By Jim Fenton, The Enterprise (Brockton)
BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. -- Bridgewater State College rode junior running back Justin Fuller's 155-yard, two-touchdown day to its 13th consecutive Cranberry Bowl victory with a 20-7 win over Mass. Maritime at Clean Harbors Stadium on Saturday.
Fuller opened the scoring in the first quarter for the Bears (7-3) with a 46-yard touchdown run to give the visitors a 7-0 lead.
A 13-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Steven Clark to classmate Eric Rygiel with 10:39 remaining in the first half extended Bridgewater State's lead to 13-0 at the break.
The Buccaneers (3-7) responded with a 16-play, 86-yard drive in the third quarter. Freshman quarterback Tyler Mansfield capped the possession with a 5-yard touchdown run, cutting the lead to seven.
It appeared that Mass. Maritime would get the ball back with a chance to tie the game, but a personal foul call and a 23-yard fake punt run extended the drive for the Bears.
Fuller dealt the finishing blow with a 1-yard touchdown run with two minutes left in the game. John Farroba intercepted a pass on Mass. Maritime's final possession to clinch the victory.
Senior Jeff Creeden of Mansfield added 77 rushing yards for Bridgewater State, which amassed 275 yards on the ground and 339 yards of total offense. Clark notched 90 yards of total offense with 62 yards through the air and 28 on the ground for the Bears, who overcame a pair of turnovers on the day.
Senior Alex Butler led the Mass. Maritime offense, rushing for 119 yards on 31 carries. The Buccaneers finished with 224 yards of total offense.
Senior Jason Flannery of Bridgewater was named the Lee Harrington MVP of the Cranberry Bowl. Flannery led Bridgewater State defensively with 14 total tackles, including 11 solo stops and one for a loss.
Aiding the Bears' defense were seniors John Herbert of East Bridgewater and Casey Florence of Bridgewater, who added 13 and 10 tackles, respectively.
Senior Ryan Howley closed out his Mass. Maritime career with a game-high 14 total tackles, including nine solo to go with a sack and Chris Paze of Bridgewater added two tackles and a fumble recovery for the Buccaneers.
Bridgewater State leads the Cranberry Bowl series by a 23-7-1 margin.