Maine Maritime Runs Past Fitchburg State, 66-32

Austin leads Falcons in setback with a team-high 108 yards on the ground

CASTINE, Maine (November 8, 2008) -The Fitchburg State football team fell to Maine Maritime, 66-32 in New England Football Conference action this afternoon at Ritchie Field. With the victory, the Mariners secure first place in the Bogan Division. 

Fitchburg State battled all game as the Falcons were hampered by three key injuries. Senior runningback Marlon Thornton (Bromfield, Conn./Bromfield) suffered a leg injury early in the first quarter, while classmate Jim Miller (East Hampton, N.Y./East Hampton) and sophomore Kenneth Russell, Jr. (Bedford, Mass./Bedford) were sidelined in the third quarter.

Junior Steve Austin (Jupiter, Fla./Stony Brook) led the Fitchburg State offense with a team-high 108 yards rushing on 19 carries. The first-year transfer student average 5.7 yards/carry on the ground, while hurling in five catches for 57 yards.

Miller led the Falcons in the air, tossing for 184 yards and one touchdown, while receiving partner Russell, Jr. brought in a game-high 135 yards receiving on five catches and one TD.

Maine Maritime jumped out to an early 24-7 lead in the first quarter, finding the end zone three times on the ground. The Mariners opened the period with a 27 yard touchdown run by senior Jonathan Farrin (Boothbay Harbor, ME) to take an early 7-0 lead. Fitchburg State rallied quickly as Thornton busted a 75-yard kickoff return, but the Mariners added two more scores by freshman Matthew Rende (Augusta, ME) and junior Jim Bower (South Paris, ME) to gain a 24-7 advantage.

In the second quarter, Fitchburg State attacked quickly, as Miller pushed through a one yard run to bring the Falcons within ten, but Maine Maritime continued its offensive surge with three more TD's. Freshman Nick Bourassa (Jay, ME) and sophomore Todd Murphy (Middlesex, Vt.) sparked the Mariners offense with a pair of 56-yard touchdown runs, while Bower connected for his second score of the match. Russell, Jr. added a 78-yard TD reception for the Falcons, but the Mariners took a 44-20 lead into the half.

In the third quarter, Maine Maritime exploded for 22 unanswered points to take a 66-20 lead and secure the victory. Bower and Mended led the offense attack with two rushing scores, while freshman Joel Chadbourne (Westbrook, ME) ignited the Mariner defense with a 68-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Fitchburg State added two more scores in the final quarter as sophomores Devon Jennings (Boston, Mass./Brockton)  and Carlos De La Rosa (Holyoke, Mass./Holyoke) notched one touchdown reception each.

Bower paced the Mariner offense with a game-high 228 yards and three touchdowns, while Rende registered 88 yards rushing and two TDs. Murphy was also solid for the Mariners, totaling 108 yards on three carries (35 yds/c) and one touchdown.

Junior Dale Whittredge (Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill) led Fitchburg State defensively with a game-high ten tackles (5 solo, 5 assists), while senior Dan Underwood (Bellflower, Calif./Bellflower) tallied eight tackles on five solo stops and three assists. Junior    Traivs Fergola (Mexico, ME) led the Mariners with eight stops and one interception.

Fitchburg State concludes its season with a 4-6 record overall and an impressive 4-3 mark in the NEFC.  Maine Maritime clinched the NEFC Bogan Division title and will host the NEFC Championship game next Saturday at 12pm against Plymouth State College.

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Maine Maritime 66, Fitchburg State 32

Scoring:
First Quarter: MEM: Jonathan Farrin (27-yd run), 11:31; FSC: Marlon Thornton (75yd KO return), 11:19; MEM: Matthew Rende (6yd run), 7:39; MEM: Jim Bower (15yd run), 6:39;
Second Quarter:  FSC: Jim Miller (1yd run), 14:56; MEM: Nick Bourassa (56yd run), 13:22; FSC: Kenneth Russell, Jr. (78yd pass), 5:09; MEM: Todd Murphy (56yd run), 4:48; MEM: Bower (2yd run), 0:44;
Third Quarter: MEM: Bower (16yd run), 12:45; MEM: Joel Chadbourne (68yd int), 11:07; MEM: Rende (52yd run), 1:43;
Fourth quarter: FSC: Devon Jennings (16yd pass), 13:02; FSC: Carlos De La Rosa (12yd pass), 11:12;