Box Score KINGS POINT, N.Y. -- Junior quarterback Ian Blankenship had 29 carries for 151 yards and a touchdown and he also threw for 68 yards as host Merchant Marine captured the Secretaries' Cup with a 24-14 win over Coast Guard in the only game of the season for both teams and the first game for Coast Guard head coach C.C. Grant.
Senior John Barbera was 18 of 34 for 181 yards with one touchdown and one interception in his first and only career start. Sophomore Jared Colletti led the Bears with six receptions for 88 yards as well as a team-high tying 24 rushing yards. He finished the day with 165 all purpose yards and both Coast Guard touchdowns.
Senior linebacker Eugene Bizer had a huge game to close out his career as he finished with a game and career-high 20 tackles, 14 solo and two for loss for the Bears.
Merchant Marine, which did not turn the ball over the win, finished with 411 yards, 343 on the ground while the Bears had 243 total yards. Coast Guard had just one turnover in the loss.
Connor Caffrey intercepted Barbera on the Bears second possession of the third quarter and the Mariners went 57 yards with Ceaser Gonzalez scoring on a 1-yard run with 3:56 left in the quarter to take a 17-7 lead. Blankenship converted a 4th and one from the three to keep the drive alive.
Coast Guard punted, had the interception and then turned it over on downs at the Merchant Marine 38 on its three third quarter possessions.
The Bears ran 12 plays for 24 yards in the third quarter while the Mariners had 110 yards in the third quarter, all on the ground as Merchant Marine had eight first downs to the Bears one.
Coast Guard climbed back in the game with an impressive 86-yard drive capped on Barbera's first career touchdown pass, a 24-yard strike to Colletti, with 9:09 left to cut the deficit to 17-14.
The Mariners answered with a 4-yard touchdown run by Matt Restifo with 4:48 for a 24-14 lead to cap the 60 yard drive.
Merchant Marine captures the Secretaries' Cup for the fifth time in the last six seasons.
"These kids and what they have been through and kids having COVID and not practicing for a couple of weeks and coming back, its tough for me to say i'm upset with them," said Grant. "Yeah, I wish the score had been different, but I told them after the game how proud of them I was and it was alot of fun to be able to be out there today and its hard to find fault with the effort they gave today."
Blankenship's 1-yard touchdown run on fourth down capped the opening drive of the game in which the Mariners marched 60 yards and converted on three fourth-and-one's including the touchdown with 8:27 left in the first quarter.
Coast Guard would respond with an 80 yard drive with Colletti scoring on a two-yard run, the first touchdown of his career, and classmate Finnegan Hall's extra point tied the game at 7-7 with 1:11 left in the opening quarter. Barbera was a perfect 7 for 7 for 80 yards on the drive.
The Mariners would turn it over on downs at the Coast Guard 29 with 14:24 left in the half before the Bears drove to the MMA 28 and turned it over on downs with 10:41 left.
On its next possession, Merchant Marine would again turn it over on downs at the Bears 32 with 6:47 left before Coast Guard was forced to punt.
Jack Ruark booted a 25-yard field goal with 1:06 left in the half giving Merchant Marine a 10-7 lead at the half.
Merchant Marine had 212 yards in the first half, 144 rushing and 68 passing while Coast Guard had 143 yards at the break, 99 passing and 44 on the ground. Barbera was 9 of 14 for 99 yards in the half. Colletti led the Bears with 21 rushing yards (3 carries) and 52 receiving yards (two receptions) at halftime.
