Mariners face test in Westfield State Bobcats, Polar Bears meet in CBB series

With the end of the 2002 Maine small-college football season drawing near, Maine Maritime Academy of Castine is still looking for its first victory of the season.

The task doesn’t get any easier today as the Mariners play their final home game against Westfield State, one of two unbeaten teams in the New England Football Conference.

Westfield State (7-0) at Maine Maritime Acad. (0-7), noon, Ritchie Field, Castine. The Mariners will have to be at their very best Saturday as they battle the Owls.

Westfield features the stingiest defense in the league, one that has allowed only 138 yards and 6.1 points per game. MMA, meanwhile, has put up only 251 yards and 12.0 points per contest.

The Mariners’ defense has been led of late by sophomore linebacker Dan Rosen. He ranks 10th in the league with 8.6 tackles per game.

Westfield’s John Cloutier has posted a conference-high 11 quarterback sacks. Jason Olivari has four interceptions.

The Owls’ Chris Lapointe is the NEFC’s most efficient passer, having thrown for 1,025 yards and 20 touchdowns with only three interceptions.

Colby (2-4) at Tufts (3-3), noon, Medford, Mass. The White Mules look to regroup after being knocked off by instate rival Bates last weekend.

Colby features the No. 2 rusher in the New England Small College Athletic Conference in sophomore halfback Aaron Stepka, who is averaging 166 yards per game. He ran for a career-high 230 yards on 43 carries in the loss to the Bobcats.

The Mules will have to play tough defense against the Jumbos, who have put up 26 ppg with a well-balanced offense. Tufts features one of the best pass defenses in the NESCAC, having allowed only 71 ypg while racking up 19 interceptions.

Bates (1-5) at Bowdoin (1-5), noon, Whittier Field, Brunswick. The Bobcats are going after the coveted Colby-Bates-Bowdoin series title. Coming off their win against Colby, Bates should be emotionally charged to take on the Polar Bears.

Statistically, Bates and Bowdoin are among the worst teams in the league. But that won’t matter today when the archrivals battle for bragging rights in Maine Division III football.