A referee is recovering from injuries suffered when a cannon blast hit him in the face during a Maine Maritime Academy football game in Castine on Saturday.

The referee was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life threatening.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Department reported that an MMA alumnus brought the cannon to the game, according to News Center Maine WCSH/WLBZ.

The cannon was loaded with black powder and a substance that had been made into a wad, the sheriff’s office said.

It’s tradition for a cannon to be fired when MMA scores.

See the News Center Maine report here.

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