BUZZARDS BAY – Sophomore Paul Sances (Middleboro, Mass.) hauled in a five-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Chris Haggerty (Cohasset, Mass.) with 27 seconds remaining to lift Massachusetts Maritime to a 24-21 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference football victory over Westfield State Saturday afternoon at Clean Harbors Stadium.
The host Buccaneers (4-2, 3-1 MASCAC) took over on their own 44-yard line after a punt by the visiting Owls (2-4, 1-3 MASCAC) with 1:38 remaining, as Chris Haggerty accounted for all 56 yards through the air on the winning drive and converted four third down situations, the last one coming on 3rd-and-goal at the Westfield State 5 on the deciding score by Sances. The Owls gained the ensuing possession on their own 19-yard line with 19 seconds to play, and a fumble on an attempted hook-and-ladder was recovered by Massachusetts Maritime freshman George Balian (Burlington, Mass.) to seal the hosts’ first win over the visitors since 2012.
Westfield State freshman quarterback Justin Beck threw for 221 yards and three touchdowns in a 24-21 loss at Mass Maritime. (File photo/Kiley Berube)
The Buccaneers took advantage of a fumble recovery by junior Liam Corkery (Merrimac, Mass.) on their own 46-yard line to take a 7-0 lead just 5:42 into the contest on junior Richie Phillips’ (Onset, Mass.) 10th rushing touchdown of the season from two yards out, but Westfield State capitalized on an interception by sophomore Kenneth Marshall (Springfield, Mass.) at the Massachusetts Maritime 40 and evened matters on a 16-yard scoring strike from freshman quarterback Justin Beck (Billerica, Mass.) to sophomore Tyler Bevan (Ansonia, Conn.). Following a missed field goal by the Owls early in the second stanza, Chris Haggerty connected with his senior brother Shane for a 73-yard touchdown pass on the next play to give the hosts a 14-7 cushion, and freshman Sean Kahler (Greenville, R.I.) extended that margin to 10 with a 20-yard field goal that came with 94 seconds remaining in the half for a 17-7 Buccaneer lead at the break.
The Owls sliced their deficit to three on the opening drive after intermission, as Beck hooked up with sophomore Matt Thall (Marlboro, Mass.) on an 18-yard touchdown to cap a 12-play, 61-yard drive, and Westfield State’s defense held on an ensuing 4th-and-goal situation at its own 2-yard line to keep that margin at 17-14. Following a pair of defensive stops by both teams, the visitors took advantage of a short field and grabbed their only lead of the afternoon (21-17) when Beck found freshman Evan Garvey (Dalton, Mass.) from nine yards out with 11:42 remaining in the game, and the Owls’ defense held again with an interception in the end zone by junior William Tejeda (Acton, Mass.) on the ensuing Massachusetts Maritime drive. Following an exchange of possessions, Westfield State forced a Buccaneer turnover on downs with just over four minutes to play but only converted one first down, setting the stage for Haggerty’s last minute heroics and Sances’ game-winning catch.
Chris Haggerty completed 26-of-42 pass attempts for 321 yards to go with his two touchdown passes for Massachusetts Maritime, which amassed 538 yards of total offense and ran 91 plays on the day. Shane Haggerty hauled in 10 catches for 185 yards for the winners, who also received a combined 154 rushing yards from Phillips and senior Kenny Pierce (Beverly, Mass.). Sances and senior Aidan Desrosiers (North Attleboro, Mass.) combined for 122 receiving yards for the Buccaneers, who went 12-of-19 on third down conversions in the contest.
Sophomore Travon Holder (Hartford, Conn.) rushed for 188 yards on 28 carries in the setback for Westfield State, which amassed 470 total yards on 81 plays on the afternoon. Beck completed 19-of-32 pass attempts for 221 yards to go with his three scores, including a combined 10 connections with Garvey and Bevan for 123 yards.
Freshman Kenny Kern (Hopkinton, Mass.) paced Massachusetts Maritime defensively with a career-high 15 total tackles (11 solo) and three sacks, while junior Bobby Gross (Tampa, Fla.) added 10 stops and an interception for the hosts. Corkery collected six solo tackles to go with his interception and fumble recovery for the Buccaneers, who also received eight stops and a sack from freshman Kamil Bak (Southampton, Mass.). Junior John Ollari (Millers Falls, Mass.) registered 13 total tackles (nine solo) in the setback for Westfield State, which also received nine stops (four for loss) from freshman Leo Clinton Jr. (Old Lyme, Conn.) on the day.
Massachusetts Maritime heads to North Dartmouth, Mass. next Saturday afternoon to take on UMass Dartmouth in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference outing that kicks off at Noon, while Westfield State hosts Bridgewater State in a MASCAC clash next Saturday afternoon in Westfield, Mass. that also kicks off at Noon. – Story courtesy Mass Maritime sports info
