Kings Point, NY --- The United States Merchant Marine Academy
rallied from an early 9-0 deficit to defeat visiting WPI 26-9 in a
Liberty League football contest played on Saturday evening.
Ernie
Mello (Wilmington, MA) paced the Engineer running
attack with 70 yards on 13 carries while Brendan
Gove (Rutland, MA) backboned the defensive effort with
10 tackles, including nine solo stops.
WPI jumped on the scoreboard first with a 30-yard field goal
from junior kicker Cody Beckel
(Jupiter, FL) with 5:56 remaining in the first quarter. Five
minutes later, the three-point score was followed by one of the
six-point variety as junior running back Mitch
McClune (Pembroke, MA) notched a one-yard rushing
touchdown to give the Engineers a 9-0 lead. Beckel's point-after
attempt was blocked.
Four minutes into the second quarter, USMMA senior quarterback
Derrick Ventre (Cincinnati, OH) gave the home
crowd something to cheer about when he hooked up with junior
wideout Michael Mitchell (Mt. Pleasant, SC) for a
25-yard TD catch. The Mariners trailed 9-6 with 11:03 left in the
second quarter.
The rest of the second quarter winded down with no scoring until
Kings Point rookie wide receiver Chaise Dunn (Dade City, FL) caught a
15-yard pass from Ventre in the endzone to give USMMA its first
edge of the day. With 54 seconds left before halftime, Kings Point
led 12-9.
With a scoreless third quarter, the Mariners took the reins of
the fourth quarter and owned it. Mitchell was the culprit again as
he caught a 17-yard pass for a touchdown from Ventre with 14:55
remaining in regulation. The Mariners led 19-9 after a successful
point-after from Grennen.
With 2:51 left in the game, Kings Point sophomore running back
John-Leon Gosselin (Nashua, NH) added the final
touchdown for USMMA when he found the endzone on a 12-yard rush.
Grennen's point-after kick made it 26-9, which would be the
final.
For the Mariners, Mitchell finished with 82 yards on four
catches and two touchdowns, while Ventre was 5-for-9 and recorded
97 passing yards and three TDs. Gosselin rushed for 92 yards on 25
carries (one TD). Senior linebacker Kevin Stapf
(Fort Pierce, FL) had a game-high 12 tackles (11 solo). Junior
defensive lineman Michael Hagan (Milles Place, NY)
sacked the WPI quarterback twice.
For the Engineers, Mello had 70 rushing yards on 13 carries,
while quarterback junior Pat McAuley
(Hingham, MA) was 11-for-28 with 74 passing yards. In addition to
Gove's 10 tackles, Hal Reader
(Bel Air, MD) and Tom
Thackeray (Braintree, MA) each added eight stops while
Peter
Gill (Franklin, MA) chipped in with seven.
In a scheduling oddity, both teams take on Rochester in their
next contest. After an off week, WPI will host the Yellow
Jackets at noon on Saturday, October 23rd while the Mariners will
make the trip to upstate New York next weekend.
Majority of Release Courtesy Merchant Marine Sports
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