Holy Cross 28, Bridgton 20

The football team traveled to Worcester, MA to take on division I-AA opponent Holy Cross JV. The Wolverines ran out of time as their comeback attempt fell short, 28-20. In a game that Coach Marcella said, “we played well enough on both sides of the ball to win,” the Wolverines were not able to overcome a 21-7 halftime deficit.

Mistakes were the down fall for Bridgton, as they committed four turnovers, including two interceptions in the end zone and a mishandled punt on the Holy Cross 35 yard line. “If we had of converted on one of those drives for a touchdown and another for a field goal we would have won the game,” said Marcella. The Wolverines, trailing by 14 at halftime were the victims of one blown coverage that lead to an easy score, otherwise the game would have been a seven point spread at the half.

The Bridgton Academy offense controlled the game, running 90 offensive plays to Holy Cross’ 55. The offense was lead by quarterback Kenny Brock (Burlington, NJ) who threw for his third consecutive 200 yard game completing 28-42 passes for 249 yards, 1TD, however the three interceptions were the downfall. Scott Benzing (Brookfield, CT) caught nearly half of those passes as he had 127 yards on 12 receptions. Commenting on Benzing’s day Coach Marcella said, “I cannot remember when a Bridgton receiver had that many catches, or a chance for that many.” For just the second time all season, and the first for Brock in three weeks, the quarterback was sacked, “that speaks volumes about our offensive line, for a team that averages 37 pass attempts to be sacked so few times,” Marcella was quick to point out that Jake Lane (Harrison Valley PA), Kevin Colon (Lowell, MA), and Viondy Merisma (Waltham, MA) continue to get better and improve. Alex Colorito (Beaverton, OR) has continued to execute punts well and Daniel Alexander (Smmamish, WA) has done a great job with long and short snaps. Seeing action for the first time since early in week one, due to injury, was Jordan Murphy (Ayer, MA) who Marcella called, “huge for us, he (Jordan) had three big catches for us, converting a fourth down.”

The defense throughout the game improved as BA only gave up one score in the second half of the game. Coach Marcella credits both the defense and the defensive coaches who, “made adjustments and played smarter and better in the second half.” The defense was lead once again by Ryan LaFromboise (Ludlow, MA) and Brandon Murphy (Branford, CT) as well as Jonathon Balcacer (Peabody, MA) who Marcella has called, “the most improved on defense.”

As the Wolverines look ahead to the match up with Springfield College on Sunday October, 4th at 2:00PM, Coach Marcella looks for his team to play smarter, tackle better, as well as be more physical against a physical offensive team.

Photos from Holy Cross Game

#2 Scott Benzing finds some running room in the Holy Cross secondary

#75 Jack Wright collects a sack


#1 Melikke Van Alstyne finds a hole and the end zone

The offensive line creates a hole for #40 Nick Finger


The BA defense swarms to the ball

Coaches Daley, Shairs and Burgess (L to R) look on

#2 Scott Benzing makes a diving catch

#33 Brian Wilcox and #43 Ryan LaFromboise cause a fumble

Bridgton Runs out of Time in Loss to Holy Cross

The Bridgton Academy Football squad had a late surge this past Friday afternoon against a tough Holy Cross team but fell short, losing 28-20. Trailing 21-7 at halftime (the lone score coming from a 5 yard pass from Kenny Brock to Keith Williams late in the second quarter), the Wolverines knew that they had to bring their level of play up a notch if they had any aspirations of coming out of Worcester victorious.

Even though it seemed that Bridgton couldn’t defend the pass well on defense, nor capitalize in the red-zone on offense, the team knew they were capable of competing with the Crusaders. To start the third quarter the Bridgton Academy offense took the field, marching down to Holy Cross’ 1 yard line, taking over six minutes off the clock. On the next play Melikke Van Alstyne took the ball off tackle to make it a 21-14 game. After a botched punt by the Crusaders, the offense took the field two minutes later and again, found the end zone to make the score 21-20 with 5:04 to play in the third quarter.

Unfortunately, that was as close as the squad would come. However, it should be noted that the defense stopped two drives by Holy Cross late in the game, giving the offense a chance to tie in the end. On fourth down, with five seconds to play in the game, the Wolverine offense was 15 yards away from scoring. Even though Brock’s pass fell short, the Wolverines held their heads high. They will get back to their winning ways this Sunday against Springfield College. Kickoff is at 2 o’clock.

-Coach Shairs

(more photos and commentary to come)

49 Years of Bridgton Academy at Curry

49 years of Bridgton Academy history was represented at the recent BA-Curry College football game on September 20th. Current football parents put on a wonderful tailgate following the 28-18 Wolverine victory. The Admission Office was also busy at work, welcoming a handful of prospective 2011 families to the reception. The prospective families had the opportunity to learn more about BA from not only faculty and coaches, but alumni, parents, and friends as well. Former BA football coach Bud Burbank was also in attendance. Bud’s brother, Tom, a 1959 Academy graduate, presented him with a BA football sweatshirt. The Curry game is always a great time, as alumni who now play on the Curry team face-off with the current crop of Bridgton players. Bridgton has changed over the years, going from a four year to school to one that caters solely to the PG (post graduate) student.

The following alumni were seen at the game: (Sorry if we missed you) Jim McGillen ’59, George Mullin ’59, Bob Weston ’59, Tom Burbank ’59, Mike Klapman ’71 (now a current parent as well), Bob O’Sullivan ’84, Skip Bandini ’77 (also Curry College’s Head Football Coach!), Joe Daley ’77, Matt Burgess, Jon Lounsbury ‘01, Nick Markos ’00, Pat Shairs ’02, Wil Colon ’04 (whose brother, Kevin, is a member of the Class of 2010), Jamal Woods ’06, Maurice Rodriguez ’06, Jason Ryan ’07, and David Bonaparte ’08.

Be sure to check the Wolverine athletic schedules for a game near you!


Maurice Rodriguez '06, George Mullin '59, Tom Burbank '59, Bud Burbank, Jason Ryan '07, Jamal Woods '06, David Bonaporte '08

Photos from Curry Game

#1 Melikke Van Alstyne breaks a tackle


#6 Weslee Galloway and #23 Philmore Phillip upend a Curry receiver


#23 Philmore Phillip defends a pass


Brett Parenteau fakes out a Curry defender


#13 Brandon Murphy picks off a Curry pass in the end zone


#7 Kenny Brock unloads a pass, Brock lead BA with 247 yards passing and 3TDs


BA defense swarms to the ball


#80 Alex Colorito hauls in a TD pass

Wolverines Upend Colonels, 28-18

Bridgton Academy Football picked up their second win of the season, in as many tries, Sunday against Curry College JV, by a score of 28-18. The Wolverines, who continue to step up their level of competition, gave up their first points of the season, yet have still never trailed on the season.

Kenny Brock (Burlington, NJ) lead the offensive attack through the air, completing 17 or 33 passes for 247 yards including 3TDs and 1INT. Only three of Brock’s completions were for less than 11 yards, and four completions went for more than 20 yards. Coach Marcella notes that Brock was able to throw so well on the day due to the, “very good protection by the offensive line.” Brock stepped up for the running game, which was slowed after a very successful previous week. On the ground the Wolverines accounted for 120 yards on 38 carries, Brock lead the way with 41 yards rushing. For the second week in a row Alex Colorito (Beaverton, OR) had a big week, catching three passes for 78 yards and one score, Scott Benzing (Brookfield, CT) also continued a successful start to the season by hauling in 5 receptions for 56 yards. Brett Parenteau (Manchester, NH) caught four passes for 52 yards including a touchdown. Keith Williams (Simi Valley, CA) got the scoring started with an 11 yard touchdown reception off of a play action pass. Coach Marcella was pleased with the offensive effort, but acknowledges that in the upcoming weeks the Wolverines will need to run the ball more effectively, and take care of the ball better to be successful. BA was able to answer back two out of the three times Curry scored a touchdown, with touchdowns of their own, which shows as Marcella said, “poise and execution.”

Defensively the Wolverines were lead by Ryan LaFromboise (Ludlow, MA) and Stephen Goniprow (Barrington, RI) who collected 13 and 12 tackles respectively. LaFromboise also caused a fumble, and blocked a point after attempt. Brent McLeod (Winchester, MA) for the second week in a row had at least two sacks, while Brian Wilcox (Jericho, VT) also collected two sacks. The secondary for Bridgton to collected 3 interceptions and seven pass break-ups, lead by Brandon Murphy (Branford, CT) who had one interception, two pass break-ups and eight tackles. Philmore Phillip (Dorchester, MA) had a solid day on defense, collecting an interception, and Weslee Galloway (Brockton, MA) recorded 9 tackles from the secondary.

Coach Marcella sees improvement each week, but going into a short week in which the Wolverines will be facing Holy Cross, whose varsity is open, and ranked 21st in the most recent I-AA polls, sees the game as, “a measuring stick for us, to see how far we have come, and how much further we must go. It will measure our intensity, and how well we deal with adversity.”

Bridgton travels Friday September 25th to Worcester, MA to take on Holy Cross JV at 3:00PM.

Husson Recap, with Coach's comments

The Bridgton Academy Wolverines traveled to Husson University on Sunday September, 13th to take on the Eagles JV football team, and walked away with a convincing 32-0 victory. Noting that it was the first game Coach Marcella stated, “it was an opportunity for us to know what kind of depth we have, as well as, what we need to address.” The Wolverines, who scored on their first possession of the game, never looked back after that.

The defense lead the way for Bridgton which posted its first shut out in three years. They caused two turnovers, collected five sacks, including three from Brent MacLeod (Winchester, MA), and caused nine Husson plays to go for negative yardage along with four pass break ups. Marcella said, “we were undersized on defense, but were able to get to the ball the way we wanted to, and that is what wins games.” The defensive line was lead by Ryan LaFromboise (Ludlow, MA) with 13 tackles, Stephen Goniprow (Barrington, RI) 10 tackles, Jack Wright (Forest Hill, FL) collected eight tackles, Chris Higgins (Cumberland, ME) seven tackles, and Andrew Kelley (Pittston, ME) six tackles. Christian Weeman (North Attleboro, MA) recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. The Wolverines will continue to try and put all the pieces together, as they gear up for next week.

The offense set a goal of running 80 plays; it came very close to that goal by running 74 plays. The Wolverines trio of running backs Melikke Van Alstyne (Salme, MA), Nick Finger (Millbrook, NY) and Phil Bigelow (East Orange, NJ) gained 291 yards on the ground, averaging 9 yards per carry. Kenny Brock (Burlington, NJ) lead the passing attack, completing 17 of 29 passes for 230 yards, 2 TDs, 1INT. Brock also rushed for 42 yards and one score. Eight different Bridgton receivers caught passes, lead by Scott Benzing (Brookfield, CT) with 6 catches for 125 yards, including one reception that went for 67 yards and a touchdown. Alex Colorito (Beaveron, OR) caught five passes for 72 yards. The offensive line, including Daniel Alexander (Sammamish, WA), Jacob Lane (Harrison Valley, PA) and Kevin Colon (Lowell, MA) played very well, which allowed for the big plays to develop.

Coach Marcella recognizes that the most improvement for his team happens between the first and second week, and says his team is, “not where we need to be yet, but everyone contributed against Husson, and that will need to continue for us to be successful.”

The Wolverine’s are on the road Sunday, September 20th when they take on Curry College in Milton, MA.

#2 Scott Benzing breaks free for a 67 yard TD

#75 Jack Wright collects one of the five sacks the Bridgton defense collected on the day

#40 Nick Finger finds a hole created by #54 Viondy Merisma

Wovlerines Take Season Opener 32-0

The Bridgton Academy football team traveled to Bangor on Sunday to take on the Husson Eagles JV. The game featured a strong offensive showing for the Wolverines as well as a defensive shut out that gives the team a boost of confidence as they start their season.

The scoring started early, as Bridgton marched down the field on their first drive and Kenneth Brock (Burlington, NJ) found Keith Williams (Simi Valley, CA) three yards out for the first score of the game with 11:12 remaining in the quarter. The Wolverine defense did a good job of holding the Eagles and the next time the ball saw the end zone was half way through the second quarter when Brock took the ball in on his own from a yard out. On the very next series Scott Benzing (Brookfield, CT) caught a pass in the middle of the field from 71 yards out and took it in for the final score of the half. Bridgton went into halftime with a 19-0 lead and the defense dreaming of a shutout.

The second half opened with Bridgton pinning the Eagles back on their two yard line. In the next play the Eagles quarterback lost the handle on the ball as Christian Weeman (North Attleboro, MA) came off the corner on a blitz and forced the fumble. Weeman recovered the ball in the end zone for another Wolverine touchdown.

Later in the fourth quarter Bridgton’s offensive attack continued as Phil Bigelow (East Orange, NJ) ran it in for a score from six yards out. The defense kept the pressure on and the Eagles failed to find the end zone before time expired.

With a final score of 32-0 the Bridgton Academy coaching staff was pleased with the day, however they were quick to remind the team that the schedule doesn’t get easier as the season goes along.

Next up for the Wolverines, a trip to Milton, MA to take on the Colonels of Curry College, coached by Skip Bandini, a member of the Bridgton Academy class of 1977 (a class mate of Coach Daley, Bridgton’s linebacker coach). Kickoff is set for 2 pm on Sunday, September 20.


Daniel Alexander #50 (Sammamish, WA) makes a tackle.
Mallik Van Alstyne #1 (Salem, MA) makes a cut and causes an Eagle defender to miss.
Jack Wright #75 (Forest Hill, FL) is on the line and ready.
John Moscatel #20 (Lexington, MA)making a tackle.

Season Preview

As head coach Rick Marcella closes out his second decade at the helm of the Bridgton Academy football team, he is making sure that the program continues to follow the mission statement of the school in preparing students to succeed both academically and athletically in college and later in life.
This fall Bridgton starts the year with a shorter roster and has installed both a new offense and defense. Coach Marcella, who is closing in on his 100 career victory at Bridgton is quick to point out that despite fewer players this year, “we have the right 50 guys.” Marcella attributes his success not just to the very talented players he has had in the past but also to the coaching staff he surrounds himself with saying, “we have great talent on both sides of the whistle.”
Joining Marcella on the coaching staff are three Bridgton alumni: defensive coordinator Joe Daley ’77, defensive line coach Matt Burgess ’88 and, Patrick Shairs ’02 is the defensive backs coach. Drew Inzer is in charge of the offensive line, and Rick Kramer is the quarterbacks and running backs coach.
The football team started working as soon as they stepped on campus; Coach Marcella gets his players in a routine saying, “we are getting our players ready for college, so we are holding them accountable, starting from day one with preseason.” Marcella added, “ask any recent graduate, if their college football preseason camp was anymore challenging than the one they faced at Bridgton Academy, and they will say they knew exactly what to expect in a college football preseason camp.”
In three of the last four years the football team has finished 5-5, including last season, the only exception came in ’07 when the Wolverines went 8-1. Looking at the schedule Bridgton will once again be tested, as their schedule is composed of college JV teams, with Navy Prep being the only prep school on the slate. Marcella will not look past any team, “all our focus is on the team we are playing that week, we cannot afford to look ahead.”
The Wolverines open up their season on the road against Husson College in Bangor, ME on the 13th. They then travel to Curry College, a team that lost their season opener for the first time in three years, and is a perennial DIII playoff team. Curry is coached by Skip Bandini, a 1977 Bridgton graduate. The following week Bridgton will take on Holy Cross, a D-I AA team, with the Crusaders varsity team having an off week Coach Marcella expects to see many varsity players. The only home game on the schedule will take place on October, 3rd against traditional rival Springfield College. Following Springfield, will be Navy Prep, where Bridgton will look to avenge a loss from last season. Bridgton then takes a road trip to face four Ivy League opponents in Columbia, Brown, Yale, and Dartmouth. Bridgton closes out its season with a game against renewed rival St. Anslem’s and Coach Pat Murphy, who is a Bridgton alum, class of ‘91.
Coach Marcella speaks highly of his squad starting with the offensive line, which he says, “has the potential to be the best ever at Bridgton Academy.” The line includes Viondy Merisma (Waltham, MA), Kyle Empey (Middleboro, MA), Kevin Colon (Lowell, MA), and Jacob Lane (Harrison Valley, PA). The running backs consist of a trio of talented and unselfish players in: Melikke Van Alstyne (Salem, MA), Phil Bigelow (East Orange, NJ) and Nick Finger (Millbrook, NY). The receiving core is made up of: Brett Parenteau (Manchester, NH), Jordan Murphy (Ayer, MA), Keith Williams (Simi Valley, CA), Ethan Barnes (New Bedford, MA) and Scott Benzing (Brookfield, CT). When speaking of the receivers Coach Marcella says they are a very talented group, which catch the ball well. The quarterbacking will be done by Kenny Brock (Burlington, NJ), Coach Marcella says that he mixes a strong arm with solid running ability. Backing up Brock will be Nick Marcella (North Bridgton, ME), who will also see time at wide receiver.
The defensive line is anchored by Brent MacLeod (Winchester, MA), and Andrew Kelley (Pittston, ME). The defensive ends include: Cameron Ziny (Natick, MA), Jack Wright (Forest Hill, FL), and Brian Wilcox (Jericho, VT). Linebackers include: Ryan LaFromboise (Ludlow, MA), Stephen Goniprow (Barrington, RI), and Chris Higgins (Cumberland, ME) who is the third member of his family to attend Bridgton Academy. The secondary is home to Alain Lundi (Ontario, Canada), Brandon Murphy (Branford, CT), Jonathan Balcacer (Peabody, MA), and John Moscatel (Lexington, MA), who is the only two way player on the team. Coach Marcella is quick to point out that there will also be key contributions by others, especially on special teams.

Wovlerines Set to Take On Husson

Sunday, September 13th, Bridgton Academy football will make the trip up to Husson College for their season opener against the Eagles JV squad. The game begins at 1 p.m. at the Winkin Sports Complex on the Husson campus. Click here for directions.

Black and Grey Scrimmage

Yesterday the Wolverines hit the field for the annual Black and Grey scrimmage. A chance for the offense and defense (both players and coaches) to see how the pre-season has gone and what still needs some work. The squad looked good as they prepare for their season opener against Husson College this coming Sunday at 2PM.
#36 meets the defense
The D Line takes a look
Ethan Barnes (#19) goes up for the ball
The defense converges on the ball
#36 taking the handoff
Coach Inzer watches the line at work
#1 (Mallik Van Alstyne) breaks into the open field
Coach Marcella calling in the playThe team takes a knee after the scrimmage

2009 Wolverine Football Team