maritime heads to Castine, Maine next Saturday, September 19th to take on Maine Maritime in the 43rd Annual Admiral's Cup contest that kicks off at Noon, while SUNY-Maritime makes the short trip to Kings Point, N.Y. next Friday evening to tangle with Merchant Marine in a non-league outing that kicks off at 7:00 p.m.