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CASTINE – If you’re fumbling around in the kitchen Thursday, maybe you should give Maine Maritime Academy football coach John Huard a call.
Huard said in the wake of Saturday’s 28-20 season-ending victory over SUNY-Brockport that putting together a successful football team is a lot like cooking. Judging by his Mariners’ 9-1 season, which included winning the championships of both the New England Football Conference and ECAC Division III Northeast division, Huard must be quite a chef.
“When you put a team together, it’s like making a stew,” said Huard, a few minutes after closing out his seventh season at MMA, pushing his career record here to 32-30. “You’ve got to have your meat and potatoes, your staples. Then your herbs and spices. You taste it and say, `I need a little more of this or that,’ until you find the right combination.”
All the right ingredients were obviously present this year, and Huard combined them masterfully as MMA stormed to the best season in its 48-year football history.
Meat and Potatoes:
On offense, start with running backs Rob Marchitello and Kirk Matthieu.
Marchitello, a sophomore from Kirkland, Quebec, took over when the All-American Matthieu was felled by a torn knee ligament in the fourth game of the season. Marchitello proceeded to roll up 1,672 rushing yards on 345 carries, scoring 17 touchdowns as the Mariner workhorse.
“Rob showed he is a great back,” said Matthieu, who still rushed for 667 yards and scored seven TDs despite missing four games. He unselfishly came back wearing a knee brace to play fullback in the final two contests.
The duo ran behind a young but talented offensive line featuring senior tackle Jim DiMillo, junior guard Dennis Damon, sophomore guard Scott Cote, freshman center Tim Clark, and freshman tackle Allan Fortin.
Senior tight end Mike Cook and sophomore TE Brian Johnson were also frequent blockers amid the Mariners’ basic double-tights set. Freshman fullback Brad Vigue also blocked well.
“All year the offense has done well, but the defense has done great,” said Marchitello, assessing the real secret to MMA’s success.
Defensively, MMA staples included the front four of tackles Shane Wilcher and Steve Brown and ends Dick LeTourneau and Mark Thomas. All are underclassmen.
The linebacking trio of sophomores Jon Jamo and Jeff Houghton and junior Brian Gay were also key contributors.
Wilcher led the team in tackles with 83, followed by Houghton with 80. LeTourneau had 10 quarterback sacks to lead the small but fierce gang-tackling unit.
Herbs and spices:
On offense, sophomore quarterback Shawn Snedden seasoned MMA’s ground-based attack by throwing just enough to keep opposing defenses honest. He completed 47 percent of his throws for 669 yards with seven TDs and only four interceptions.
Freshman TE Doug Peters (16 catches, 246 yards, 4 TDs) and senior wide receiver Luke Houghton (11-168-2) were favorite targets.
“We threw it when we had to,” said Huard. “We did what we had to do to win.”
Providing defensive spice were senior cornerback Jim Blake, who led the team in interceptions with five and in caused fumbles, and fellow DBs Jason Kast, Matt Myatt, and Mark Bissonnette.
The bad news for opponents is there are plenty of leftovers from this season that should be at peak flavor by next season. All but one starter returns on defense – Blake. And seven starters are back on offense, including Marchitello, Snedden, and four of five offensive linemen.
Will Huard be back to coach?
“Right now, I don’t have any other plans,” he answered. “You never know. It might change. But right now we’re all set. The week after next we start recruiting.”
A top recruiting priority is a placekicker, said Huard, already thinking of the ingredients for next season.
1993 Results
W MMA 18 Bridgewater 14 W MMA 25 Worcester St. 7 L Mass. Maritime 9 MMA 6 W MMA 21 UMass-Dart. 8 W MMA 14 Plymouth St. 13 W MMA 35 UMass-Boston 6 W MMA 45 Fitchburg St. 8 W MMA 28 Framingham St. 19 W MMA 22 Westfield St. 14 W MMA 28 SUNY-Brockport 20
NEFC Champions
ECAC Northeast Champions
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