Aboutoui Makes History Three Times in Football's Shutout
Milton, MA - For the third straight week, the Curry football team cruised to a largely uncompetitive win, this week defeating Maine Maritime 60-0. It is the largest shutout win in program history, bettering on the 50-0 win over Dean from last year.
The Colonels wasted no time, as Jordan Depina took the opening kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown. Shortly after that, Kareem Chaplin II caught a nine yard pass from Anthony Santino to make it 14-0. Still not even at the halfway point of the opening quarter, Santino found Colin Ridley for a 57 yard TD bomb, making it 20-0. The scoring slowed down a bit, but with just under two minutes left in the quarter, Omar Aboutoui drilled a 46-yard FG, a career long, which tied the Curry program record for the longest FG. Previously Jamie Evans made one in 1985, and Bill Lovendale in 1999. But this was just the start of the day for Aboutoui.
Early in the second quarter, another Colonel drive stalled out, and Aboutoui ran out for a 48-yard attempt, which he made easily, setting a new program record. But he still wasn't done. After a Montie Quinn TD on their next drive made it 33-0, the Colonels got the ball back, and were driving until an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty derailed it. facing a 4th and 22, Aboutoui was tasked with another long FG attempt, this time from 53 yards. He blasted the ball, and it bounced on the cross bar and through, becoming the first FG good from 50+ yards in program history, and breaking the record he had set just minutes earlier. The Colonels would score one more time in the first half, scoring on a 19-yard TD pass from Santino to Wesley Williams with less than a minute left in the half.
A highlight of the game came on the first offensive drive of the second half for the Colonels, down at the goal line. Conner Coutinho, the Colonels starting right guard, lined up at left tackle, and after the ball was snapped, ran back and reversed behind QB Anthony Santino, who pitched him the ball, and the Curry sideline went crazy as Coutinho waltzed into the endzone. The score would make it 50-0. The Colonels would give Aboutoui the rest of the game off, and had Lyle Ssengonzi attempt and make a 31 yarder late in the third. The following kickoff from Ssengonzi bounced off a Mariner, and was recovered by the Colonels, setting them up for one last score, this time a 14-yard rushing TD by Nathaniel Zachery.
While the game was well out of reach, all eyes were still on the scoreboard, as the Colonels flirted with the program record for points in a game for the third straight week. Previously set nearly 21 years to the day, on 10/9/2004 in a 65-13 win over Salve Ragina, the Colonels seemed primed to break it. They got all the way down to the four yard line, but a fumble recovered by the Mariners ended those record breaking thoughts.
Usually the lead story, Montie Quinn had a "quiet" 179 yards on 15 carries, including a TD. Outside of stepping on the field as part of the kneel down to end the game, Quinn did not play in the second half for a third straight week.
Anthony Santino did not need to do much under center, but had a very productive 6-8 day for 158 yards and three TDs.
Defensively, Leo Yardumian led the team with a sack and an interception. The team as a whole had 11 tackles for loss, and only allowed five first down, two of which came via penalty. They only allowed 48 total yards.
Up Next - The Colonels should face a tougher test next Saturday, as they will host Nichols, who hold a slight 30-29 all-time series lead over the Colonels. The Colonels have won the last two matchups, in a pair of games that saw both teams score 40+. That game, which is homecoming, will kickoff at 12pm.
