Seahawks find their way in storm, 21-19

MIDDLETOWN, R.I. - Sophomore running back Sam Pascale (Cheshire, Conn.) rushed for career-high 172 yards and two touchdowns (17, 2) on 30 carries as Salve Regina University football defeated Maine Maritime Academy, 21-19, in New England Football Conference (NEFC) action at Gaudet Field.

The Seahawks (4-4; 3-2 NEFC) got a sack from senior defensive lineman Luke Gambale (Mays Landing, N.J.) on 4th and 11 for the Mariners (3-4; 2-3 NEFC) with 59 seconds left in the game. Maine Maritime had earlier converted a 4th-and-one play for a would-be go-ahead eight-yard TD run by freshman Jacob Doolan (Fairfield, Maine), but the Mariners were flagged for holding to move the ball back 10 yards to the Salve Regina 18.

Salve Regina opened the scoring with its opening possession on the rainy, windy first day of November. Senior QB Steven Wilken (Ringwood, N.J.) completed a 52-yard pass to Alex Hulme (Hopkinton, Mass.) on a 3rd-and-31 play to the Mariner 17 yard line. After an incompletion, Pascale took his first touch and ran 17 yards up the middle for the six points. Extra-point placeholder Mitch Graziano (Kingston, Mass.) took the ensuing snap and spun around his right end to find the corner of the endzone for a two-point conversion.

With the score 8-0 Salve Regina to start the second quarter, Maine Maritime ended its four-play, 40-yard drive at its own 48 and opted to punt. Junior Michael Burgess' (North Yarmouth, Maine) kick went to the Seahawk 22 with no return, but an unsportsmanlike penalty on Salve Regina started the drive at its own 12.

After a three-and-out series, Maine Maritime benefited from an eight-yard punt and started its next drive at the Salve Regina 22. Junior QB Michael Fahey (Union, Conn.) called his own number on two of four plays including the six-yard TD run with 9:49 on the second quarter game clock. Doolan rushed for the two-point conversion to tie the score at 8-8.

The Seahawks' next drive was their longest of the game - 4:36 with 10 plays. After 44 yards, it ended on downs at the Mariner 23 following an incomplete pass on 4th and 10.

Maine Maritime took over with 5:03 left before halftime and the wind (at times 50 MPH gusts) at its back. Freshman James Ferrar (Cumberland, Maine) and Fahey had back-to-back first-down runs of 14 and 12 yards, respectively. A Ferrar seven-yard rush was followed by a Doolan 20-yard gain to the Salve Regina 24. A false start penalty and three rushing plays replaced the ball on the 24 with 1:03 remaining in the half.

On 4th and 10, junior Johnny Weymouth (Windham, Maine) kicked a 41-yard field goal, his first of the season, to put the Mariners up three (11-8) going into the break.

Hulme returned the second-half kickoff from Weymouth 75 yards to the Mariner 20. Pascale and Wilken had consecutive rushes of six yards each to set up 1st and goal from the Mariner eight-yard line. Six more yards from Pascale brought the ball to the two-yard line before no gain on 2nd down. Pascale punched it in from two-yards out on 3rd down for his fifth touchdown of the season. Jackie Hurley's (Kingston, Mass.) kick was good for a 15-11 Seahawk lead.

Both teams had the ball two more times in the third quarter but no more scoring until the fourth.

Maine Maritime's opening possession of the fourth quarter featured nine rushing plays for 63 yards, capped by an 18-yard keeper for Fahey with 10:14 on the clock. Weymouth's extra-point kick struck the left upright and came back for only a two-point lead, 17-15.

Weymouth's ensuing kickoff was directed on a low line drive into the middle of the field to the Salve Regina 41, and returned seven yards by senior linebacker Zach Alexander (Falmouth, Maine).

Salve Regina covered the next 52 yards in two pass plays from Wilken - the first to senior Matthew Traynor (Secaucus, N.J.) for 47 yards to the Mariner five-yard line, and the second a toss to Hulme in the left corner. Hurley's PAT kick was blocked but the Seahawks led by four, 21-17.

"We came into this game wanting to throw the ball," said second-year head coach Kevin Gilmartin. "Our skill guys versus their secondary was a matchup we wanted to work, but Mother Nature came to their defense."

"This kind of weather you've got to rely on your ground game," continued Gilmartin. "We said from the beginning of the year we have a stable of horses in the backfield, and we felt like any one of them could step right in and get that ball. Dan's out (senior RB Dan Buonocore) and all of a sudden Sam's the guy, and he became that horse and ran with it."

The next Mariner drive started at their own 31 with 9:42 on the clock. Fahey rushed for 11 before Doolan had his third rush of 20-plus yards, a 21-yard gain to the Seahawk 37.

The drive almost stalled on a 4th and seven incomplete pass but the Mariners were graced with an interference call. On 3rd and goal at the Seahawk nine, Ferrar rushed five yards before losing the ball on a fumble. Pascale's longest run of the day, 23 yards, got the Seahawks out of the shadow (c'mon there were no shadows out there today) of their own endzone.

The Seahawks were stymied on their next three plays with no movement and Maine Maritime blocked the punt on 4th down to gain possession at the Salve Regina 27 with 4:03 left in the fourth quarter.

Three straight rushes (two by Fahey, one by Ferrar) garnered a first down at the Seahawk 17. Another Fahey rush for seven and Ferrar for two put the ball at the Seahawk eight-yard line with 1:04 to play, then timeout Maine Maritime. With the holding penalty nullifying Doolan's eight-yard rushing TD, the Mariners now had to pass on 4th and 11.

Gambale got through the middle to sack Fahey at the 20 and turn the ball over to the Seahawks. Three straight kneel downs for Salve Regina exhausted the remaining timeouts for the Mariners, but still left five seconds on the clock for a fourth-down play. Wilken took the snap and retreated to his own endzone before going down for the safety and the final points on the scoreboard.

Defensively, senior lineman Rory McEntee (Wakefield, R.I.) led all players with 12 tackles (eight solo) including a sack. Junior Danny Ives (Madison, Conn.) added eight solo tackles and two assisted while senior Matt Conroy (Philadelphia, Pa.) made nine stops (six solo) and Hayden Stanton (Wallingford, Conn.) had eight solo tackles for the Seahawks. Maine Maritime was led by Burgess with seven solo tackles. John Doyon (Hampden, Maine) and Thomas Kinton (York, Maine) both finished with six solo tackles for the Mariners. 

"Proud of our guys for having their backs to the wall and stepping up to deliver the victory," said Gilmartin. "They showed a lot of heart."

Maine Maritime finished with zeroes in the passing game (completions and yardage), but had 343 yards rushing, led by 164 from Fahey. Wilken completed five of 11 passes for 116 yards. The Mariners had the ball for nearly 39 minutes.

Salve Regina travels to U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., for its next game on Saturday, November 8 (1 p.m.); Maine Maritime hosts MIT at noon.