Video (Including Regimental March on - 12:25 p.m.)
Saturday's Game: Westfield St. (1-4, 0-2) at Maine Maritime (0-4, 0-2)
The Series: Saturday's game marks the 26th meeting between Maine Maritime Academy and Westfield State. The Mariners hold a 15-10 lead in the series, and are riding a seven-game winning streak over the Owls.
The Last Meeting: Quarterback Matthew Rende rushed for 151 yards on 21 carries and scored two touchdowns to lead Maine Maritime Academy to a 36-34, double-overtime victory over Westfield State University in a New England Football Conference Bogan Division game on October 8, 2011. It was the second overtime setback in three weeks for Westfield, who lost at home to Worcester State in triple overtime, 42-40, on September 24, 2011. The Mariners piled up exactly 400 yards of total offense with 359 yards by land. Westfield rushed for 309 yards en route to 395 yards of total offense.
Westfield State's Last Game: Quarterback Mike McCarthy rushed for 93 yards and threw for 133 yards and two touchdowns to lead the big-play Bridgewater State Bears to a 26-14 victory over Westfield State last Saturday. The Bears bolted to a first-half 23-0 lead on three long scoring strikes. Freshman signal caller, Erik Washburn, completed 21 of 30 passes for 218 yards in his first collegiate start, but he threw four interceptions, including two in the first half. Receiver Kevin Parnell led the Owls with seven catches for 69 yards. Parnell also totaled 106 yards in returns, including a 56-yard kickoff return. Tight end Jeff Winchell had five catches for 70 yards.
Maine Maritime's Last Game: Worcester State quarterback Corey Spencer was responsible for five touchdowns in the Lancers 47-34 win over Maine Maritime Academy last Saturday. Spencer completed 23-of-30 passes for 298 yards and four touchdowns, and rushed for 11 yards and another score. Billy Wetherbee led all Mariners' rushers with 72 yards on 17 carries, while Ryan O'Neal picked up 69 yards on eight touches. Joseph DiBiase rushed for 41 yards on 10 carries. The Mariners three quarterbacks combined for a 6-of-11 afternoon, resulting in 149 yards and the longest scoring play of the season, a 73-yard touchdown pass from Bradley Reed to Shane Sullivan. The game saw 779 combined yards of total offense, with Worcester State accounting for 407 yards to the Mariners' 372.
NEFC Honorees: Justin Erhardt recorded a game-high 15 tackles, including eight solo stops and two for losses, and a forced fumble for Westfield during the loss to Bridgewater State. The effort landed him a spot on the NEFC Defensive Weekly Honor Roll. Kevin Parnell was named to the Offensive Weekly Honor Roll. He had a game-high seven catches for 69 yards and totaled 106 return yards in the loss to Bridgewater State.
NEFC Rankings: The Mariners Billy Wetherbee ranks fourth in the NEFC in rushing, averaging 95.8 yards per game and 5.1 yards per carry…The Owls Kevin Parnell ranks ninth in the league in receptions per game with hauling in 5.2 passes per contest; his 142.0 all-purpose yards per game ranks fourth, while MMA's Ryan O'Neal ranks seventh at 118.0 yards per game. That is aided by his league-best 16.9 yards per punt return…MMA's Joel Chadbourne is sixth in the league with 9.7 tackles per game, while Westfield's Justin Erhardt is eighth with 8.4…The Mariners Alex Hermes two forced fumbles ties him with five others in the NEFC for second in the category…Westfield's Mike Szydlowski tops the league in pass breakups with 1.75 per game, while Erik Wellhoff is seventh at 1.4 per game. The pair has combined for 14 PBUs this season. Their services may not be required in that area today as Maine Maritime has only passed the ball 29 times this season.
The Coaches: Now in his 23rd season, Westfield State's Steve Marino is the second-longest tenured coach in the New England Football Conference. Marino has been the NEFC Coach of the Year twice. He was a unanimous pick by the coaches during their 2001 NEFC championship season, and the NEFC Coach of the Year in 1992 when the Owls were 6-3. Marino, who has guided the Owls to three NEFC Championship games, was selected the American Football Coaches Association Northeast Region Coach of the Year; the New England Division II/III Coach of the Year by the New England sportswriters, and the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston Division II/III Coach of the Year, in 2001, after leading Westfield to a 10-0 record and to its first NCAA postseason berth.
Chris McKenney is in his 12th season at the helm in Castine. The most victorious coach in the Academy's history, McKenney picked up his 50th win in the 2011. Under McKenney's direction, the Mariners have med three postseason appearances, including the Academy's first-ever NCAA Championship appearance in the wake of the 2009 NEFC Championship. That season, McKenney was named the New England Football Writers Coach of the Year for Divisions II & III. In 2005, he was named the NEFC Coach of the Year. He had earned Bogan Division Coach of the Year honors in 2006 and 2008. McKenney enters today's game with a record of 53-56.
