CASTLETON, Vt. -The Castleton University football didn't hold a lead in the game until the final 42 seconds, but the one-point lead was enough to hold at the final whistle as the Spartans capped off a 10-point, fourth-quarter comeback with a 31-30 victory over Gallaudet in the season finale at Dave Wolk Stadium on Saturday.
 
The rain-soaked crowd was treated to an exciting game start to finish, as both sides went back-and-forth trading haymakers. The teams alternated scores in the first half before Gallaudet put together back-to-back scoring drives in the third quarter to take a game-high 10-point lead, 27-17. Castleton then scored a touchdown to make it a three-point game, and Gallaudet tacked on a field goal to make it a six-point lead, 30-24. Lucas Morse put the finishing touches on the comeback with his second touchdown run of the day, and Noah Crossman knocked through the extra point that sealed the win.
 
The Spartans posted a program-record 333 rushing yards in the victory, scoring all four touchdowns on the ground. They outgained Gallaudet 333 to 325 on the ground, with Gallaudet holding a 150-137 advantage in passing yards and 475-470 advantage in total yards in the contest. Castleton went 5-of-9 on third downs, while Gallaudet was just 1-of-7. Both teams scored of five of their six red-zone opportunities.
 
It was a record-setting day for the Spartans, as Chris Rice capped his spectacular senior season by breaking his own single-season tackles-for-a-loss record, finishing with 23 TFL this season. He also finished the year with 11.5 sacks, also a single-season record for Castleton. Crossman's second-quarter field goal gave him the single-season record for the Spartans with 10 made field goals in a year. Morse's 247 yards on the ground were the second most ever in a game to Tyler Carpenter's 298 yards against Becker during the 2009 season, and his 10.7 yards per carry in the contest were the most by any Spartan in a single game.
 
Morse broke off five 20-plus yard runs, including a 54-yarder in the fourth quarter. Devin Wollner a respectable day on the ground as well, toting the ball eight times for 77 yards and two touchdowns. Evan Smith completed 12-of-16 passes for 137 yards, finding Anthony Martinez twice for 34 yards and Chance Fee three times for 29 yards. Caezar Williams made just one catch, but it was a crucial 27-yard pickup on the final drive of the game for Castleton. Crossman was 1-of-1 kicking, drilling a 33-yard field goal in the second quarter. He also made all four extra points in the win.
 
Rice led the team with seven tackles on the day, including 1.5 tackles for a loss and a sack. He also forced a fumble on the sack which was recovered by the Bison. Kyle Ford added six tackles and a pass breakup, while Ethan Palazetti had three tackles, a tackle for a loss and a pass breakup. Kade Gewanter and Andrew Genier also added tackles for a loss in the contest. Mike Morgan punted three times, averaging 37 yards and pinning the Bison at their own two-yard line on of the kicks.
 
D'Mitri Lofton led the way on the ground for Gallaudet, compiling 130 yards rushing on just six carries. Dre'Vaughn Mackall carried eight times for 62 yards, and Timel Benton rushed 12 times for 46 yards and a touchdown. Mikka Harvey and Joseph Mendis added the other two rushing touchdowns for Gallaudet. Benton also threw for 115 yards on 6-of-11 passing. Brandon Washington caught four passes for 50 yards and added 35 yards passing on the final play before the Bison attempted their final field goal. Jacob Hartman had 12 tackles for Gallaudet, including three for a loss and a sack. Dalton Taylor added seven, and Jack Gray six in the game. Gray also had two pass breakups.
 
A run-heavy team, the Bison opened the game with a 51-yard completion from Benton to Kylar Sicoli. Lofton then carried the ball 22 yards two plays later, before Harvey waltzed in untouched for a five-yard score. All told, the Bison led 7-0 after just 2:06 and just four plays.
 
Both sides went scoreless the rest of the first quarter, with Castleton getting on the board next at the midway mark of the second. Smith connected with Martinez twice early in the drive for first downs, and the Spartan rushing attack continued to move the ball forward to the Gallaudet five-yard line. After a trio of negative plays, Castleton settled for a 33-yard field goal by Crossman to get on the board, 7-3.
 
The Bison responded promptly, as Washington returned the ensuing kickoff 82 yards to the Spartans' 12-yard line. One play later, Gallaudet was in the end zone as Mendis took it in from 12 yards out. The extra point was good, giving Gallaudet a 14-3 lead with 7:12 left in the half.
 
Not to be outdone, Castleton put together its own touchdown drive in response. Morse opened the drive with a 31-yard scamper, followed by a pair of runs totaling 10 yards. Carries by Matthew Hesford and Smith netted Castleton another first down. Facing 2nd-and-3 at the Gallaudet 34, Wollner took the handoff and went for 19 yards and a first down. He got the ball again on the next play, barrelling 15 yards into the end zone for Castleton's first touchdown, cutting the deficit back to 14-10 after the PAT by Crossman.
 
The Bison were not done scoring in the first half, however, tacking on a late field goal to extend the lead to 17-10 heading into halftime.
 
The second half began with Castleton marching down the field 75 yards in eight plays, using 5:37 of clock to tie the score for the first time. Morse carried the ball five times for 51 yards to begin the drive, before Wollner came on and snapped off a 20-yard run that was called back due to holding. Facing 3rd-and-13, Smith found Fee for 16 yards and a first down, keeping the drive alive. Wollner toted the ball for five yards, and then on second down, took the handoff up the middle and slipped through the line before taking off into the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown. The extra point leveled the score at 17-17.
 
Gallaudet bounced back with another scoring drive, needing just 1:52 to go 75 yards and find paydirt. The play that flipped the field was a 56-yard carry by Lofton, putting the Bison at the Castleton two-yard line. Two plays later, Gallaudet was in the end zone on a QB keeper by Benton and leading 24-17. The lead extended to 10 points, 27-17, when Gallaudet kicked a field goal on its following drive.
 
Castleton's possession that spanned the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth led to another Spartan touchdown, cutting the gap back to just three points with 14:11 to play. Morse was a workhorse yet again on the drive, taking off for 54 yards to put Castleton in prime scoring position. After one carry by Wollner to spell Morse, the senior came back on and punched it into the end zone from four yards out for his first score of the day.
 
Gallaudet was able to get on the board once again, but it remained a one-possession game as the Bison settled for a 27-yard field goal after an eight-play, 60-yard drive. After the kick sailed through the uprights, Gallaudet led 30-24 with 9:17 to play in the game.
 
Castleton's ensuing drive fizzled out at midfield, forcing a punt and putting the game in the defense's hands as the Spartans needed a stop. The defense stiffened up, forcing Gallaudet into a 4th-and-2 at the Castleton 33-yard line, just outside of field goal range. The Bison lined up to go for the fourth down, but a false start penalty backed them up five yards and they elected to punt. The punt bounced into the end zone for a touchback.
 
Castleton received the ball at its own 20-yard line following the touchback with 3:23 left in the game, needing a touchdown for the victory. The first play of the drive was a 27-yard strike from Smith to Williams, and Morse followed that up with a 33-yard dash on the next play, putting Castleton at the Gallaudet 20 just more than a minute into the drive. Morse carried three more times, gaining 13 yards, four yards and finally the last three needed to break the plane of the end zone for the game-tying touchdown. Crossman lined up for the extra point and knocked it through, giving the Spartans a 31-30 lead with just 42 seconds remaining.
 
Gallaudet remained continued to battle, picking up 15 yards on the first play of the drive, moving the ball up near midfield. A false start backed the Bison up before a five-yard rush by Benton made it 2nd-and-10. On second down, Washington took the pitch and pulled up to throw, connecting with Sicoli for 35 yards down the right sideline on the play. The connection gave the Bison the ball at Castleton's 17-yard line with just seven seconds remaining, sending Jonathon Waterman out for the game-winning 34-yard field goal. The kick was pulled to the right, sealing the victory for Castleton as the clock expired on the game.
 
Castleton concludes the season with a 6-4 record overall and a 4-2 mark in ECFC play. The six wins were the most for Castleton since the 2017 season. The Spartans also honored their 21 graduating seniors prior to the game with a Senior Day ceremony that highlighted the accomplishments of the graduating 2021 Spartan football seniors.