Jayden Barber runs for 193 yards as Bridgewater State beats Mass Maritime 21-14 in the Cranberry Bowl
Football, MASCAC: The Bears forced three turnovers, took back the Cranberry Scoop and clinched the conference title and an NCAA bid, while North Dartmouth's Ray Gramlich scored Mass Maritime's late touchdown in the Buccaneers' last game of the season.
WAREHAM Mass Maritime drove 73 yards in 20 plays to the Bridgewater State 7 early in the fourth quarter, and on fourth-and-goal senior Hunter Hastings deflected Joseph Schwartz's pass to keep the Bears up two touchdowns.
Bridgewater State (8-1, 7-1 MASCAC) held on from there and beat Massachusetts Maritime Academy (6-3, 5-3) 21-14 Saturday at Mazzaferro Field in Bridgewater, winning the 47th Cranberry Bowl on its Senior Day and taking back the Cranberry Scoop, the trophy the Buccaneers won with a 20-7 victory in Buzzards Bay last year. The win clinched the Bears' first outright MASCAC title since 2016 and sends them to the NCAA Division III tournament next Saturday, Nov. 21, the school said.
Freshman quarterback Jayden Barber of Harwich ran for 193 yards on 14 carries, 156 of them on five first-half runs that included a 65-yard touchdown, and threw touchdown passes to Giancarlo Nuzzo and Matthew O'Donnell. He completed 7 of 15 passes for 87 yards with two interceptions and was named the Lee Harrington MVP after the game.
"This means everything," Barber said in the school's game report. "I knew we were going to do it. I knew we were a good squad." Coach Joe Verria added, "When you need the big play, he makes the big play."
Mass Maritime came in leading NCAA Division III in rushing at 338 yards a game, according to Bridgewater State, and ran for 227, but it turned the ball over three times and was stopped on downs twice in Bridgewater State territory. Sophomore fullback Ray Gramlich of North Dartmouth scored the Buccaneers' second touchdown with 2:53 left.
| Quarter | Clock | Scoring play | Drive | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Second | 11:18 | Bridgewater State: Jayden Barber 4-yard pass to Giancarlo Nuzzo (Cooper Harvey kick) | 8 plays, 80 yards | Bridgewater State 7-0 |
| Second | 7:04 | Bridgewater State: Barber 65-yard run (Harvey kick) | 2 plays, 68 yards | Bridgewater State 14-0 |
| Second | 0:57 | Mass Maritime: John Dickinson 1-yard run (Grayson Smith kick) | 6 plays, 35 yards | Bridgewater State 14-7 |
| Third | 10:45 | Bridgewater State: Barber 21-yard pass to Matthew O'Donnell (Harvey kick) | 8 plays, 56 yards | Bridgewater State 21-7 |
| Fourth | 2:53 | Mass Maritime: Ray Gramlich 5-yard run (Smith kick) | 7 plays, 83 yards | Bridgewater State 21-14 |
A scoreless first quarter with three turnovers
Freshman Wyatt Goyette of Middleborough returned the opening kickoff 27 yards, and both teams went three-and-out to start. On the Buccaneers' second series Schwartz, a junior making the start at quarterback, lost the ball on a keeper and teammate Owen Lane recovered it at the Mass Maritime 9, and the punt gave Bridgewater State the ball at the Mass Maritime 45.
Barber ran 14 yards on third-and-2 to the 23. On the next snap junior defensive back Evan Hauptmann intercepted Barber at the 12 and returned it 29 yards to the Mass Maritime 41.
The Buccaneers went 59 yards in seven plays from there, with junior receiver Brennan Keefe breaking a 29-yard run to the Bridgewater State 17. On fourth-and-2 at the 9, senior Brooks Moss ran to the 4, but junior safety Mario Franciosa-Johnson knocked the ball loose and sophomore linebacker Garrett Giorgio recovered it in the end zone for a touchback with 4:18 left in the quarter.
Two Bridgewater State penalties and a 17-yard run by senior John Carlson moved Mass Maritime to the Bridgewater State 27 on its next drive. On the next snap sophomore cornerback Gavin Gilyard intercepted Schwartz at the 12, and the quarter ended scoreless.
Second quarter: Barber breaks it open
On Bridgewater State's first scoring drive, Barber kept the ball for 12 yards and, two plays later, 44 more before going out of bounds at the Mass Maritime 4, and on second-and-goal he faked a handoff, doubled back and threw to Nuzzo, a senior receiver, for a 4-yard touchdown at 11:18. Junior Cooper Harvey's kick made it 7-0.
Mass Maritime answered with Moss's 27-yard run to the Bridgewater State 41, but on fourth-and-2 at the 33 Giorgio stopped senior fullback John Dickinson a yard short. Two plays later Barber faked the handoff to one side, ran to the other and went 65 yards for a touchdown, and it was 14-0 with 7:04 left in the half.
Junior Santiago Martinez's 59-yard punt was downed at the Bridgewater State 5, the Buccaneers forced a three-and-out, and junior Colin McGovern's 22-yard punt gave Mass Maritime the ball at the Bridgewater State 35 with 3:18 to go.
Keefe ran 8 yards, Dickinson ran 6 for a first down, and Schwartz hit Keefe for 12 yards to the 9. Senior linebacker Benjamin Wing stopped junior Dylan Taylor at the 1, and Dickinson went in from a yard out with 57 seconds left. Sophomore Grayson Smith's kick made it 14-7.
Completions to junior receiver Emmanuel Poe and to Nuzzo moved the Bears to the Mass Maritime 30 with 27 seconds left, but Barber threw for Poe in double coverage and sophomore safety Blake Dolan intercepted it in the end zone, and it stayed 14-7 at the half.
Third quarter: Barber finds O'Donnell
Bridgewater State took the second-half kickoff 56 yards for the touchdown that decided it. Joseph Fallon's 24-yard return started the Bears at their 44, a pass interference penalty on third-and-8 moved them to the Mass Maritime 39, and Barber ran 11 yards to the 31. On third-and-2, senior defensive lineman Jorge Aquino lined up on offense and carried 4 yards for the first down.
Sophomore running back Oscar Weah Jr. ran twice to the 21, and on third-and-4 Barber threw to O'Donnell, a senior tight end, who was alone in the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown at 10:45.
After a punt apiece, Mass Maritime started its longest possession at its own 20 with 5:44 left in the quarter. Lane ran 16 yards on third-and-11, and when he was sacked by Aquino and freshman Joao Barreiros on fourth-and-4 at the Bridgewater State 43, a face mask penalty gave the Buccaneers a first down at the 28.
Fourth quarter: the stand at the 7
Schwartz converted fourth-and-1 at the 19 with a 1-yard keeper early in the fourth quarter. Three plays later Smith's 35-yard field goal try hit the crossbar, but Bridgewater State was offside, and Taylor ran 5 yards on fourth-and-5 for a first down at the 8.
After an incompletion and two short runs, Hastings got a hand on Schwartz's fourth-and-goal throw for Martinez from the 7. The drive took 9 minutes 42 seconds and ended on downs with 11:02 to play.
Weah's 30-yard run got the Bears out from their 6, and after a punt Mass Maritime went 83 yards in seven plays from its 17, starting with 5:21 left. Moss ran 21 yards, and Schwartz threw deep to Martinez for 42 yards to the Bridgewater State 20. Moss ran 6 yards on fourth-and-1 to the 5, and Gramlich carried in on the next snap. Smith's kick made it 21-14.
Barber's 18-yard pass to senior tight end Colton Johnson gave the Bears a first down at their 46, but Mass Maritime spent all three of its second-half timeouts while sophomore linemen Nathan Malek and Colin Bower, senior linebacker Jackson Mahoney and junior linebacker Ryan Halloran held them to no net gain on the next three plays. McGovern's punt and Lane's return put the ball at the Mass Maritime 20 with 1:47 left.
Schwartz found Keefe for 13 yards and Carlson ran twice to the Mass Maritime 38. On second-and-3, Wing intercepted Schwartz at the Mass Maritime 44, and Bridgewater State ran two plays to finish the last 52 seconds.
The standouts
Nuzzo caught three passes for 32 yards and a touchdown, and Weah ran 10 times for 49 yards. Senior defensive lineman Ajani Murray led the Bears with 11 tackles, Giorgio made 10 to go with the fumble recovery, Aquino made nine, and Hastings made five, 1.5 of them for losses. "We had the triple option to work on and we had an extra (bye) week, which helped us," Verria said in the school's report. Bridgewater State outgained Mass Maritime 362 yards to 294.
For Mass Maritime, Moss ran 10 times for 72 yards, Carlson seven times for 39 and Keefe twice for 37. Schwartz completed 3 of 11 passes for 67 yards. Junior linebacker Tom Spillane led the defense with eight tackles, Mahoney and sophomore cornerback Jorden Woods had seven each, and Bower made six, 3.5 of them for losses. The Buccaneers had more first downs, 17 to 14, held the ball for 32 minutes 24 seconds and converted three of six fourth-down tries.
South Coast players on both sidelines
Gramlich, who played at Dartmouth High, ran seven times for 15 yards and the late touchdown. On Nov. 2 the MASCAC named him its Offensive Player of the Week after he ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-7 win over Westfield State, and on Oct. 17 he ran for a career-high 131 yards and scored his first two college touchdowns in a 34-6 win at Fitchburg State, Mass Maritime said. Keefe, of Plymouth (Plymouth North), started at receiver and finished with 62 yards rushing and receiving. Goyette, a Middleborough High alumnus, returned four kickoffs for 82 yards, and junior Michael Figueiredo of Dartmouth (Dartmouth High) started at right tackle.
For Bridgewater State, sophomore Jack Balzarini of Carver (Carver High) started at linebacker and made seven tackles, and junior Joshua Yentz of Fall River (B.M.C. Durfee) started at left tackle. Freshman Jarren Goodine of New Bedford (New Bedford High) made three tackles on kickoff coverage, junior linebacker Killian Murphy of Plymouth (Plymouth North) made a tackle on Mass Maritime's longest drive, and junior quarterback Shamus Whiting of Plymouth (Plymouth North) also played. Senior James Marden of Dartmouth (Dartmouth High) played and was among the 19 seniors the Bears honored before the game.
Mass Maritime's roster also lists Brock Winslow of Rochester (Bishop Stang), Brody Hiles of Rochester (Old Rochester Regional), Caden Fitzsimmons of New Bedford (Greater New Bedford Tech), Matthew Holton of Raynham (Bridgewater-Raynham), Evan Dupras of East Freetown (Apponequet) and Drew Kelley of Bourne (Bourne High). Bridgewater State's lists Payton Calvin of Onset (Wareham High), Charles Medas (Joseph Case) and Jazmani Wynn (Bristol-Plymouth) of Taunton, Ethan Davis of Westport (Dartmouth High), Julez Johnson, Jelmanie Velez and Thiago Da Cruz of New Bedford (New Bedford High), and Max Arnold and Nicholas LeBretton of Plymouth (Plymouth South).
Where both seasons stand
Saturday was the last game on Mass Maritime's schedule. Jeremy Cameron's Buccaneers won their first five games, including a 26-22 win over UMass Dartmouth. They lost 18-14 at Framingham State on Oct. 24 and 28-27 at Worcester State on Nov. 7, and their 5-3 conference record ties them with UMass Dartmouth and Worcester State for third in the MASCAC.
Bridgewater State, in Verria's 11th season as head coach, came off back-to-back 5-5 seasons and has won five straight since its only loss, 35-34 to Worcester State on Oct. 3. The Bears finished alone atop the MASCAC at 7-1, a game ahead of Framingham State (6-2), and the school said a Mass Maritime win would have left three teams tied for first with Framingham State taking the NCAA bid. The trip is the program's fifth and first since 2016, and the Bears now lead the Cranberry Bowl series 35-11-1, by the school's count.
The NCAA reveals the 40-team Division III bracket in a selection show at 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, on NCAA.com, and the first round is Saturday, Nov. 21. We will add the Bears' opponent, kickoff time and site when the bracket is out.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
The final and the plays are from our own coverage of the game, and the clock readings, drive totals, tacklers, player statistics and lineups are from the game statistics Mass Maritime's athletics site posted, read Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026. Barber's Lee Harrington MVP award, the MASCAC title, the NCAA bid and its date, the program's NCAA history, Mass Maritime's rushing ranking, the series record and the quotes from Barber and Verria are from Bridgewater State's game report by Jim Fenton, posted Saturday afternoon. Records and both seasons' results are from the two schools' schedules, and the conference standings from the MASCAC's standings page. Names, classes, positions, hometowns and high schools are from both teams' rosters. Last year's 20-7 Mass Maritime win, the Cranberry Scoop and the Lee Harrington MVP award are from Mass Maritime's 2025 game report, and Mass Maritime's own game report confirms the final and the end of its season. Gramlich's Player of the Week award and his Westfield State and Fitchburg State games are from Mass Maritime's Nov. 2 release, and the selection show and first-round date are from the NCAA's championship schedule on NCAA.com. Barber's first-half rushing total and Keefe's combined yards are our math. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar.
Corrections
No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.
Sources (14)
- Mass. Maritime Athletics: official box score, Mass. Maritime at Bridgewater State, Nov. 14, 2026Final, Mass. Maritime 14, Bridgewater St. 21; line score 0-7-0-7 and 0-14-7-0; records 6-3, 5-3 and 8-1, 7-1; scoring summary; team statistics; individual passing, rushing, receiving, kicking, punting, return and defensive statistics; Mazzaferro Field, attendance 1,300, cloudy, 46F. Read Nov. 14, 2026, about 4:03 p.m.
- Mass. Maritime Athletics: official play-by-play, Nov. 14, 2026Every play, down, distance, clock reading, tackler, penalty and drive total cited in the story. Read Nov. 14, 2026, about 4:06 p.m.
- Mass. Maritime Athletics: starting lineups, Nov. 14, 2026Schwartz at quarterback, Keefe at receiver and Figueiredo at right tackle for Mass Maritime; Yentz at left tackle and Balzarini at linebacker for Bridgewater State. Read Nov. 14, 2026, about 4:15 p.m.
- Mass. Maritime Athletics: participation list, Nov. 14, 2026Players who took part for each team, including Marden, Whiting, Murphy and Goodine for Bridgewater State and Goyette and Figueiredo for Mass Maritime. Read Nov. 14, 2026, about 4:15 p.m.
- Mass. Maritime Athletics: 2026 Buccaneers football scheduleOverall 6-3, conference 5-3, home 5-0; every 2026 result, the 48th Admiral's Cup, Senior Day Oct. 31, and Saturday's game as the last listed, "L, 21-14, 47th Cranberry Bowl". Read Nov. 14, 2026, about 4:06 p.m.
- Bridgewater State Athletics: 2026 football scheduleOverall 8-1, conference 7-1, streak W5; every 2026 result; Nov. 14 "W, 21-14, 47th Annual Cranberry Bowl Presented by A&A Metro Transportation, Senior Day". Read Nov. 14, 2026, about 4:06 p.m.
- Bridgewater State Athletics: Football Captures 47th Cranberry Bowl, Heads to NCAAsThe school's game report by Jim Fenton, Nov. 14, 2026: MASCAC title clinched, first outright since 2016; NCAA Division III tournament "next Saturday"; fifth NCAA trip (1999, 2000, 2012, 2016); Barber named the Lee Harrington Most Valuable Player; Barber and Verria quotes; Mass Maritime No. 1 in Division III rushing at 338 yards a game; Cranberry Bowl series 35-11-1; 19 seniors honored, James Marden among them. Headline read about 4:07 p.m.; story text read about 4:37 p.m.
- MASCAC: 2026 football standingsBridgewater St. 7-1 (8-1), Framingham St. 6-2 (7-2), Mass. Maritime, Mass.-Dartmouth and Worcester St. 5-3. Read Nov. 14, 2026, about 4:09 p.m.
- Mass. Maritime Athletics: 2026 football rosterNames, numbers, positions, classes, hometowns and high schools for every Mass Maritime player named; head coach Jeremy Cameron. Read Nov. 14, 2026, about 4:13 p.m.
- Bridgewater State Athletics: 2026 football rosterNames, numbers, positions, classes, hometowns and high schools for every Bridgewater State player named; head coach Joe Verria, 11th season; captains Aquino, Colton Johnson, Lambert and Wing. Read Nov. 14, 2026, about 4:13 p.m.
- Mass. Maritime Athletics: Football Wins the 46th Cranberry Bowl over Bridgewater StateNov. 15, 2025: Mass Maritime 20-7 in Buzzards Bay, its first Cranberry Scoop since 2017 ("having not won the Cranberry Scoop since 2017"), Mahoney named the Lee Harrington MVP. Read Nov. 14, 2026.
- Mass. Maritime Athletics: Bucs Finish Season 6-3 After Narrow Loss in Cranberry BowlNov. 14, 2026: final 21-14, Mass Maritime finishes 6-3 and 5-3 MASCAC; Gramlich five-yard touchdown with 2:53 left on a seven-play, 83-yard drive. Read Nov. 14, 2026, about 5:05 p.m.
- Mass. Maritime Athletics: Gramlich Named MASCAC Offensive Player of the WeekNov. 2, 2026: sophomore fullback Ray Gramlich named MASCAC Offensive Player of the Week after 103 yards and two touchdowns in the 21-7 win over Westfield State; career-high 131 yards and first two career touchdowns in the 34-6 win over Fitchburg State. Read Nov. 14, 2026, about 5:07 p.m.
- NCAA.com: 2026 DIII football championship selection show info, bracket, schedule40-team field; selection show 5 p.m. ET Sunday, Nov. 15, on NCAA.com; first round Saturday, Nov. 21. Read Nov. 14, 2026, about 5:02 p.m.