Fitchburg State Soars Past Mass. Maritime, 36-7

Dellechiaie throws for 406 yards and four TD's in Falcons 36-7 win as head coach Pat Haverty earns 50th collegiate win

BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. --  Junior quarterback Garrett Dellechiaie completed 35-of-50 pass attempts for 406 yards and four touchdowns, including three scoring strikes to fellow junior Devin Summiel, to lead Fitchburg State to a 36-7 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference football victory over Massachusetts Maritime Saturday afternoon at Clean Harbors Stadium.

With the win Falcons head coach Pat Haverty earned his 50th career collegiate victory, while at the helm of the Fitchburg State football team.

Summiel hauled in touchdown catches of 55 and 25 yards in the opening 18-plus minutes of play for the visiting Falcons (4-1, 2-1 MASCAC), who extended their lead to 20-0 at the break on junior Jevon Brown-Simpson's one-yard plunge on fourth-and-goal from the one. 

Dellechiaie and Summiel hooked up on an 18-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter to give Fitchburg State a 27-0 lead, and after a snap on a punting attempt went through the end zone for a safety, Dellechiaie completed the visitors' scoring by finding senior Ty Spencer from 13 yards out with 1:51 remaining in the third stanza. 

Senior quarterback Brad Skeffington's seven-yard touchdown run just 28 seconds into the final frame accounted for the lone score for the host Buccaneers (2-2, 1-1 MASCAC), who turned the ball over four times on the afternoon.

The match-up of the league's top offense and top defense went to the latter, as Fitchburg State held Massachusetts Maritime to 231 yards of total offense on the day after the Buccaneers entered the contest averaging 599 yards of total offense and 41 points in their first three outings. 

Summiel hauled in 10 receptions for 142 yards to go with his three scores for the Falcons, who received a combined 111 rushing yards from Brown-Simpson and junior Taylor Wrice-Brooks in amassing 566 yards of total offense. 

The visitors also held the MASCAC's leading rusher, Massachusetts Maritime sophomore Kenny Pierce, to 58 yards on 16 carries, as Skeffington completed 11-of-23 pass attempts for 128 yards in the setback for the hosts.

Senior Luis Feliz paced Fitchburg State's defensive effort with 10 total tackles, including nine solo stops and a pair of sacks for 10 yards. Feliz also forced and recovered a fumble for the Falcons, who registered five sacks total on the afternoon. 

Sophomore Mamour Samb collected eight total tackles for the visitors, who also received an interception from sophomore Greg Donahue in recording their third straight series victory dating back to 2013.

Sophomore Liam Corkery recorded a career-high 10 solo tackles in the setback for Massachusetts Maritime, which also received eight solo stops from sophomore Bobby Gross. Freshman Paul Sances picked off his third pass of the season for the Buccaneers, who also received an interception from senior Ash Ergle.

Massachusetts Maritime travels to Danbury, Conn. next Saturday afternoon to take on Western Connecticut in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference outing that kicks off at Noon, while Fitchburg State hosts Worcester State in a MASCAC clash next Saturday afternoon in Fitchburg, Mass. beginning at 2:00 p.m.

RELEASE COURTESY OF MASS. MARITIME SPORTS INFORMATION

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