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CASTINE – It’s bad enough when your starting quarterback is out for the season, but when you lose both backups the same week, it’s not a good omen for your next game.
When you have to convert a senior wide receiver into a quarterback the night before the game and the game is against unbeaten Maine Maritime Academy… Well, that’s quite a challenge.
The MMA Mariners weren’t about to feel sorry for Nichols College, however. They’ve endured plenty of their own frustrations the last three seasons and their seniors are eager to keep the good times rolling.
Good times weren’t the only thing rolling on a picturesque fall Saturday afternoon at Ritchie Field as MMA rolled over the Bison 38-13 thanks to a punishing running game.
Senior fullback Don Thibodeau rushed for an astounding 311 yards on 39 carries and the 4-0 Mariners racked up an eye-popping 499 yards on the ground as they dominated every facet of the New England Football Conference game.
“My linemen are just blocking unreal. They’re big boys and they go out and get after it,” said Thibodeau, referring to center Jesse Hensley, right guard Joseph Crowe, left guard Andrew Thoms, left tackle John Logus, and right tackle Michael “Cam” Rand.
After the Mariners marched 64 yards on nine plays and scored on the game’s opening drive, it looked like it would be easy, but the defenses took control for the rest of the quarter and Nichols eventually answered with a 13-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that tied the score 6-6 with 11:29 left in the first half.
The Mariners added two touchdowns in the last eight minutes, Thibodeau had 128 yards at the first half, and MMA held an 18-6 halftime lead, but they felt that wasn’t enough.
“We were kind of [ticked] off at halftime. We weren’t happy with the score or the way we were playing, and we passed too much,” Thibodeau said. “We’re not a passing team. You have to stick to what you do well.”
Maine Maritime may be centered with the sea, but this year’s football squad excels on terra firma. They showed that after Nichols capped a second half-opening drive with a 1-yard TD run by newly anointed QB Sean Glavin. The score and PAT kick cut MMA’s lead to 18-13 with 11:39 left in the third quarter.
After the teams exchanged brief possessions, MMA went 41 yards in 10 plays – nine of them Thibodeau runs – and scored with 59 seconds left in the third. Two more scores in the fourth quarter put the game out of reach for the Bison.
“We keep running it and hope to wear them down by the fourth quarter. I think that’s what you saw today,” said MMA coach Chris McKenney.
MMA’s defense also began to control the line of scrimmage.
“We adjusted early and keyed on the tailback instead of the fullback like we normally do,” said senior linebacker Chris Metcalf, who led MMA with 13 tackles. “Our corners played great and our outside linebackers stopped coming up the field so much and started playing down more.”
The end result was 101 total second-half yards for Nichols.
“Toward the end, they just gave up. They didn’t want to hit anymore,” said Thibodeau.
“I think the second half, they were wore us down a little,” said Nichols coach Bill Carven. “We hung in there for awhile, but our game plan really shrunk the last few days.”
Carven lost starting QB and little brother Mike Carven for the season with a torn posterior cruciate ligament on the third play of the season. His No. 2 freshman QB had to have open-heart surgery Thursday after developing an irregular heartbeat and finding out he had a heart valve defect, and the No. 3 freshman QB left school for family reasons.
Nichols has lost 10 starters – including a left tackle, left guard, linebacker, defensive end, and cornerback.
MARINERS 38, BISON 13
Nichols (0-4) 0 6 7 0 – 13
Maine Maritime (4-0) 6 12 6 14 – 38
MMA – Dunlap 2 run (kick failed)
N – Sanon 9 run (kick failed)
MMA – Goodrich 19 run (rush failed)
MMA – Thibodeau 2 run (pass failed)
N – Glavin 2 run (Jean-Louis kick)
MMA – Thibodeau 8 run (kick failed)
MMA – Thibodeau 47 run (Dunlap kick)
MMA – Thibodeau 73 run (Dunlap kick)
Nichols MMA
First downs 12 25
Rushing att.-yards 36-131 66-499
Passing comp.-att. 10-25 3-11
Passing yards 85 32
Total yards 216 531
Punts-avg. 5-26.8 2-32.0
Fumbles-lost 2-0 4-3
Intercepted by 0 2
Penalties-yards 4-17 3-20
Rushing
Nichols: Sanon 26-116, Gaines 2-14, Harris 2-4, Glavin 6-(minus 3); MMA: Thibodeau 39-311, Goodrich 9-80, Dunlap 13-61, Farrin 2-34, Sithole 1-14, Labree 1-0, Rackliff 1-(minus 1)
Passing
Nichols: Glavin 10-25-2-85; MMA: Dunlap 3-11-0-32
Receiving
Nichols: Zow 3-29, Kane 3-27, Ricci 1-15, Snediker 1-8, Gaines 1-3, Harris 1-3; MMA: Schmidt 2-28, Rackliff 1-4
A-700 (est.)
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