Bridgewater, Mass --– In New England Football Conference
(NEFC) Bogan Division action, the Bridgewater State College Bears,
behind a solid defensive effort, downed the Mariners of Maine
Maritime Academy, 32-6, this afternoon from Swenson Field.
In a turnover filled game, the Bears (2-1, 1-0 NEFC Bogan) forced
6 turnovers and limited the Mariners (1-2, 0-1 NEFC Bogan) to just
34 passing yards and 183 yards of total offense.
Junior running back Bruce Burley (Mansfield, MA)
rushed for 154 yards and a pair of first quarter touchdowns as BSC
racked up 327 yards on the ground. For Burley, it was his fourth
straight 100-yard rushing performance dating back to last
season.
The Bears jumped out to a quick 20-0 lead less than seven minutes
into the game, taking advantage of a pair of turnovers on
Maine’s first two possessions. Junior tailback Jason
Williams (East Falmouth, MA) opened the scoring on a
6-yard touchdown scamper and Burley posted TD runs of 6 and 61
yards.
That, however, would be all the scoring there would be in the
opening half as both teams had problems with turnovers. The
team’s combined for 7 turnovers in the first half, four for
Maine and three for BSC. Bridgewater State’s defense was also
a big factor as the Mariners drove inside the Bears’ 20-yard
line on four consecutive possessions but could not come up with any
points. Maine turned the ball over on downs three times, including
getting stopped on a fourth and goal play at the 2. The Mariners
fumbled the ball away on the other.
Maine finally got on the board in the second half as they took
advantage of a botched opening kickoff and recovered a fumble at
the Bridgewater 22. Three plays later, Mariner sophomore
quarterback Tyler Angell (Leeds, ME) connected
with sophomore wideout Alex Coulombe (Kennbunk,
ME) on a 20-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 20-6.
Junior place kicker Brian DiCristoforo (Hope, RI)
notched a pair of field goals in the second half, including one
from 37 yards out, to increase the Bears’ lead to 26-6.
Bridgewater capped off the scoring with 3:48 remaining in the
fourth quarter as senior quarterback Greg Borsari
(Kingston, MA) hooked up with sophomore wide receiver
Patrick McGrail (Braintree, MA) on a 13-yard
touchdown pass.
The Bears defensive line was terrific all game long. Senior end
Robert Morrissey (Gloucester, MA) recorded 9
tackles to go along with a forced fumble. Junior tackle
Chris Dijak (Lunenburg, MA) made 8 tackles (6
solo) and added a sack, a blocked extra point and a fumble
recovery. Sophomore end Sean Larkin (Pembroke, MA)
registered 8 tackles as well, two of which were for loss. Larking
also forced a fumble and recovered two others. Junior tackle
Mohammed Kanu (Randolph, MA) chipped in with 4
tackles and a sack.
BSC’s secondary also shut down Maine’s passing game as
Mariner quarterbacks combined to complete just 2 of 12 passes for
34 yards, and were intercepted twice. Junior free safety
Josh Duquette (Plymouth, MA) broke up three passes
and recorded his second interception of the season. Junior safety
Justin Ferreira (East Providence, RI) also
registered an interception as well as a pass breakup.
Along with Burley’s performance on the offensive side of the
ball, Borsari finished with 89 yards and a touchdown on 11 of 18
passing. Freshman running back Chris Russell
(Stoughton, MA) carried the ball 9 times for 66 yards and senior
wideout Chris Joyce (Bridgewater, MA) caught 6
passes for 49 yards.
Senior running back Brandon Goodrich (Waterboro,
ME) led way offensively for Maine Maritime as he rushed for 98
yards on 10 carries. Defensively, senior linebacker Chris
Tracy (Westbrook, ME) notched 12 tackles and 4½
tackles for loss. He also forced and recovered a fumble. Senior
defensive back Nate Bolduc (Farmington, ME)
registered 11 solo tackles, while freshman linebacker Wade
Mondoux (Berwick, ME) tallied 11 tackles to go along with
a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
The Bears will try to make it two in a row next Saturday as they
take on divisional rival Fitchburg State at 1:30 in Fitchburg.
Maine Maritime hosts Westfield State next Saturday at 1 in their
“Homecoming Game”.