CASTLETON, Vt. – The Castleton University football team returned to the gridiron for the first time in 665 days on Saturday, and did so with a flourish.
Devin Wollner's 40-yard touchdown run in the third quarter was more than enough to seal a 13-0 victory over Plymouth State after a pair of field goals by
Noah Crossman in the opening half.
The shutout was Castleton's first since 2015, when the Spartans blanked Gallaudet 40-0 at home. Wollner's 40-yard run was the longest play of his career, and proved to be the only time all day that either team would find the end zone.
The Spartans' defense wreaked havoc on the Panthers in both the run game and the pass game from the opening moments, allowing just 111 yards of offense to Plymouth State in the shutout. Castleton gained 141 yards of offense through the air on the arm of
Jacob McCarthy and added 117 yards on the ground for 258 yards of total offense. Plymouth State coughed the ball up twice, as quarterback Brett Lavanchy threw an interception that led to the Spartans' touchdown and the special teams unit muffed a punt that went in Castleton's favor later in the contest.
McCarthy completed 15-of-26 passes for 141 yards on the day, including four completions for 31 yards to
Tucker Kreh.
Evan Keegan and
Jared Brockway reeled in two passes each. In total, eight different Spartans caught a pass on the afternoon. On the ground, Wollner rushed for 66 yards on nine carries including the touchdown.
Simon Davis Jr. toted the ball 12 times for just 27 yards, but found a rhythm later in the game when he broke off a 20-yard run in the fourth quarter. Crossman went 2-for-2 on field goals and 1-for-1 on extra points in the victory, knocking down kicks from 26 yards and 34 yards.
Defensively,
Chris Rice continued to haunt opposing quarterbacks, racking up 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for a loss as part of a nine-tackle day.
Dustin Rock added seven total tackles, while
Kevin McDonough had five in his debut.
Kristopher Carroll,
Jayson Gilsinger,
Spencer Kozlak and
Kade Gewanter all added four tackles apiece.
Dawson Pierson had two pass breakups in the secondary, and Gilsinger came away with the game's lone interception when he picked off a ball that was tipped at the line.
For Plymouth, Lavanchy completed 8-of-17 passes for 59 yards and an interception. Gavin Moody made three catches for 19 yards, with Brian McGough adding two catches for 26 yards. Manny Sanchez was a lone bright spot for the Panther offense, carrying 17 times for 58 yards and picking up three of Plymouth's first downs on the ground.
Cooper Varano made seven tackles in the contest, including 1.5 tackles for a loss. Conor Hiner, Bryce Wronski and David Salazar had six tackles each, with Hiner making two tackles for a loss. Sam Fleming had a solo sack, and Jason Ryszczyk and Rowan Drew combined for a sack of their own.
The two sides traded three-and-outs on their opening possessions, but Castleton was able to manage points on its second drive of the day. Starting at their own 33-yard line, the Spartans gained six yards on a Wollner rush before McCarthy found Brockway for a 23-yard hookup that pushed the ball into Plymouth territory. Another completion, this time to
Wyatt Jackson, gained five yards on first down, but back-to-back rushes only gained one yard and forced Castleton into a 4th-and-4 situation at the Panthers' 32-yard line. The Spartans went for it, and McCarthy found
Anthony Martinez on the sideline for a 12-yard gain and a first down. A 14-yard hookup from McCarthy to Kreh two plays later put Castleton on the doorstep, giving the Spartans a 1st-and-goal from the 10. Two runs and an incomplete pass later, the Spartans settled for a 26-yard field goal by Crossman to take a 3-0 lead with less than two minutes to play in the first quarter.
After a third consecutive three-and-out by Plymouth, Castleton added another three points to the board to double its lead to 6-0. Starting on the Plymouth side of midfield after a mishit punt by Lavanchy, McCarthy found
Evan Keegan for nine yards on first down to end the first quarter.
Matthew Hesford picked up the first down with a five-yard run on the second play of the next frame, but an incomplete pass and two rushing attempts that netted just two yards put the Spartans in a 4th-and-8 scenario at the PSU 20-yard line. Castleton went for it again, this time McCarthy dropped back to pass but stepped up in the pocket and scrambled 10 yards for the first down, sliding safely just across the line to gain. Following the first-down pickup, McCarthy found Kreh again for nine yards down to the Panthers' 11, but a six-yard loss on the next play followed by an incomplete pass brought out the field-goal unit once more. Crossman knocked through his second attempt of the day from 34 yards to double Castleton's edge.
Neither side could muster any more offense prior to halftime, nor did either team score on its opening possession of the second half. The Panthers were putting together their best drive of the day on their first possession of the third quarter, working the ball across midfield and inside the Castleton 40-yard line. The 12-play, seven-minute possession came to a screeching halt, however, as Lavanchy's 4th-and-2 pass attempt was tipped at the line and intercepted by a diving Gilsinger.
Castleton took over from there, gaining nine yards immediately after the interception on a pass to
Chance Fee. Another nine-yard completion to Jackson moved the chains across midfield, before Davis Jr. picked up four yards to the Panthers' 40-yard line. With one minute left on the clock in the third quarter, Wollner took the handoff from McCarthy and broke multiple tackles as he dragged a defender into the end zone for the first and only touchdown of the game. The 40-yard dash was Castleton's longest rushing play since Davis Jr. broke off a 48-yard run against University of New England in 2019.
Plymouth State continued to struggle offensively throughout the final quarter as well, using eight plays to move the ball just 26 yards before turning it over on downs for the second time. Castleton took advantage and threatened again, but a nine-play drive that took more than six minutes off the clock stalled out just shy of the red zone, forcing a punt that kept Castleton in the driver's seat of the field-position battle. Plymouth's final possession lasted just four plays and gained four yards before a third and final turnover on downs sealed the victory for Castleton.
Castleton hits the road on Saturday, September 11, for a non-conference matchup at Fitchburg State. Kick-off is slated for 3 p.m.
