Bears Trip Up Wolverines

Wolverine Football was on the road once again, this time they traveled to Providence, Rhode Island where they took on Brown University, their second Ivy League foe in as many weeks. Bridgton found itself in familiar territory, by answering a Brown score with one of their own; however the defense was not able to make enough stops to allow the offense to make up the difference as the Wolverines fell 38-21.

Bridgton, coming off of a tough week at Columbia, which sidelined many players for the week and others for the season, saw the effects of not having a full squad during practice. Coach Marcella said, “We had a tough week in practice, and injuries and sicknesses have caught up to us.”

The Wolverines threw the ball well, however catching it was an issue as four balls were dropped, including one on the first play of the game that would have been an easy score. Seven different players caught passes and five of those players had over 30 yards receiving.

It was the defense that was unable to hold off the Brown attack as Coach Marcella said, “We had poor alignments, coverage and tackling, which is the recipe for disaster.” With the rushing attack held to less than two yards per carry, the Wolverines were forced to rely on the passing game, which turned the ball over twice in the red zone.

Head Coach Rick Marcella continues to stress to his players the need to improve and get better. With players returning from injuries and a full week of practices the Wolverines will be ready to face Yale University, as they travel to New Haven, Connecticut. Yale, a team the Wolverines had beaten seven straight times, has now beaten Bridgton two out of the last three meetings. With new coaches, with NFL experience, Coach Marcella looks for the game to be, “another good test, in which we will have to play well to give ourselves a chance to win.”

Bridgton Runs Out of Time Against Columbia

Coming off of a lopsided defeat to Navy Prep, Bridgton Football traveled to New York City on Friday to take on the Columbia University Lions JV team. Coming off of the loss Coach Marcella said, “It looked like we knew what we were doing out there, against a huge team, by far the biggest we have faced yet.” The Wolverines however, were handed a 49-40 set back.
Trailing 35-12 at the half the Wolverines were not without opportunities as they had a ball dropped in the end zone and threw an interception on the goal line. Coach Marcella said, “We moved the ball well in the first half, and were able to scored on our first drive.” “I told my players, ‘just keep playing’,” in the start of the second half the defense forced Columbia to punt and the offense went to work.
In what could have been the offensive lines best game the Wolverines outscored Columbia 28-14 in the second half. Lead by offensive linemen Jacob Lane (Harrison Valley, PA), Kevin Colon (Lowell, MA) and Daniel Alexander (Sammamish, WA). Kenny Brock (Burlington, NJ) lead the way both passing and rushing, gaining 95 yards on 23 carries and two TDs. Brock threw for 211 yards completing 23 of 47 passes for two touchdowns and two interceptions. Jordan Murphy (Ayer, MA) caught four passes for 43 yards and a score. Keith Williams (Simi Valley, CA) caught three passes for 23 yards and one touchdown. Scott Benzing (Brookfield, CT) caught two passes for 53 yards. On the ground Melikke Van Alstyne (Salem, MA) gained 54 yards on 11 carries, scoring a touchdown. Phil Bigelow (East Orange, NJ) accumulated 68 yards on 11 carries while getting in the end zone once. Bridgton ran almost twice as many offensive plays, (103 – 55), as Columbia did.
The defense was able to slow Columbia down enough to allow the offense to come back, yet the kicking game was the difference as the Wolverines were not able to convert on plays in the red zone and were not able to kick field goals on fourth down. Defensively Stephen Goniprow (Barrington, RI) and Brian Wilcox (Jericho, VT) played very well.
Bridgton gears up to take on Brown University JV on Sunday October, 25th at 1:00 PM. “Brown is the most talented team in the Ivy league that we will face, they are also the best coached team,” said Marcella.

Wolverines Drop One At NAPS

Bridgton Academy Football traveled to Newport, Rhode Island to take on Naval Academy Prep School. In a game that Coach Marcella said had, "absolutely no bright spots," the Wolverines were handed a 71-7 setback.

Moving forward Coach Marcella acknowledges that the team, "needs to be better on both sides of the whistle, calling plays and executing them." "As coaches it is our job to put players in position to make plays, that didn't happen, and when they were in position the plays were not made."

With five games left in the season the Wolverines will set their sights on Columbia Univeristy, "This is still a good group of guys and I enjoy coaching them, but I am going to demand more from them, and they should be more demanding of themselves," added Marcella.

Bridgton fell to Columbia a year ago in overtime on a field goal, so they look to avenge the loss. Kickoff is at 1:00 PM.

Bridgton Holds On Against Springfield 34-27

The Bridgton Academy Wolverine Football team was able to hold on and survive its only home contest of the year, defeating Springfield College JV 34-27. In what was a highly contested game the Wolverines caused their only turnover of the game, with Springfield on the one yard line and under one minute remaining in the game.

The game did not appear as it would be highly contested as Bridgton easily marched down the field and scored on its opening drive in just four plays. Springfield would answer right back, scoring on their opening drive and taking a 7-6 lead. On Bridgton’s second drive they were forced to punt on fourth down. On the third series Bridgton ran 20 plays and scored to once again take the lead, however Springfield answered right back with a score of their own.

Coach Marcella called the early stages of the game a, “battle, which we did not have the answers for defensively,” yet the Wolverines were able to hang on and as time expired in the first half Kenny Brock (Burlington, NJ) was able to find Brett Parenteau (Manchester, NH) in the corner of the end zone with his, “best ball all year,” according to Marcella. Melikke Van Alstyne (Salem, MA) converted on the two point try to take a seven point lead into the half, 20-13.

Springfield dominated the clock in the third quarter, taking the kick-off and putting together a 12 minute drive capped by a touchdown to even the score at 20-20. Once Bridgton got the ball they went on an 11 play drive in which Van Alstyne caught passes to keep the drive alive and also score a touchdown. On Bridgton’s next drive they went 10 plays to score and go up 34-20 with eight minutes remaining.
Springfield answered back scoring again with under five minutes to play. After only the second three and out for Bridgton all day, Springfield got the ball back at the 50 yard line and 3:30 to play. Springfield marched down the field, with time running down and out of time outs they were forced to play quickly, miscommunication and the Bridgton defense caused a fumble with Springfield on the Bridgton goal line. Speaking of the play Marcella said, “We were fortunate to come away with the win, getting a turnover was huge.”

For the first time this season the Bridgton offense did not have the upper hand in time of possession, nor plays run. Yet were able to hold on and win.
Brock finished the day completing 14 of 23 passes for 215 yard and 2TDs, he also rushed for 85 yards on 12 carries. The offensive line once again did not allow a sack and continues to improve. “Different offensive weapons are starting to emerge and step up,” said Marcella.

The defense had four players registering double digit tackles, lead by Stephen Goniprow (Barrington, RI) with 19, and Jonathan Balcacer (Peabody, MA) with 12 from the secondary, Jack Wright (Forest Hill, FL) and Chris Higgins (Cumberland, ME) round out the quartet.

Bridgton travels to Navy Prep on Saturday to face the triple option offense for the second week in a row. Coach Marcella believes that Navy, “runs a more efficient and discipline version,” as compared to Springfield. Navy scored 54 points a year ago, so the Wolverine defense will be tested again to stop the option.

BA Escapes with 34-27 Win

The Bridgton Academy Wolverines escaped victoriously this past Sunday with a 34-27 win against the Springfield Junior Varsity Football squad. Key plays were made across the board, including an amazing catch in the corner of the end zone by Brett Parenteau (Manchester, NH) with no time left on the clock in the second quarter, as well as John Moscotel’s (Lexington, MA) fumble recovery in the last minute of the game with Springfield inside Bridgton’s ten yard line. With many parents, faculty and students watching, the Wolverines did their best both offensively and defensively, scoring on the first drive of the game and continuing to match the Pride’s intensity—especially when they drove the field in the beginning of the third quarter, chewing up over twelve minutes of time. Melikke Van Alstyne (Salem, MA) and Phil Bigelow (East Orange, NY) had great games; both were key contributors to the victory. Last, but certainly not least, the offensive line had one of their best games to date. Coach Drew Inzer was caught after the game and had the following to say: “I felt the line played great as a unit, but we need to continue to get better this week. We have the biggest game of the year coming up and we need to be perfect.” The rest of the coaching staff agrees, as the Wolverines will head down to Rhode Island to play the Naval Academy Prep. School this week.

-Coach Shairs

Important Infomation For Parents Planning on Going to the Navy Prep Game

Bridgton Academy football will be traveling to Navy Prep on Saturday, October 10, 2009 for one of the top rivalry games of the year. For parents planning on attending the game there are a few steps that will need to be taken in advance due to the game taking place on a Navy base.
For families traveling to the game, please contact, via email, Bryan Brouse at Navy Prep with the following information:
Names of those who will be in the car.
Car license plate number and state.
Car model and color.
Email this information to: brouse@naps.edu no later than Wednesday, October 7th.