NEWPORT, R.I. (Oct. 18, 2025) – Junior wide receiver
Caleb Callahan's (Poulsbo, Wash.) game-winning 17-yard touchdown grab with 16 seconds left helped the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy football team pull out a dramatic NEWMAC road victory on Saturday afternoon over Salve Regina, 38-34, at Toppa Field. The Mariners improved to 5-1 (3-1 NEWMAC) with the win, while the Seahawks dropped to 4-2 (1-2 NEWMAC).
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Sophomore Bubba Mustain (Oro Valley, Ariz.) powered the Blue and Gray offense, accounting for 293 yards of total offense, rushing for 160 yards on 30 carries and a touchdown on the ground while completing 7-of-15 passes for 133 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. Senior tight end Ben Rini (Vermilion, Ohio) led all receivers with 87 yards on three catches and a touchdown, while Callahan hauled in four receptions for 46 yards, including the game-winner.
Merchant Marine rushed for 249 yards on 56 attempts and averaged 5.4 yards per carry. Senior fullback Danny Ferris (Andover, Mass.) had a rushing touchdown, while sophomore running back Sonny Endicott (Colorado Springs, Colo.) contributed 26 yards on four carries, highlighted by a 22-yard burst in the first half. Junior fullback Seamus Bonte (Westerville, Ohio) provided steady power with 28 rushing yards on nine attempts.
Freshman kicker Karson Bye (Liberty Hill, Texas) was a perfect 5-for-5 on PATs and connected on a 28-yard field goal.
Junior linebacker Zatyk Holub (Mount Vernon, Iowa) led the way for Kings Point with 10 total tackles and one quarterback hurry. Classmate Aidan Graham (Allen, Texas) added eight stops, and senior defensive back Caleb Green (Flower Mound, Texas) contributed six total stops in the secondary.
USMMA's defense hauled in three interceptions, including a pick-six from senior defensive back Chase Shavey (Mercer Island, Wash.). Sophomore defensive back Trent Sterner (North Kingstown, R.I.) and senior linebacker Marcus Wyman (McCall, Idaho) each recorded key interceptions to end Salve Regina drives.
Salve Regina opened the scoring on its first possession with a 13-play 64-yard drive ending on a three-yard touchdown run from Justan Luzzi. Senior defensive lineman James Gleeson (Atlanta, Ga.) blocked the extra point to limit the Seahawks' lead to 6-0. The Mariners responded on their second offensive series with a quick strike 2-play 70-yard drive finished off with a Mustain to Rini 68-yard touchdown connection down the right sideline to put them in front 7-6.
Moments later, the defense swung momentum. Shavey jumped a route at midfield and took it the other way for 55 yards for a touchdown, putting the Mariners ahead 14-6 late in the first quarter.
Salve Regina closed the gap early in the second quarter on a three-yard touchdown run by Padraig Brown, trimming the score to 14-13 after the extra point. The Mariners answered with a sustained 12-play, 75-yard drive that chewed more than six minutes off the clock with Mustain finishing it with a two-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 21-13 with 5:45 remaining. The Seahawks struck quickly on the very next play from scrimmage with a 53-yard touchdown pass from Thomas Fallon to Spencer Chapman to cut the lead to one, 21-20.
USMMA orchestrated another long drive before the half on a 14-play 50-yard drive, taking up over five minutes, capped off by a field goal from Bye with 20 seconds left to extend the halftime lead to 24-20.
Salve Regina regained the lead early in the third on a one-yard touchdown run by Christopher Molina, finishing a 65-yard, seven-play drive to make it 27-24 with 11:56 remaining. Merchant Marine went right back to work again, as they had all afternoon, as Ferris finished an eight-play, 64-yard march with a one-yard touchdown run at 1:08, giving the Mariners a 31-27 advantage heading to the fourth.
The Seahawks went back in front late in the game on a 20-yard touchdown run by Luzzi, capping a five-play, 68-yard drive to make it 34-31 with 4:33 left.
The Mariners didn't flinch on the next drive. Starting from their own 34-yard line, USMMA methodically moved 66 yards in 13 plays over four minutes. Facing a third down from the Salve Regina 17, Mustain dropped back and hooked up with Callahan across the middle for the game-winning touchdown with 16 seconds remaining to finish off the comeback victory 38-34.
KP's offense finished with 382 total yards of offense, converting 11 of 18 third downs and 2 of 3 fourth downs, while winning the time of possession 35:07 to 24:53. Defensively, USMMA limited Salve Regina to 2-of-8 on third downs and stopped the Seahawks on their final three possessions.
The Seahawks were led on the ground by Justan Luzzi, who carried it 29 times for 174 yards and two touchdowns. Padraig Brown added 44 yards and a touchdown on seven attempts. Quarterback Thomas Fallon completed 10-of-18 passes for 148 yards and one touchdown, a 53-yard strike to Spencer Chapman, who led the team with two receptions for 68 yards. Christopher Molina added a one-yard touchdown run to round out the Seahawks' scoring.
The Mariners return to the gridiron on Saturday, Oct. 25, against Springfield on the road in NEWMAC action at noon.
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