This game will be talked about on the seven seas for some time.
It’s all lock and focus at Kings Point as the 6-2 United States Merchant Marine Academy is shipping up to Boston to do battle with its bitter rival, the 7-2 United States Coast Guard Academy, at Fenway Park on Saturday.
What’s on the line for the two Division III arch adversaries, who become trusted comrades on the water, is the pride and joy of hoisting the coveted Secretaries’ Cup — along with blissful nautical bragging rights.
“I think it’s the DIII Army-Navy game,” Mariners senior linebacker Deryk Leverage told The Post.
“We could go undefeated, we could lose every game, but this game is, to us, the highest on our list,” he added of playing the New London, Conn.-based Bears, who are celebrating the Coast Guard’s 235th anniversary.
The cross-Long Island Sound sports enemies have faced off 53 times as the Merchant Marine leads the series 37-16, but have lost the past two renditions.
“After a loss, it definitely sucks,” Leverage said of being at sea for months afterward.
“Especially if we have Coast Guard guys on our ship, they’ll definitely be bringing it up every now and then.”
Making waves
The rivalry’s ferocious intensity has been somewhat obscure, said Mariners head coach Jameson Croall.
“There are people who grew up on Long Island that don’t even really know [Kings Point] is here, not to mention all over the United States,” added the team’s skipper, who himself was aloof to the contention before taking the job in 2012.
That all changed in Year 1 when Coast Guard drove down to Kings Point to shoot a “prank video” on campus.
“They brought their bear costume down — and one of our midshipmen, who wasn’t a football player, stole it out of their truck,” recalled Croall, who’s beaten the Bears nine times in his tenure.
“That bear head ended up in the middle of our regiment as we marched on to the field. That caused a ruckus… And I just remember being like, ‘Oh, this is a little bit different than anything I’m used to.’ ”
He said the two sides have adopted a more shipshape approach over the years as the game has gained more nationwide attention, thanks to being broadcast on ESPN, which gives both academies’ athletes excellent exposure.
“We don’t want to screw that up with some shenanigans,” joked the coach, who has a Fenway Park sign near his office for the team to visualize the big moment ahead.
“All we want to do is spotlight how special our place is,” Croall added of the only federal service academy where graduates can commission into any military branch.
Uncharted waters
Another unique element takes a mental toll on USMMA players in what is typically their final game of the year.
“As soon as we are done with our season, most of us will get sent out,” junior linebacker Aidan Graham said of what’s typically eight months at sea at any given port around the globe on military or commercial crafts.
“We had players last time go out the night of the Coast Guard game —guys flying out to Japan that night,” he added of the short-notice assignments.
The anticipation of being stationed is even more last-minute this time, as the Mariners wait to see if they will be playing in a bowl game following the Coast Guard matchup.
“It’s hard to stay focused on the task at hand because you know that our world is going to change,” he added.
Returning players also have to find a way to manage their fitness regimen while on the water, no matter what kind of training equipment awaits them on their ships.
Sometimes they can luck out with a “Gold’s Gym” on board, but other times, “it’s a four-foot ceiling with just a bench and no weights,” according to Leverage.
“I had to do sprints, and I had to do speed work on our flight deck. I had about 50 feet to work in,” said Graham, who is vying to become a Navy SEAL.
“I was running up and down, timing myself, doing whatever I could to keep myself in shape.”
It’s all the more reason to bring the cup back to Nassau County this weekend before boarding vessels with Coast Guard personnel on board.
“It’s a lot nicer going out on a ship when we win,” said Leverage.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
