FRANKLIN, Mass. - The Castleton University football team earned a hard-fought 21-13 victory at Dean College Saturday afternoon, snapping a three-game skid. The Spartan defense picked up a pair of safeties while the offense featured a balanced attack, racking up 209 yards through the air and 197 by ground. 

Jacob McCarthy's sneak into the endzone midway through the fourth quarter gave the Spartans a 21-13 advantage and they wouldn't look back. Dean responded, marching to the Castleton 5-yard line before Damiyr Martinez intercepted a pass in the endzone with just under four minutes remaining. 

The Bulldogs struck first on a field goal by Mason Dill, capping a 54-yard drive. Castleton would respond four minutes later with a 25-yarder from Noah Crossman to round out the first quarter scoring. 

Castleton notched its first of two safeties midway through the second quarter. After recovering a fumble at their own goal line, Dean was set up at the 3-yard line. David Curry dropped back to pass and was sacked in the endzone by Dustin Rock. Castleton led 5-3 following the safety. It was Castleton's first since 2017. 

The Spartans would expand their lead as McCarthy connected with Martinez for a 40-yard touchdown. Martinez separated from his defender with a stop-and-go route and McCarthy made a perfect pass to lead Castleton to paydirt for the first time. 

Dean trimmed Castleton's lead to two in the final minutes of the opening half. Errol Breaux, who racked up 241 receiving yards, caught a touchdown to bring the margin to 12-10. 

The Spartan defense made another big play in the opening drive of the second half as Jaxson Emerton picked off a Bulldog pass. Dean was knocking on the door, but Emerton kept them off the board with his interception at the visitors' 2-yard line. 

The second safety of the contest came midway through the third quarter - this time courtesy of Chris Rice. The Bulldogs looked to Breaux on an end-around, but the receiver fumbled after Rice's tackle. Castleton recovered in the endzone to earn a 14-10 advantage. 

The Spartans put together a 36-yard drive on the ensuing possession after taking over at the hosts' 48-yard line, but saw a Crossman field goal attempt blocked. 

Dean posted a field goal in the beginning of the fourth quarter following a 75-yard drive to cut the Spartan lead to 14-13. Castleton would then answer with a 60-yard touchdown drive, capped by McCarthy's sneak. McCarthy completed a crucial fourth-down pass to Tucker Kreh to keep the drive alive. 

McCarthy would finish the day with 209 yards through the air, completing 12 of 26 attempts, with one touchdown and one interception. Devin Wollner led a balanced rushing attack with 86 yards on 16 carries. Simon Davis Jr. racked up 55 yards on 11 attempts, while Lucas Morse toted the rock 12 times for 49 yards. McCarthy had the Spartans' lone rushing touchdown. 

Martinez headlined the receiving corps with 92 yards and a touchdown on five receptions. Wyatt Jackson tallied 40 receiving yards on two receptions, including one that went for 36 yards. Chance Fee also chipped in with a big play - a 33-yard catch. 

Defensively, Kristopher Carroll led all Spartans with eight tackles. Jacob Griggs made six tackles and a sack. Chris Rice notched three tackles-for-loss and had a pair of sacks. Andrew Genier and Dustin Rock also had sacks. 

Coming off the conference victory, Castleton will have a bye week before hosting Keystone College Saturday, October 23. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m.