Football Falls to Coast Guard in Season Opener

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Anna Maria College football team dropped a 34-6 decision to the Bears of the Coast Guard Academy on Thursday evening in the season opener for both teams.

AMCAT OFFENSE

The AMCATS matched the Bears in yardage but struggled to tally points. The AMCATS managed 306 yards on 58 plays, but did not record a touchdown and tallied their six points on two field goals.  Christopher Bettano (Lawrence, Mass.) paced the AMCATS with 76 rushing yards on 22 attempts with a long of 15, while St. Clair Ryan (South Easton, Mass.) added 43 rushing yards on 10 carries.

Freshman Jacoby Brown (Williamstown, N.J.) had a stellar first performance, adding 29 yards on five carries including a team-best rush of 19 yards.

Starting quarterback Malik Faison (Bowie, Md.) completed five of his 13 pass attempts for 130 yards and threw one pick. Sophomore Trai Weaver (Waterbury, Conn.) was his best target of the day, as he caught three balls for 103 yards and a long of 46.

SINTO SPEAKS

Junior Mike Sinto (Long Beach, N.Y.) set the pace for the AMCAT defense this evening, totaling a team-high eight tackles, three of which were tackles-for-loss. Senior Nick Cruz (Wakefield, R.I.) and sophomore Charles Dickerson (Randallstown, Md.) tallied four tackles apiece.

COAST GUARD NUMBERS

The Bears held a 15-12 advantage in first downs on the evening, and totaled 154 yards on the run en route to victory. Mike Clancy paced the team on the run with 106 yards on 14 carries with a long of 37 and two touchdown runs.

Quarterback Derek Victory completed 13 of his 20 pass attempts for 148 yards and one touchdown. Camden Cecchini scored two short-distance touchdowns for the Bears.

PENALTY PROBLEMS

Flags were flying in today's contest, and mostly against the AMCATS. The visitors racked up 11 penalties for 82 yards.

A hands to the face penalty early in the third quarter gave the Bears a solid chunk of real estate, moving them up 15 yards to the 38 yard line with an automatic first down. On the ensuing play, Coast Guard's senior running back Mike Clancy broke the defense for a 38-yard touchdown run.

SCORING

First Quarter: With 51 seconds left in the first quarter, Bears quarterback Derek Victory completed a 30-yard pass to Kyle Jackson. A failed extra-point kick gave CGA the 6-0 advantage.

Second Quarter: Midway through the second quarter, Coast Guard scored again, this time on a two-yard run by Camden Cecchini. Tyler Henning connected for the extra-point to put the Bears up 13-0.

The AMCATS got on the board next, working the ball to inside the 10-yard line before an untimely penalty pushed them back outside on fourth down. The AMCATS elected attempt a field goal, setting up freshman kicker Francis Cole (Maspeth, N.Y.) for a 22-yard score.

Coast Guard managed to extend the lead to 20-3 with 56 seconds left in the first half, as Cecchini again got the call for a scoring play. This time, he tallied a three-yard run. Henning's kick set the score heading into halftime.

Third Quarter: Following a costly hands-to-the-face penalty, Clancy broke open the AMCAT defense for a 38-yard run. Henning connected on the extra point to put the Bears up 27-3.

At the 4:32 mark, Clancy deked the defense and ran up the middle of the field for a 33-yard touchdown run, giving Coast Guard the 34-3 lead with a successful extra-point kick.

Fourth Quarter: The AMCATS opened the final quarter with possession, and chipped away at the yards before reaching fourth down just outside of the red zone. Cole did work again, this time connecting for a 39-yard field goal, the longest of his short AMCAT career.

WHAT'S NEXT

The AMCATS are idle until Saturday, September 12^th when they host Nichols College in a 1:00 p.m. non-contest game at AMCAT Field.