BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Senior quarterback James Cahoon (Buzzards Bay, Mass.) earned Most Valuable Player honors to lead the Bridgewater State University football team to a 34-24 New England Bowl victory over visiting Catholic University on Saturday afternoon at Swenson Field.
The Bears finish the 2022 season with an overall record of 7-4, while the Cardinals fall to 6-5. The two teams were meeting for the first time.
Bridgewater State was making its second appearance in the New England Bowl. The Bears posted a 34-19 victory over Salve Regina University at Swenson Field in the 2018 New England Bowl.
Cahoon completed 24 of 33 pass attempts for 249 yards and three touchdowns. He connected on scoring strikes of three, nine and 32 yards and also added 29 yards on the ground.
Cahoon broke the Bears' single-season mark for completions as he surpassed Danny Higgins' previous mark of 210 set 2016. Cahoon finished the 2022 campaign with 216 completions as well as 2,658 passing yards (also a school record). He also broke Stefano D'Emilia's single-season completion percentage mark of .601 (175-291) set in 2019. Cahoon posted a .626 completion percentage this season.
BSU sophomore running back Isaiah Wright (Worcester, Mass.) rushed for a career-high 120 yards on 23 carries and caught five passes for 27 yards. Sophomore tight end Jalen Kopecky (Warren, R.I.) hauled in four receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown, and senior wideout Kyle Torres (Waltham, Mass.) caught five passes for 54 yards and a score.
Junior kicker and punter Shane Drake (Franklin, Mass.) put together an outstanding performance on special teams. Drake converted a pair of fourth quarter field goals, including a career-long of 39 yards, and averaged 56.0 yards on seven kickoffs with five touchbacks. He also averaged 36.7 yards on three punts including a key 45-yard punt late in the fourth quarter that was downed at the two.
Drake set the Bears' single-season record with a 42.5-yard punting average. He broke former teammate Thomas Fay's mark of 40.4 yards set just last season.
Bridgewater opened the scoring with 1:15 remaining in the first quarter as Cahoon connected with junior tight end Ryan Burchard (Holliston, Mass.) on a three-yard touchdown pass. Burchard's first collegiate touchdown capped off a six-play, 62-yard drive.
Following a quick three and out, the Bears opened the second quarter with a ten-play, 80-yard drive culminating in a three-yard touchdown run by junior running back Greg Demetri (North Reading, Mass.).
The Cardinals capitalized on back-to-back BSU turnovers in the second quarter to knot the score at 14-14. Off a muffed punt, Catholic took over at the Bears' 38. Four plays later, senior quarterback Nico Casares (Miami, Fla.) connected with sophomore receiver Malachi Hansen (Philadelphia, Pa.) on a 15-yard touchdown pass. On the next series, an Aidan Long (So., Garden City, N.Y.) interception and subsequent 32-yard return gave the Cardinals a first and goal at the nine. After a pass interference penalty in the end zone moved the ball to the two, junior running back Jared Colletti (Quakertown, Pa.) punched it in from two yards out to tie the game.
Bridgewater answered with a nine-play, 77-yard drive with Cahoon finding Torres in the end zone from nine yards out to give the hosts a 21-14 lead late in the second quarter. Wright accounted for 57 yards on the scoring drive (38 rushing, 19 receiving).
The Cardinals had a chance to close out the first half scoring, but a 44-yard field goal as time expired was wide right.
Catholic forced a three and out on the opening possession of the third quarter. Following a 20-yard Hansen punt return, the Cardinals took advantage of great field position as they moved the ball 45 yards on six plays resulting in a 22-yard touchdown pass from Casares to senior wide receiver Preston Jeffrey (Smithfield, Va.).
With the game tied at 21-21, Catholic forced a second straight three and out and looked to take the lead for the first time in the game. The Cardinals converted one first down but were faced with fourth and three at the BSU 40-yard line. Casares, however, came up short on a pass to a wide-open Owen Shields on the right side of the field.
That would prove to be the turning point of the game.
Starting at the 40, Cahoon connected with Kopecky for 11 yards on a key third down conversion that moved the ball into Catholic territory. Three plays later, Cahoon scrambled to his left and found Kopecky in the end zone for a 32-yard scoring strike to put the Bears back on top, 28-21, with 3:27 remaining in the third quarter.
After forcing a punt, Bridgewater put together a ten-play, 58-yard drive which took nearly five minutes off the clock. Drake drilled a 39-yard field, the longest of his career, to extend the Bears' lead to 31-21, with 12:24 left to play in the fourth quarter.
The Cardinals responded with a 12-play, 69-yard drive which stalled at the BSU six. Fabrizio Reilly knocked through a 23-yard field goal to make it a one score game at 31-24 with 8:14 showing on the scoreboard.
The Bears converted on first down on the ensuing possession but were forced to punt. Drake then pinned the Cardinals at the two-yard line with a clutch 45-yard boot. Catholic was able to convert one first down, but the visitors were faced with fourth and six at their own 17-yard line. The Cardinals tried a fake punt, but BSU sophomore safety Matthew Mammone (Dedham, Mass.) intercepted the pass at the 22-yard line and returned the pick down to the 11. After two running plays and an incomplete pass, Drake banged through a 29-yard field goal to seal the win for the Bears.
Senior linebacker Brendan Albert (Canton, Mass.) led the BSU defensive effort with a game-high 12 tackles including nine solo stops. Junior linebacker Zachary Souza (Tyngsboro, Mass.) recorded his team-leading fifth interception of the season and notched four solo tackles with one tackle for loss. Junior linebacker Kodi Saotome (Warren, R.I.) added ten tackles (six solo) and a pass breakup, while senior linebacker Steven Silvia (Dighton, Mass.) checked in with eight tackles (four solo) and a pass breakup.
Casares completed 25 of 44 pass attempts for 256 yards and a pair of touchdowns to highlight the Catholic offense. Jeffrey finished with three receptions for 83 yards and a score, while junior tight end Derrick Aikens (Washington D.C.) caught five passes for 68 yards. Senior running back Kevin Licciardi (East Greenwich, R.I.) was the Cardinals' leading rusher with 60 yards on 11 attempts.
Sophomore linebacker Carson Henry (Port Jevis, N.Y.) recorded nine tackles (six solo) and one tackle for loss to lead the Catholic defense. Senior linebacker Joe Nazzaro (Brookeville, Md.) chipped in with eight tackles (six solo), while Long added four solo tackles to his interception.
Bridgewater State finished with 418 yards of total offense (249 passing, 169 rushing). The Bears held over a seven-minute advantage in time of possession (33:44 to 26:16) and converted 4 of 13 third down attempts.
The Cardinals went 7-for-17 on third down and 1-for-5 on fourth down. Catholic racked up 350 yards of total offense (256 passing, 94 rushing).
Notes: Torres wrapped up his BSU career tied for 10th all-time in program history with 12 receiving touchdowns. He also finished 11th all-time with 1,329 receiving yards and tied for 11 with 83 receptions.