Maritime Football League
2009 Game Summaries

Week 1: May 29-30

By Jon MacNeill

SAINT JOHN - A fourth-quarter rally came up short for the Saint John Wanderers as they fell 20-14 to the Halifax Shockers in the season opener of the Maritime Football League Saturday.

Ben Ferguson led the Shockers with two touchdowns, Brandon Lamey nabbed one while Rick MacMahon made two of three kicks for the extra point. Roger Muise and Doug McPhee had touchdowns for the Wanderers, while Chris Chesworth kicked both extra points.

Early in the second quarter Ferguson went for a 20-yard run, drawing two defensive penalties against the Wanderers and moving the Shockers deep in home team territory. A short snap from Shockers quarterback Chris Livingston to Robbie Tufts landed Halifax on the goal line, where Ferguson rushed in for a touchdown the next play.

As the first half wound to a close Livingston ripped a pass to Travis Lobben for a 25-yard gain on the doorstep of the Wanderers' end zone. On their first down with just one yard to go, Livingston passed across the middle to Lamey who collapsed over the line for the Shockers' second touchdown. MacMahon nailed the kick again to bring Halifax ahead 14-0 at the end of two quarters.

The Shockers had an extra celebration for Lamey on the sidelines, as it was his first touchdown in eight years playing football.

"I saw the line and all I could do was smile," Lamey said to his teammates as the half ended.

The Wanderers had an uneventful first 30 minutes. Coach Dave Grandy said his players are still getting used to each other on the field.

"We've got a lot of new guys. On offense the chemistry takes a little longer to get going and get plays down," Grandy said.

"Our defense wasn't making the tackles and plays that we needed, but they came out flying in the second half."

Indeed they did. Veteran Josh Brown stormed through the Shockers' line to sack Livingston off the first down. The next play Brown broke through again, nearly nabbing the quarterback a second time but forced an incomplete pass instead.

The Wanderers offense was still having trouble as the fourth quarter began, but the fiery defence picked up the slack. Rogers Muise appeared from nowhere to intercept a pass on the Shockers' first down at their 20 yard line. Muise kept the jets on and rushed to the end zone, putting the Wanderers on the board. Chris Chesworth kicked for the extra point, closing the gap to 14-7.

The Shockers responded to Muise's touchdown with an impressive 70-yard run by Ferguson, cushioning the lead to 20-7.

In a true showing of never-die grit, Rob McPhee reeled in a pass for a 50-yard gain, and went on to score the Wanderers' second touchdown with three minutes left in the game. Chesworth made the kick for 20-14.

"Obviously I'm a little disappointed with the loss, I expected us to come out of the gates a little faster than we did," Grandy said after the match.

Shockers coach Blair Ryan enjoyed his first official win with the team, and attributed their success to powerhouse Ben Ferguson.

"I said all week that we're going to feed the ball to Ben, and that's what we did," Ryan said.

"He stood out and really carried our offense."

Meanwhile, the Saint John Longhorns had a more successful start to their Maritime Football League season, downing the P.E.I. Privateers 15-6. Justin Cavan led the Longhorns with two touchdowns, each fuelled by passes from Reece Roach. John Phillips contributed with two conversions and one rouge. Dave Clark had the lone touchdown for the Privateers, after making a 60-yard run.

The Longhorns and Wanderers meet Friday night at Millidgeville field for what promises to be a heated match between the Port City rivals.

Meanwhile, the Saint John Storm of the Maritime Women's Football League are set to begin defence of its Maritime league championship next Saturday in Moncton against the Vipers. Game time is slated for 6:30 p.m. This is the sixth season for the women's league.

By Times & Transcript Staff

The Riverview Mustangs continue to be a dominant presence in the Maritime Football League.

The Mustangs, Maritime Bowl champions for the past two seasons, opened the 2009 season with a 28-14 victory over the Capital Area Gladiators of Fredericton last night at Rocky Stone Memorial Field.

Running back Steve Cormier led the Mustangs' attack with three touchdowns.

Cormier, who wound up with 278 rushing yards, scored majors on runs of 46 yards, 15 yards and one yard.

Slotback Jordan Kenny, who played last season with the Moncton Marshals, scored the other Riverview major on a 6-yard run.

Matt Archibald kicked three converts and added a rouge by kicking the ball through the end zone on a kickoff.

For the Gladiators, quarterback Andrew Hickey ran for a 10-yard touchdown and connected for another major with Andrew Hubbard on a 60-yard pass and run.

Zac Cann added a convert and rouge for the Gladiators.

Riverview led 13-6 at halftime when the rain got heavier and made the ball slippery.

Riverview coach Rob Weir said he was pleased with the win but saw some things that need improvement.

Defensively, the Mustangs got interceptions from Terry Veneau and defensive lineman Andy Stultz, who rumbled for 26 yards after the pickoff.

Shawn Wareham added a pair of quarterback sacks for the Mustangs while Jason Terris and Ryan Eddie each recorded one sack.