Maritime Privateers Announce 2009 Football Schedule
Contact: Clayton Kendrick-Holmes, HEad Coach
THROGS NECK, NY - The Maritime College Privateer Football Team has released its 2009 football season schedule. In its fourth NCAA Division III season, the team has a full 10 game schedule including 7 games in the newly formed Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC).
The season kicks off on Thursday night of Labor Day weekend, September 5th, at Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay, MA, with the third annual playing of the “Chowder Bowl”. The Privateers have come away with the coveted trophy in hard fought battles each of the past contests and will look to start off the 2009 season on the right foot.
The Privateers home slate begins the next Thursday night, September 10th, against Division I (FCS) opponent, Wagner University, from Staten Island. “They will definitely be our toughest opponent of the year but we were looking to “play up” against a local team and get a home game in September. It will be a huge challenge but I expect our team will compete and be ready to do their best.” commented Coach Kendrick-Holmes.
Maritime will close out the non-conference schedule the next week as they cross the Long Island Sound to take on the Mariners of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. The teams have played in pre season scrimmages the past two seasons, and with the shared institutional educational missions and recruiting pool, the teams are quite familiar.
ECFC competition will kick off for the Privateers the next week, with the remaining 7 games on the schedule as conference foes. The first game will be a challenge as the team travels to Bangor, Maine to take on the conference pre-season favorite, Husson College.
October opens with 2 consecutive home games against newly formed football programs. Anna Maria University will travel to Reinhart Field on October 3rd, and Castleton State will fill the homecoming slot on October 10th. A day trip to play at Becker College is in store for the team the next week and the Privateers will return home to play Mount Ida College on October 24th. The Mount Ida date will be designated “Bronx Warrior Pee Wee Football Day” and the Warriors will take the field prior to the Varsity contest. After a road trip to Vermont to take on the Cadets of Norwich University, the regular season will conclude with a Friday evening game against Gallaudet University on November 7th.
An ECFC Championship Game is scheduled to be played on November 14th and will pit the top two regular season performers. The top team will host the title bout.
Coach Kendrick-Holmes and his staff are excited about the prospects of the upcoming season especially since there are a dozen seniors from the first recruiting class to lead the team and who are looking to complete their eligibility. The ECFC affiliation will bring a new energy to the season and the chase for the inaugural crown should be exciting to follow.
To view the complete 2009 schedule, follow this link.