MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME FOOTBALL
Saturday, September 30, 2017
Clean Harbors Stadium, Buzzards Bay, Mass.
FINAL: FITCHBURG STATE 24, MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME 17
BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. -- Sophomore quarterback Nelson Valerio (Lawrence, Mass.) threw for 193 yards and a touchdown as Fitchburg State forced four turnovers on defense to notch a 24-17 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference football victory over Massachusetts Maritime Saturday afternoon at Clean Harbors Stadium.
The visiting Falcons (3-2, 2-1 MASCAC) grabbed a 7-0 lead just 4:35 into the contest on a four-yard run by senior Connor Flynn (Fairhaven, Mass.), and following an interception by senior David Dezeme (Fort Myers, Fla.) near midfield, Valerio extended Fitchburg State's advantage to 14-0 midway through the opening stanza when he connected with junior Herbert Acosta (Los Angeles, Calif.) on a 24-yard scoring strike. The host Buccaneers (1-3, 0-2 MASCAC) cut that margin in half on their ensuing possession when senior Derek Stegman (Dover, N.H.) hauled in a six-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Chris Haggerty (Cohasset, Mass.), but the Falcons regained their 14-point edge on a six-yard scamper by senior Jevon Brown-Simpson (Lynn, Mass.) with 4:43 remaining in the half for a 21-7 lead at the break.
That score held up until the early stages of the fourth quarter when Haggerty found the end zone on a five-yard run that cut Massachusetts Maritime's deficit back to seven with 9:33 remaining in the game, and the Buccaneers were thwarted on an interception by sophomore Malik Crawford (Yonkers, N.Y.) with just under five minutes to play after taking over with a chance to tie the contest. Freshman Geoffrey Richert's (Northbridge, Mass.) 32-yard field goal with 2:01 remaining extended Fitchburg State's advantage to 24-14, and after an ensuing 33-yard field goal by Buccaneer freshman George Lampros (Bridgewater, Mass.) with 53 seconds to play, the hosts' on-side kick attempt was recovered by the visitors, who ran out the clock to post their triumph.
Brown-Simpson rushed for 99 yards on 25 carries to go with his score in the win for the Falcons, who netted 193 yards on the ground to compliment Valerio's 193 yards through the air as part of 386 yards of total offense for the winners. Valerio completed 15-of-23 pass attempts to go with his touchdown for Fitchburg State, who received 135 all-purpose yards from Acosta to go with 61 receiving yards from Flynn. Senior Richie Phillips (Onset, Mass.) was a yard shy of the century mark after rushing for 99 yards on 22 attempts in the setback for Massachusetts Maritime, which received 111 yards through the air from Haggerty as part of 264 yards of total offense. Junior Paul Sances (Middleboro, Mass.) hauled in five receptions for 64 yards for the Buccaneers, who held the ball for just over 24 minutes.
Senior Dylan Woods (Townsend, Mass.) and junior Ryan Bednarek (Tewksbury, Mass.) also recorded interceptions as part of the defensive effort for Fitchburg State, which received nine total stops (seven solo) from junior Jovon White (Meriden, Conn.) as well as seven tackles from freshman Melchior Lynch (Roxbury, Mass.). Sophomores Cameron Stewart (Uxbridge, Mass.) and Sean Smialek (South Dartmouth, Mass.) each had nine total tackles in the setback for Massachusetts Maritime, which received eight tackles, including seven solo stops and four for losses of 17 yards that featured a sack, from sophomore Kyle Johnston (Raynham, Mass.). Freshman Colin McCabe (Dartmouth, Mass.) added eight tackles as well for the Buccaneers, who received seven stops and a sack from senior Bobby Gross (Tampa, Fla.).
Massachusetts Maritime travels to Westfield, Mass. next Saturday afternoon to take on Westfield State in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference clash that kicks off at 2:00 p.m., while Fitchburg State hosts Framingham State in a MASCAC outing next Friday evening in Fitchburg, Mass. that kicks off at 7:00 p.m.