KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Sept. 23, 2023) – After five lead-changes in a back-and-forth opening half, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy football team went on to shut out visiting NEWMAC opponent SUNY Maritime in the second half of action to claim a 36-19 victory in both teams' conference-opener on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Brooks Stadium. The win keeps the Mariners undefeated at 3-0 (1-0 NEWMAC), while the Privateers drop to 2-2 (0-1 NEWMAC) in defeat.
 
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• Box Score 

Senior fullback Ceaser Gonzalez (Norco, Calif.) led all rushers with 132 yards on 29 carries, as he found the end zone twice on the ground, while also pulling in his first reception of the season which went for a 27-yard TD in the third quarter. Sophomore quarterback Gervy Alota (San Diego, Calif.) also rushed for two TDs on 76 yards rushing, while also completing 5-of-10 passes for 69 yards and the one score.
 
The Mariner offense amassed 320 yards rushing and 79 yards passing on the day to the Privateers' 307 yards of total offense (248 passing and 59 rushing). For as sloppy of a day as it was with all the rain, there was only one turnover in the game, a lost fumble by the Mariners in the second quarter that led to a Maritime touchdown.
 
Gonzalez got the scoring started when he rushed in the first of his two one-yard TD runs of the day at 4:19 of the first quarter after a weird sequence. The Mariner defense forced a three-and-out for the Privateers, but on the fourth-down punt play from the SUNY 28, the snap went well over the punter's head and he tried to kick the ball through the end zone for what used to be a safety. However, an illegal kick was called from the two yard-line, which was assessed half the distance to the goal, setting up Gonzalez's score. He then sprinted in for a two-point conversion after the Mariners elected not to kick into the strong winds for the PAT and the Mariners went up 8-0.
 
The Privateers wasted very little time answering back as they scored a TD of their own after just a two-play, 72-yard drive, but their two-point conversion failed and USMMA held an 8-6 lead late in the first quarter.
 
The Mariners were unable to score on their next possession, giving Maritime the ball back with just 1:08 to play in the first. The Privateers once again used a limited amount of plays to find the end zone, as a three-play, 54-yard drive ended with a go-ahead touchdown. The PAT was missed once again, but the visitors went up by a score of 12-8 at the very end of the first quarter.
 
Alota capped off a 16-play, 75-yard drive to open the second quarter with a two-yard run, and a PAT by junior Jackson Tinkis (Bossier City, La.) put the Mariners back ahead, 15-12.
 
The Privateers needed just three minutes to regain the lead, however, as they marched 53 yards on six plays and went back in front on a five yard rush followed by a PAT kick that put the Mariners into a 19-15 deficit.
 
The Mariners ate away at the remainder of the time in the half with a 16-play, 65-yard drive that Gonzalez ended with another one-yard TD run. Another PAT by Tinkis made it 22-19, which it remained into halftime.
 
The Mariners came out strong to start the second half, extending their lead to 29-19 after Gonzalez's 27-yard receiving TD – aided by a huge block by junior Talsen Smith (Roseville, Calif.) along the way.
 
The defense then stepped up and had two tone-setting sacks back-to-back by senior Noah Kunce (Elk Grove, Calif.) and junior Jack Temple (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) to eventually force a three-and-out of the Privateers. The SUNY offense was not able to generate much after that, as they tried to use their passing game to play catch up, but with the weather as bad as it was, combined with strong play by the Mariner secondary, that resulted in a total of 12 incomplete passes over the entire second half.
 
The Mariners were led defensively by junior defensive back Chad Hollar (Wilmington, N.C.), who had seven tackles, while seniors Thomas Joyce (Taunton, Mass.) and Teddy Brunger (Indialantic, Fla.) both recorded six stops each, with Brunger also adding a half-tackle for a loss of a yard.
 
For the Privateers, junior quarterback Steven Stassi completed 18-of-33 passes for 248 yards with two touchdowns. On the ground, classmate Devin Cline compiled 101 yards on 17 carries. Defensively, junior Aidan Griffin led all players on the afternoon with 16 tackles, while classmate Dylan Denicker was not far behind with 14 and senior Justin Goodwin finished with 12.
 
Up next, the Mariners will face yet another new NEWMAC Conference member next Saturday, Sept. 30, when they travel up to beautiful Newport, R.I., to take on the Seahawks of Salve Regina University, who currently sit at 3-1 (1-0 NEWMAC) on the season. Kickoff is scheduled for 12-noon at Toppa Field at Freebody Park. Live links to follow along are posted on the USMMA Football Schedule Page.
 
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