United States Coast Guard Academy

NEW LONDON, Conn. - Bears Football took on Merchant Marine in the annual Secretaries' Cup game, falling to the Mariners with a final score of 39-27.

The Bears got the scoring going on the opening drive of the game. Dennis O'Shea came in to take the snap, pitching it to Joey Armentrout who found Broock Desta for a 27-yard TD. A bad snap led to CGA unable to add the extra point, making it 6-0.

Merchant Marine answered back on their first drive with a touchdown of their own and, after a made extra point, took the lead 7-0. 

The lone score of the second quarter came from CGA as Glenn Patrick rushed for two the find the end zone and tie the game up at 13, following a made extra point by Brennan Holt. 

Heading into the break, the game remained tied at 13.

In the third quarter, the Bears found themselves down again as the Mariners scored to go up, 20-13. In its next drive, Coast Guard turned it over when Armentrout threw a pick that would later result in Merchant Marine adding on to its lead. 

At the start of the fourth quarter, CGA found themselves down, 26-13.

The Bears got the final quarter started by cutting the lead back to six. Armentrout threw a 32-yard dime to James Patz in the end zone. With the momentum shifting, the defense came on to force a three-and-out. 

However, the Bears turned it over again, leading to the Mariners getting the ball in CGA territory. After four plays, Merchant Marine extended its lead to 12 with a score of 32-20.

With the ball  back, CGA turned it over on downs after running eight plays to land on the 26 of the MMA. The Mariners ultimately scored again, extending their lead to 39-20. 

After 16 plays on offense for the Bears, Jacob Vecchio punched it in from the one-yard line to cut the lead back to 12, for a score of 39-27.

John Prosperi came on to perform a successful onside kick for the Bears. However, the start of the drive saw an interception by the Mariners, marking the end of the game.

Armentrout went 20-32 for 234 yards and two touchdowns. Desta had 10 receptions for 114 yards and one TD, followed by Patz with six catches for 77 yards and a TD. O'Shea led in rushing for CGA with 42 yards, followed by Patrick with 27 and a TD.

The Secretaries' Cup marks the end of the regular season for the Bears, ending with a record of 5-5 and a conference record of 3-4.