McCarthy Amasses 246 Yards Of Total Offense As Bridgewater State Holds Off Massachusetts Maritime, 38-35, In 33rd Annual Cranberry Bowl Presented By Ocean Spray

MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME FOOTBALL

33^rd Annual Cranberry Bowl Presented By Ocean Spray

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Swenson Field, Bridgewater, Mass.

FINAL:              BRIDGEWATER STATE 38, MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME 35

                                                                        1          2          3          4                      Total

Massachusetts Maritime (5-4, 3-4 NEFC) 7          7          14         7          -           35

Bridgewater State (7-2, 5-2 NEFC)                      6          14         15         3          -           38       

SCORING SUMMARY

BSU:    Jake Scott 20 yd pass from Mike McCarthy (kick failed)                         13:14 1^st

MAM:   Jonathan Wright 15 yd pass from Mike Stanton (Jake Bickley kick)         3:53 1^st

BSU:    Jake Scott 22 yd pass from Caleb Gelsomino (Jarred Diorio kick)                       14:53 2^nd

MAM:   Barry Reopell 30 yd run (Bickley kick)                                                     12:42 2^nd

BSU:    Justin Fuller 2 yd run (Diorio kick)                                                          0:11 2^nd

BSU:    Fuller 8 yd run (Ben Desmarais rush)                                                      10:45 3^rd

MAM:   Matt White 1 yd run (Bickley kick)                                                           9:49 3^rd

MAM:   Wright 20 yd pass from Stanton (Bickley kick)                                        5:36 3^rd

BSU:    Chris Constantine 8 yd pass from McCarthy (Diorio kick)                                    0:23 3^rd

BSU:    Diorio 34 yd FG                                                                                                6:11 4^th

MAM:   Jonathan Emond 31 yd pass from Stanton (Bickley kick)                                    3:33 4^th

Attendance:      900                  

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. --  Sophomore quarterback Mike McCarthy (Edgartown, Mass.) amassed 246 yards of total offense and threw a pair of touchdown passes to earn Lee Harrington Most Valuable Player honors as Bridgewater State held on in the closing seconds to post a 38-35 New England Football Conference Bogan Division victory over Massachusetts Maritime in the 33^rd Annual Cranberry Bowl Presented By Ocean Spray Saturday afternoon at Swenson Field.

The host Bears (7-2, 5-2 NEFC Bogan) took an early 6-0 advantage just 1:46 into the contest, as junior Vincent Henry (Middleboro, Mass.) intercepted a pass on the game's first play at midfield, and McCarthy found junior Jake Scott (Somerset, Mass.) from 20 yards out for the first score of the contest.  The visiting Buccaneers (5-4, 3-4 NEFC Bogan) forced a Bridgewater State punt in the late stages of the opening stanza, which was blocked by freshman Victor Andrade (Yarmouthport, Mass.) and returned by senior Walter Butler (Bourne, Mass.) back to the hosts' five-yard line, and following a holding penalty, sophomore quarterback Mike Stanton (Quincy, Mass.) connected with freshman Jonathan Wright (Newburyport, Mass.) on a 15-yard touchdown pass to give Massachusetts Maritime a 7-6 edge with 3:53 remaining in the quarter.  The Bears used good field position following a Buccaneer punt to take over on the visitors' 34-yard line in the closing minute of the first quarter, and Scott gave the hosts the lead back at 13-7 on the first play of the second stanza when he hauled in a 22-yard scoring strike from junior Caleb Gelsomino (North Scituate, R.I.).  Massachusetts Maritime responded with a five-play, 56-yard drive against a Bridgewater State defense that entered the contest allowing just 10.3 points per game to regain a one-point advantage at 14-13 on junior Barry Reopell's (South Dennis, Mass.) 30-yard touchdown run, but the Bears drove 68 yards in a 2:16 span just before the half to take a 20-14 lead at the break on senior Justin Fuller's (Berkley, Mass.) two-yard plunge.

Bridgewater State extended its lead to 28-14 on the opening drive following intermission, as Fuller's eight yard touchdown run capped an eight-play, 73-yard drive that culminated with a two-point conversion rush by junior Ben Desmarais (South Hadley, Mass.), but the Buccaneers responded with a 30-yard kickoff return by Reopell and found the end zone just three plays later on senior Matt White's (Westwood, Mass.) one-yard plunge that was set up by a 31-yard connection from Stanton to junior Jonathan Emond (Green Harbor, Mass.).  Junior Sean Carver's (Summerfield, Mass.) interception and 21-yard return on the ensuing Bear possession set the visitors up at the Bridgewater State 35-yard line, and Stanton hooked up with Wright for the second time in the contest just three plays later in the back right corner of the end zone to even matters at 28-28 with 5:36 remaining in the third quarter.

The hosts embarked on a 10-play, 72-yard ensuing drive that was capped when McCarthy connected with sophomore Chris Constantine (Hingham, Mass.) for an eight-yard touchdown with 23 seconds remaining in the third stanza, and the Bears increased their advantage to 10 on freshman Jarred Diorio's (Kingston, N.H.) 34-yard field goal with 6:11 to play in the contest.  Massachusetts Maritime continued the see-saw affair by closing back to within three, as Stanton engineered a 10-play, 86-yard drive that culminated when he connected with Emond on a 31-yard touchdown pass with 3:33 remaining, and the Buccaneers forced a Bridgewater State punt on the ensuing possession with a chance to tie or take the lead with 2:24 remaining.  Stanton converted a fourth down at the Massachusetts Maritime 41-yard line to keep the drive alive before connecting with sophomore Keith Caruso (Hingham, Mass.) for 27 yards on 3^rd-and-11 with under a minute to play that gave the Buccaneers the ball at the Bears' 33-yard line.  Bridgewater State sophomore Tate Doehler (Lakeville, Mass.) sacked Stanton on third down with just 42 seconds remaining, and the visitors turned the ball over on downs at the hosts' 28-yard line with 36 seconds to play after a Stanton-to-Emond completion netted 11 yards on 4^th-and-16, enabling the Bears to run out the clock and reclaim "The Scoop" after Massachusetts Maritime's 23-7 victory in last year's Cranberry Bowl contest in Buzzards Bay.

McCarthy amassed 110 rushing yards and completed 10-of-14 passes for 136 yards to go with his two touchdown completions in the win for Bridgewater State, as Fuller added 125 rushing yards on 30 carries to go with his two scores.  Scott hauled in six receptions for 79 yards on the day for the Bears, who amassed 452 yards of total offense and accumulated 25 first downs.  Stanton completed 18-of-33 passes for a career-best 230 yards and three touchdowns in the setback for Massachusetts Maritime, as Emond hauled in five catches for 107 yards and Caruso added seven receptions for 69 yards.  Reopell and White combined for 105 rushing yards for the Buccaneers, who collected 311 yards of total offense in a game that matched the highest scoring Cranberry Bowl in the 33-game series history, equaling the mark of 73 total points the two schools combined for in the 2003 contest.

Sophomore Justin Cruz (Dartmouth, Mass.) led the way defensively with six solo tackles and a sack for Bridgewater State, which also received five solo stops from sophomore Dillon Huber-Parker (Longmont, Colo.).  Senior Mike Bois (Lakeville, Mass.) registered a game-high 11 total tackles (seven solo) and a sack to pace Massachusetts Maritime defensively, while sophomore Stefan Gustafson (Plymouth, Mass.) added nine total stops (eight solo) for the Buccaneers, who also received eight stops from junior Kevin Griffin (Worcester, Mass.) to with seven tackles and an interception from sophomore Sheldon Roper (Sharpsbury, Ga.).  Butler added seven total tackles to go with his blocked punt return for the visitors, as he and Bois combined for 146 total tackles and six sacks on the season.