Published by Times & Transcript - May 22 2018 -
The Moncton Mustangs remain unbeaten in the Maritime Football League.
The Mustangs held off a strong fight from the Island Mariners to keep their perfect record intact with a 43- 30 win on Saturday on the road in Cornwall, P.E.I.
Defending champion Moncton has started the season with three straight wins.
The Mustangs used a strong fourth quarter to rally for the victory. They trailed 24-22 entering the final frame, but scored three consecutive touchdowns to pull away from the Mariners for good.
Running back Aubrey Ellis scored on a five-yard run, receiver Leslie Greene caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dan Comfort and Ellis found the end zone again on a six-yard run as Moncton went ahead 43-24 in the fourth.
The Island scored a late touchdown, but it was too little, too late. The P.E.I. squad fell to 0-3.
"I think our depth and our offence were finally able to drive the ball on them," said Mustangs head coach Jason Terris. "With our deep roster, we were able to keep fresh and we were able to drive the ball in the fourth."
Moncton turned in a balanced performance on offence. Ellis was productive on the ground, rushing for 221 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.
Comfort went 9-for-21 for 151 passing yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. He also ran for a major. Greene had three catches for 49 receiving yards, including two touchdowns.
Scott LeBlanc kicked three field goals for the Mustangs.
Derick Bourgeois recorded five and a half tackles for the Moncton defence.
The Mustangs led 13-7 after the first quarter on a pair of field goals by LeBlanc and an 11-yard TD reception by Greene.
The teams then exchanged second-quarter touchdowns, with Comfort running from one yard out for Moncton's. Another field goal by LeBlanc sent the Mustangs into halftime with a 22-14 lead.
The Island countered with a touchdown and a field goal of its own to pull ahead 24-22 by the end of the third quarter.
"With our history with them, we knew going in that we would have a tight fight on our hands. We told the new guys on the team that even though there's a difference in the standings, they would come at us with all they had, and they did," Terris said.
"They've got some great players on their team, and sometimes they caught us flat-footed and were able to exploit some of our weaknesses. They caught us for some deep passes and scored pretty quickly sometimes."
Moncton returns to action by visiting the Halifax Harbour Hawks on Saturday.