Box Score NEWTON, Mass. – The Castleton University football team jumped out to a 20-0 lead, and then forced Mount Ida College into four turnovers as the Spartans defeated the Mustangs, 26-14, Saturday afternoon in an Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) contest at Alumni Field.
Mount Ida (1-4, 1-1 ECFC) drove into Castleton territory midway through the first quarter, but turned the ball over on downs after two incompletions and a negative running play. The Mustangs went for it on fourth down from the Castleton 32 yard line again to start the second quarter, but Darren Callan stuffed a run by Gary Deanley.
Castleton struck first early in the second quarter when Mitchell Caron found Makai Hawkins for a 23-yard touchdown pass. After a Mount Ida punt, the Spartans put together a seven-play, 73-yard drive, highlighted by a 27-yard Caron pass to Soren Pelz-Walsh and a 39-yard reception by Anthony Porcelli. Caron punched it in from one yard out to increase the Castleton lead to 14-0.
On the ensuing drive, Sha'ron Schmidt-Bilowith recovered a Mustang fumble at the Mount Ida 32-yard-line, and Castleton took advantage with a three-play drive, capped by an 11-yard touchdown run by Moe Harris. Mount Ida fought back, scoring on a 52-yard touchdown pass from Jack Sheehan to Matt Greenman, to cut the Spartan advantage to 20-7 at halftime.
Late in the third quarter, Sheehan and Greenman connected again, this time for 75 yards to bring the Mustangs within one score at 20-14. Mount Ida forced a Castleton punt early in the fourth quarter, but Tyler Sturtevant intercepted a Greenman pass, and Caron found Edward Doton for a 52-yard touchdown pass to extend the Spartan lead back to 12 at 26-14.
Mount Ida threatened to score midway through the fourth quarter, but once again the Spartan defense buckled down, stopping the Mustangs on 4th-and-2 at the Castleton 17-yard-line. Mark Alberque intercepted a Sheehan pass in Castleton territory to end another Mount Ida drive, and a sack by Bubba Collins and Jakob Trautwein with 38 seconds remaining capped a third Mustang scoring effort.
Caron completed 19-of-30 pass attempts for 277 yards and two touchdowns, with Doton earning 70 receiving yards on two catches and Pelz-Walsh contributing five catches for 61 yards. Harris carried the ball 24 times for 74 rushing yards as Castleton finished with 16 first downs and 374 yards of total offense.
After coming close twice this season, Darren Callan set a Castleton single-game record for total tackles with 21, eight tackles more than any other player in the game.
Castleton University (2-3, 2-0 ECFC) returns home for the next two weeks, starting with a crucial conference matchup next Saturday, Oct. 15, against Husson University beginning at 1 p.m. The Eagles are the other team in the league with a 2-0 conference mark after defeating Gallaudet at home Saturday, 50-16.
