KINGS POINT, N.Y. (October 17, 2026) - Salve Regina University football rallied with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns before ultimately falling, 28-21, at the United States Merchant Marine Academy in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) at Brooks Stadium in Kings Point, New York.
Junior Bubba Mustain (Oro Valley, Ariz.) accounted for all four Merchant Marine touchdowns, completing 14-of-24 passes for 159 yards and two scores while rushing 32 times for a game-high 131 yards and two more touchdowns. Junior Angelo Cimino (Salinas, Calif.) led the receiving corps with six catches for 65 yards, classmate Sonny Endicott (Colorado Springs, Colo.) added four receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown, and senior Caleb Callahan (Poulsbo, Wash.) caught two passes for 10 yards and a score. Sophomore Mason Wilson (New Orleans, La.) added a 32-yard reception and 27 rushing yards.
Defensively, sophomore Ben McQueen (Charleston, S.C.) came up with two of the biggest plays of the afternoon, intercepting Salve Regina quarterback Padraig Brown (Newington, Conn.) twice. His first interception came in the end zone late in the second quarter to preserve a 14-0 halftime lead, while his second came with just 40 seconds remaining to finally put away the victory.
Junior Blayne Shiraki (Honolulu, Hawaii) led Merchant Marine with eight tackles and shared a sack with classmate Andrew McConnell (San Antonio, Texas). Senior Armondo Orcesi (Dexter, N.Y.) finished with six stops, while junior Trent Sterner (North Kingstown, R.I.) and senior Aidan Graham (Allen, Texas) recorded five apiece. McQueen added three tackles to his two interceptions.
Merchant Marine finished with a 351-314 advantage in total offense and a 19-16 edge in first downs. The Mariners rushed for 192 yards on 57 attempts and controlled the ball for 38:26. USMMA also converted all five of its fourth-down attempts and went 4-for-5 in the red zone.
The Mariners took the opening kickoff and immediately put together a 12-play, 76-yard scoring drive. Mustain capped the march with a two-yard touchdown pass to Callahan with 9:35 remaining in the first quarter to give USMMA a 7-0 lead.
Merchant Marine doubled its advantage early in the second. An eight-play, 66-yard drive ended when Mustain found Endicott for a nine-yard touchdown with 12:37 left in the half.
Salve Regina threatened late in the second quarter, moving inside the USMMA 10, but McQueen intercepted Brown in the end zone with 55 seconds remaining to keep the Seahawks off the scoreboard and send the Mariners into halftime ahead 14-0.
The Seahawks finally broke through late in the third quarter when Brown connected with Jamie Andrews (Plymouth, Mass.) for a 56-yard touchdown, cutting the Merchant Marine lead to 14-7 with 4:16 remaining.
USMMA answered with a methodical 15-play, 64-yard drive that chewed more than seven minutes off the clock. Mustain finished the possession with a four-yard touchdown run at the 12:07 mark of the fourth quarter to restore the two-score advantage.
The Mariners then benefited from the strong wind on the ensuing kickoff, as the ball held up and junior Dane Grunder (Towson, Md.) raced past the Seahawks to recover it at the Salve Regina 26-yard line. Mustain broke off a 23-yard run on the ensuing possession and scored from three yards out on the next play, giving Merchant Marine its largest lead of the day at 28-7 with 10:59 remaining.
Salve Regina refused to go away. Brown found Andrews for a 40-yard touchdown just 48 seconds later to make it 28-14, and the Seahawks continued to apply pressure late in the quarter.
Merchant Marine had an opportunity to drain more clock on its next possession, but a 15-yard personal foul helped stall the drive and forced the Mariners to punt. Salve Regina then drove 87 yards in 10 plays, with Brown scoring on a three-yard run with 2:38 remaining to pull the Seahawks within 28-21.
The Mariners recovered the ensuing short kickoff but were unable to run out the clock, giving Salve Regina one final possession from its own 17 with 1:03 remaining. A Merchant Marine pass-interference penalty moved the Seahawks to the 32, but McQueen responded two plays later by intercepting Brown at the USMMA 39 with 40 seconds left, allowing the Mariners to run out the clock and secure the seven-point victory.
For Salve Regina, Brown completed 11-of-22 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions while also rushing for a score. Michael LaRusso (Congers, N.Y.) led the Seahawks with 76 rushing yards on 17 carries, while Andrews caught six passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Colin Morley (Scituate, Mass.) led the Salve Regina defense with 14 tackles.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Merchant Marine 28, Salve Regina 21
Records: Salve Regina (4-2; 1-2 NEWMAC), Merchant Marine (6-0; 6-0 NEWMAC)
All-Time Series: Today was the fourth ever meeting between the two schools in football. Salve Regina had won the first two while averaging 33.0 points per game. Series is now tied at two wins apiece.
SUMMARY:
- 1st | 09:35 | USMMA - Caleb Callahan 2 yd pass from Bubba Mustain (Karson Bye kick) 12 plays, 76 yards, TOP 5:25 | MARINERS 7, SEAHAWKS 0
- 2nd | 12:37 | USMMA - Sonny Endicott 9 yd pass from Bubba Mustain (Karson Bye kick) 8 plays, 66 yards, TOP 4:08 | MARINERS 14, SEAHAWKS 0
- 3rd | 04:16 | SALVE - Jamie Andrews 56 yd pass from Padraig Brown (Nathan DiRado kick) 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:42 | MARINERS 14, SEAHAWKS 7
- 4th | 12:07 | USMMA - Bubba Mustain 4 yd run (Karson Bye kick), 15 plays, 64 yards, TOP 7:04 | MARINERS 21, SEAHAWKS 7
- 4th | 10:59 | USMMA - Bubba Mustain 3 yd run (Karson Bye kick), 3 plays, 26 yards, TOP 1:07 | MARINERS 28, SEAHAWKS 7
- 4th | 10:11 | SALVE - Jamie Andrews 40 yd pass from Padraig Brown (Nathan DiRado kick) 2 plays, 66 yards, TOP 0:43 | MARINERS 28, SEAHAWKS 14
- 4th | 02:38 | SALVE - Padraig Brown 3 yd run (Nathan DiRado kick), 10 plays, 87 yards, TOP 2:44 | MARINERS 28, SEAHAWKS 21
HIGHLIGHTS ON X
NOTEWORTHY:
- Both teams scored two touchdowns in the final quarter.
- Colin Morley led the Salve Regina defense with 14 tackles.
- Michael LaRusso led the Seahawks with 76 rushing yards on 17 carries.
- Jamie Andrews caught six passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns.
- Padraig Brown completed 11-of-22 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for a score.
ON THE HORIZON:
Three of the final four regular season games for Salve Regina are at home. The Seahawks host MIT on Saturday, October 24, with a noon kickoff on FloCollege at Toppa Field.
