CASTLETON, Vt. — Christian Mulcahy (Norwich, Conn.) kicked a
25-yard field goal with six minutes remaining to lift Plymouth
State University to a 16-14 win over Castleton State College in
non-conference action at Spartan Stadium Saturday afternoon.
Castleton (0-1) grabbed a 14-13 lead with 11:55 remaining in the
fourth quarter on a 70-yard touchdown reception by freshman Mike
Patterson (Jackson, N.J.). Castleton quarterback hooked up with
Patterson down the right sideline, and Patterson scampered in
untouched over the final 30 yards.
The Spartans appeared poised to stop the ensuing Panther drive,
but Plymouth State senior quarterback J.J. Brooks (Seabrook, N.H.)
converted a huge third-down to keep the game-winning drive going.
With the ball just over midfield and the Panthers facing a
third-and-twelve situation, Brooks fired a strike that hit John
Creamer (Hanover, Mass.) in stride at the Castleton 16 yard line.
Creamer was blanketed on the play, but Brooks' pass was on target
and Creamer hauled it in for the conversion. After the Spartans
held, it was Mulcahy's turn for the big play, kicking the 25-yard
field goal which proved to be the game winner.
Castleton marched down the field on the following possession,
taking the ball all the way to the Plymouth State 15 yard line.
Brozowski hooked up with Patterson for an eight-yard strike, found
Evan Cassidy (South Burlington, Vt.) for a 24-yard gain, and
completed a pass to Andrew Cavanagh (Brattleboro, Vt.) for 10
yards, before running for nine yards in the impressively
orchestrated drive. On the fifth play however, disaster struck for
the Spartans as senior Zach Parsons (Florence, Mass.) forced a
Castleton fumble at the 10-yard line and Plymouth State sophomore
Matt Bailey (Tewksbury, Mass.) pounced on the loose ball, ending
the Spartan drive.
Plymouth State (1-0) then reeled off four
minutes-and-twenty-seconds, taking it all the way to the Spartan
18-yard line before relinquishing possession to Castleton with 41
seconds remaining. Castleton's last-ditch effort at a desperation
drive stalled at midfield as senior captain Kevin Whalen
(Wallingford, Conn.) batted away Brozowski's Hail-Mary attempt as
time expired.
After a scoreless first quarter, Plymouth State got on the board
on a Steve Campbell (Northborough, Mass.) touchdown run of two
yards. The score was set up after Campbell blocked a Carl Ojala
(Pittsford, Vt.) punt and Bailey recovered it down to the 4-yard
line. Mulcahy's extra point try was no good for the 6-0 lead.
Castleton answered with a six-play, 69-yard drive that ended with
a Tyler Carpenter (Fort Edward, N.Y.) touchdown run of eight yards.
Luis Robitaille (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) tacked on the extra point for
the 7-6 margin. Brozowski hooked up with Mick Wong (Hartford, Vt.)
on a 47-yard screen pass for the big play in the drive.
The Spartans held a 16-15 advantage in first downs, and out-gained
the Panther offense by a 361-346 advantage but four Spartan
turnovers and the blocked punt proved to be too much to
overcome.
Plymouth State's vaunted ground attack provided 251 yards,
including a 107-yard performance on 17 carries by sophomore Ty Long
(Dover, N.H.). Brooks added 75 yards on 17 carries, while Chris
Francher (Weare, N.H.) added 47 yards on 14 carries and a
touchdown. Brooks was also an efficient 6-for-11 for 95 yards.
Brozowski finished 20-for-34 for 267 yards, a touchdown and two
interceptions. The first Brozowski interception came at the
Plymouth State five-yard line on a fantastic play by Ray Boulay
(Keene, N.H.). Patterson led the Spartan receiving corps with 83
yards on three catches and a touchdown, while Cavanagh finished
with 56 yards on eight catches. Carpenter gained 64 yards on the
ground on 20 carries and a touchdown.
Brian Castellucci (Derry, N.H.) led the Panther defense with 11
tackles (two for a loss) and an interception, while Parsons added
10 and forced a fumble.
Dustin Young (Dunnellon, Fla.) led Castleton with 13 tackles,
including one for a loss, while Josh Osborne (Island Heights, N.J.)
added 10. Freshman Gabriel Aguilar (Orange, Vt.) made nine tackles,
including three for a loss and forced a fumble in his debut.
Plymouth State will open its home season next weekend when Mount
Ida comes to town for a 1:00 p.m. kick-off.
Castleton will also be home in non-conference action, hosting
Utica College at 1:00 p.m.
Plymouth State 16, Castleton State 14
/seasons/2010/boxscores/20100904_uey0.xml
2010
Plymouth State
16
Castleton
14
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plymouth State (1-0) | 0 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 16 |
| Castleton (0-1) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
Sep 04, 2010