Maritime Sails Past Football, 40-12

PAXTON, Mass.—The Maritime College Privateers had two shutout quarters en route to a 40-12 win against the Anna Maria College football team on Saturday afternoon in Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) action.

The Privateers bookended the game with a 14-0 first quarter and a 10-0 fourth quarter to earn their first ECFC win of 2014.

Maritime netted 203 yards of rushing offense on the day. Quarterback Zack Chilcott (Ulster Park, N.Y.) totaled 59 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns on the day. He also completed seven of 14 pass attempts for 107 yards with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Nick Fischetti (Seaford, N.Y.). Kyle Garder (Amityville, N.Y.) rushed for a team-high 94 yards and added a touchdown run.

The AMCAT offense totaled 232 yards of total offense and was led by junior running back Christopher Bettano (Tewksbury, Mass.) with 79 yards. Sophomore quarterback Gregory McGoldrick (Brooklyn, N.Y.) completed 14 of 32 passing attempts for 169 yards and one 17-yard touchdown pass to junior Will Ricard (Billerica, Mass.) in the second quarter.

Both defenses tallied scores in the third quarter today. Maritime's Chris Klass (Nanuet, N.Y.) recorded a 60-yard interception return to put the Privateers up 30-12. Two drives later, Anna Maria's Michael Rodriguez (Cranston, R.I.) blocked a Privateers punt, and Daniel Espo (Newmarket, N.H.) recovered the loose ball in the end zone for the team's second score of the day.

 Maritime's placekicker Diogo Dietrich (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) tallied 10 points on his own, as he connected on all four extra-point attempts and kicked two field goals from distances over 40-yards. His first field goal of the day was 44-yard attempt to end the second half. He also tallied the final scoring play of the day with a 43-yard attempt in the fourth quarter.

The Privateers held a 14-0 lead after the first quarter following a touchdown run by Gardner and a scoring pass completion to Fischetti. Maritime made the most of their time in the first quarter, as they recorded their scores on just over six minutes of possession.

The AMCATS had an opportunity to chisel away at the Privateers on their first possession of the second half as McGoldrick completed two first downs and used 13 plays to set themselves up with a first-and-goal from Maritime's three-yard line, but the Privateers stopped all four of Bettano's rushing attempts to hold the AMCATS scoreless.

Anna Maria would score two drives later as the team used five plays to travel 32 yards and set up McGoldrick and Ricard for the 17-yard touchdown reception. The AMCATS' extra-point attempt was blocked to set the score at 14-6. Dietrich took his first field goal of the day with nine seconds left on the clock in the first half, sending the Privateers to the locker room with the 17-6 lead.

Maritime would make it a 24-point game with back-to-back scores in the third quarter. Chilcott recorded a 28-yard touchdown run to precede the Privateers' interception return at the 5:21 mark. Anna Maria responded with their defensive score, and the teams entered the final quarter with a 30-12 score.

The Privateers added a final touchdown on a seven-yard run by Chilcott with 8:18 left to play in the game. The AMCATS were unable to score, and Dietrich's second field goal sealed the 40-12 win for the Maritime.

Defensively, the AMCATS were led by Mike Sinto (Long Island, N.Y.) with seven tackles, including a sack. Nick Cruz (Wakefield, Mass.) added six tackles, while Kevin Card (Deer Park, N.Y.) chipped in with five.

The Privateers' defense was paced by Kameron Knight (Clayton, N.C.) and Nick Coffiey (Wilmington, Del.), who finished with eight tackles apiece. Klass had two interceptions on the day, while Nick Conte (Franklin Square, N.Y.) recorded a fumble recovery and returned it for 54 yards.

The AMCATS will be back in action next Saturday, when they host Norwich University in a 3:00 p.m. ECFC game. The Privateers will host Becker College in ECFC action at 2:00 p.m.