MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME FOOTBALL
30th Annual Ocean Spray Cranberry Bowl
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Swenson Field, Bridgewater, Mass.
FINAL: BRIDGEWATER STATE 34, MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME 7
1 2 3 4 Total
Massachusetts Maritime (0-10, 0-7 NEFC) 0 7 0 0 - 7
Bridgewater State (7-3, 6-1 NEFC) 14 0 20 0 - 34
SCORING SUMMARY
BSC: Andrae Murphy 65 yd interception return (Dave Leombruno kick) 12:57 1st
BSC: Jeff Creeden 1 yd run (Leombruno kick) 8:37 1st
MMA: Nick Montalto 1 yd run (Jake Bickley kick) 11:10 2nd
BSC: Creeden 1 yd run (Leombruno kick) 10:17 3rd
BSC: Creeden 5 yd run (kick blocked) 3:48 3rd
BSC: Jesse Teixeira 63 yd pass from Jessy Resende (Leombruno kick) 0:09 3rd
Attendance: 900
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Junior Jeff Creeden (Mansfield, Mass.) rushed for 54 yards and three touchdowns to earn the Lee Harrington Most Valuable Player Trophy in leading Bridgewater State to a 34-7 New England Football Conference Bogan Division victory over Massachusetts Maritime in the 30th Annual Ocean Spray Cranberry Bowl Saturday afternoon at Swenson Field.
The host Bears (7-3, 6-1 NEFC Bogan) jumped out to a 14-0 lead midway through the opening stanza after taking advantage of a pair of turnovers, as junior Andrae Murphy (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) returned an interception 65 yards for a score before Creeden's one yard plunge capped a 32-yard drive following a fumble. The visiting Buccaneers (0-10, 0-7 NEFC Bogan) took advantage of a Bridgewater State turnover early in the second quarter, as freshman quarterback Nick Montalto's (South Yarmouth, Mass.) one-yard touchdown capped a 13-yard drive and pulled Massachusetts Maritime to within seven at the break. Creeden extended the Bears' lead to 27-7 on runs of one and five yards, respectively, in less than a seven minute span in the third quarter, and junior Jesse Teixeira (Taunton, Mass.) capped Bridgewater State's scoring by hauling in a 63-yard pass from sophomore Jessy Resende (Brockton, Mass.) with nine seconds remaining in the third stanza.
Sophomore Jarad Ulak (Rehoboth, Mass.) rushed for 102 of Bridgewater State's 239 yards on the afternoon, as the Bears compiled 410 yards of total offense, including 108 through the air by senior quarterback Tyler D'Ambra (Mansfield, Mass.). Freshman Matt White (Westwood, Mass.) rushed for 92 of Massachusetts Maritime's 188 yards on the ground in the setback, as Montalto and senior Joe DeFrank (Morgantown, Pa.) combined for 45 passing yards. Junior Casey Florence (Bridgewater, Mass.) paced the hosts defensively with six solo tackles, while junior Jim Erlwein (Livingston Manor, N.Y.) notched his third straight double-digit tackle performance for the Buccaneers with 12 solo stops to go with a forced fumble. Fellow junior Kevin McCarthy (Tewksbury, Mass.) added seven tackles, an interception and a forced fumble for the visitors, who collected three turnovers on the afternoon.
The 30th Annual Ocean Spray Cranberry Bowl marked the season finale for both teams, as Bridgewater State tied for the NEFC Bogan Division title but lost the playoff spot in a tie-breaker with Maine Maritime, who will take on Plymouth State in next Saturday's conference championship game.