Castleton

Spartans

EWING, N.J.- The Vermont State Castleton football team was back on the road on Saturday as the Spartans faced The College of New Jersey in NJAC action. Castleton took an early lead in the first half but the host Lions came back to defeat the Spartans 38-23.
 
The Basics

• Final Score: TCNJ 38, VTSU Castleton 23
• Location: Lions Stadium – Ewing, N.J.
• Records: TCNJ   NJAC) | Castleton 2-3 (0-2 NJAC)

 
How It Happened
The Lions won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. The Spartans started their drive at their own 22-yard line. Castleton ran the ball four straight times to move its own 37. On third and six, Will Coon (Hudson Fall, NY/Hudson Falls) passed to Ty Dowell (Ruskin, Fla./Lennard HS) for a 40-yard catch and run to put the Spartans at the TCNJ 23. Castleton moved to the one-yard line and on second and one, Chase Viana Negron (Kearny, N.J./Kearny HS) punched it in for the score. Coon's two-point conversion attempt to Justin Brown (Georgia, Vt./Bellows Free Academy) was short as Castleton took a 6-0 lead.

Castleton attempted an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff but it was recovered by TCNJ. The Lion started their drive on the VTSU 47. They would go on to score a touchdown and the converted extra point put the home team ahead 7-6 with 3:17 remaining in the period.

The Spartans began their next drive at their own 25. Ryan Freund (Glen Head, NY/North Shore) rushed for 11 yards while Coon ran for five to move possession to the 41. After a one-yard loss and an incomplete pass, the quarter ended and Castleton punted to start the second quarter. TCNJ started its drive at its own 18. Two plays in, Josh Cormier (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) forced a fumble that Zeke Dubois (Vergennes, VT./Vergennes Union) recovered to give the ball back to the Spartans. On the first play, Coon ran nine yards to the TCNJ 23. Facing a 4^th and 1, Viana Negron ran two yards to give the Spartans the first down. Freund ran for a seven-yard gain and then Coon called his own number as he ran it from 14 yards out into the endzone and his successful two-part conversion gave Castleton a 14-7 lead at just under the 12-minute mark.

TCNJ quickly moved down the field. Walker Bailey connected with Grant Lorentzen for a 69-yard touchdown. With the extra point, the game was tied at 14-14 at 10:19.
Castleton went three and out on its next possession. On the punt, the Lions' Ethan Kalinauskas muffed the return and it was recovered by Castleton's Alex Polli (Pittsford, Vt./Norwich University) to set the Spartans up at the TCNJ 25. Coon took off for 13 yards on the first play to move Castleton to the TCNJ 12. Freund ran for gains of six, two, and two to give Castleton a first and goal at the two-yard line. That is where the drive stalled and Zach Dragon (Sudbury, Vt./Otter Valley Union HS) came on to attempt at 24-yard field goal which he made to give the lead back to Castleton, 17-14, with 3:30 showing on the game clock. The Lions scored on their next possession to go ahead 21-17 at halftime.

The Lions started with the ball to begin the third quarter. They moved to midfield and then advanced into Castleton territory. A Walker to Michael Strachan 17-yard completion put TCNJ at the Castleton 33., The Spartans defense stopped two rushing attempts for losses and then Bobby Kinsella (Manchester, N.H./Trinity) picked off a Walker pass attempt to give possession back to the Spartans at their own 36-yard line.

Castleton ran the ball but could only advance to the 30-yard line as it was forced to punt. TCNJ would take advantage and go on to score on a Sam Dech 20-yard run to increase its lead to 28-17 with 5:37 to play in the quarter. The Spartans went 3-and-out on their drive and punted but on TCNJ's first play, Nykeil Boone-Givens (Trenton, N.J./Stem Civics) picked up a Dech fumble that was forced by Deacon Schneider (Cambridge, N.Y./Cambridge Central) to set the Spartans up at their own 32.

The drive went for naught and an attempted pass on fourth down was broken up as the Lions regained possession. On a 4^th and 5 to start the fourth quarter, the Spartan defense made a big stop to give the offense the ball back. Castleton again came up short and had to punt the ball away. Lorentzen ran 50 yards from midfield into the endzone on third and seven to increase the Lion lead to 35-17 at 10:35.

Castleton's drive started at their own 35. The 14-play drive ended with Coon running it in from the TCNJ five and into the endzone for the score. Dragon's extra point attempt was blocked and the score stood at 35-23 with 3:01 remaining in regulation.

The Spartan defense was able to hold the Lions to a field goal after an earlier touchdown was called back because of a penalty. Castleton had one last possession and moved to the TCNJ 35-yard line following a unnecessary roughness penalty on the Lions. On first down, Coon was intercepted by TCNJ's Tyler Van Cleef off a deflection and the game was sealed in the Lions' favor.

By The Numbers
• Coon was 11-for-18 passing for 118 yards. He ran for 86 yards on 22 attempts, scored two touchdowns, and scored on a two-point conversion
• Freund ran for 72 yards on 20 carries
• James Colzie IV (Pembroke Pines, Fla./Citadel (Canada) caught five passes for 63 yards
• Dubois led the defense with 10 tackles and recovered a fumble
• Cormier had nine tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss of five yards, and forced two fumbles
• The Castleton defense forced five Lions turnovers
 
Up Next
The Spartans return to the friendly confines of Dave Wolk Stadium next Saturday when they host Salisbury. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.