Box Score PAXTON, Mass. -- The Mariners totaled 510 yards of offense on their way to a 42-12 win against Anna Maria College on Saturday afternoon in non-conference action at AMCAT Field.
Maine Maritime amassed 510 yards of total offense, including 490 rushing yards in the victory. Michael Fahey (Union, Conn.) ran the ball for two touchdowns and added a passing touchdown on the day.
The win marks the first of the season for Maine Maritime, who opened up their season last week with an exhibition victory over Holland College, while the loss drops the AMCATS to 0-2.
The Mariners got on the board first with 3:48 remaining in the first quarter, starting at the Anna Maria 47-yard line, Jacob Doolan (Fairfield, Maine) ran in a a 38-yard touchdown A good point-after kick by Johnny Weymouth (Windham, Maine) set the score at 7-0.
The Mariners marched the ball 85 yards and struck again at 4:08 into the second quarter when senior offensive lineman Keith Nelson (Holden, Mass.) recovered a Mariner fumble in the end zone. Weymouth again connected on the good point-after attempt.
Anna Maria's next drive was sparked by junior running back Christopher Bettano (Tewksbury, Mass.) who first recorded a 79-yard kickoff return to set himself up for a six-yard touchdown rush. A fumbled extra-point attempt set the score at 14-6.
The Mariners answered back on their next possession at their own 36-yard line. Michael Fahey stacked a 30-yard rush followed by a 34-yard rush to grab his first touchdown of the day. Weymouth hit his third PAT of the day to give the Mariners a 21-6 edge.
The AMCATS fumbled on their next drive, and the Mariners responded with another touchdown drive. The Mariners used six plays to travel 29 yards, resulting with a three-yard rush by Joseph DiBiase (South Portland, Maine).
Anna Maria started their next drive on the 35 yard line following an out-of-bounds kickoff. The AMCATS used five plays to travel 44 yards before sophomore quarterback Greg McGoldrick (Brooklyn, N.Y.) found junior wide receiver Will Ricard (Billerica, Mass.) in the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown pass. The AMCATS' attempt at two-points was unsuccessful.
The final four minutes of the first half were scoreless and the Mariners carried the 27-12 lead into halftime.
Maine Maritime added 15 more points in the third quarter, as Fahey scored on a 72-yard run with 10:09 to play and was successful on the two-point conversion with a pass to Joshua Doolan (Fairfield, Maine). The Mariners also scored as time expired in the quarter when Fahey completed a 10-yard pass to Jacob Doolan. Weymouth's successful point-after attempt set the final score of 42-12, as the fourth quarter proved scoreless for both teams.
Fahey accounted for 241 rushing yards with two touchdowns in addition to 20 passing yards with a touchdown for the Mariners. Jacob Doolan added 103 yards on 11 carries, averaging 8.8 yards per rush, while DiBiase chipped in with 89 yards on 20 carries. Joshua Doolan added 73 rushing yards on six carries for a team-best 11.2 yards per rush.
The Mariners defense received a team-best nine tackles from Johnny Weymouth (Windham, Maine) and seven tackles from Colin Joyce (Westbrook, Maine). Michael Burgess (North Yarmouth, Maine) recorded two sacks, 4.5 tackles for a loss, and a fumble recovery, with seven total tackles.
The defense stopped 10 of Anna Maria's third-down attempts, and held them to just 282 yards of total offense.
Anna Maria's offense was paced by Bettano, who had 42 rushing yards on 15 carries. Daniel Faison (Bowie, Md.) added 25 yards on four carries, while Adrian Brown (Hampton, Va.) chipped in with 24 yards on four carries.
McGoldrick completed 16 of 35 pass attempts for 164 yards on the afternoon and threw one pick. His passing output accounted for more than half of the AMCATS 282 total yards of offense.
Defensively, the AMCATS were led by senior linebacker Kevin Card's (Deer Park, N.Y.) career-best 25 tackles. Sophomore Mike Sinto (Long Island, N.Y.) added 14 tackles, while Tyler Rocha (Cranston, R.I.) and William Bishop (Uxbridge, Mass.) added seven tackles each.
With the win the Mariners improve to 3-2 against Anna Maria, and 2-1 at AMCAT Field. The AMCATS had won the previous two meetings between the two teams.
The Mariners will return to action next Saturday, September 20th when they will travel to Massachusetts Maritime for the 42nd Annual Admiral's Cup.
