CASTLETON, VT- The Vermont State Castleton football team hosted its first game in nearly a month as they faced #17/21 Salisbury on Saturday afternoon at a cold and blustery Dave Wolk Stadium. The Seagulls won 49-0.
The Basics
- Final Score: Salisbury 49, VTSU Castleton 0
- Location: Dave Wolk Stadium – Castleton, Vt.
- Records: Salisbury 5-1, (2-1 NJAC) | Castleton 2-4 (0-3 NJAC)
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How It Happened
Salisbury won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. Castleton started with possession on its own 25 after the touchback. On the first play,
Ryan Freund (Glen Head, NY/North Shore) rushed up the middle but fumbled and the Seagulls quickly took over at the Spartan 28. The Gulls rushed four straight times that culminated in Dario Belizaire's 20-yard touchdown. The extra point gave the Seagulls a 7-0 lead at 12:45.
Castleton went three and out in its ensuing series and punted. After the two teams exchanged punts, Salisbury had the ball at 7:58. The Gulls ran three times and scored on a 29-yard touchdown pass from SyRus McGowan to Tyler Orth. The extra point made it 14-0. Salisbury added a third touchdown at the end of the quarter to lead 21-0.
The Spartans punted early in the second quarter to give possession back to the Seagulls. Salisbury started at the Castleton 40-yard line. The Spartan defense stopped two straight runs for no gain and then forced an incompletion on third down. On fourth down,
Deacon Schneider (Cambridge, N.Y./Cambridge Central) rushed McGowan to force another incompletion, and Castleton took over on downs.
Castleton moved four yards on a
Will Coon (Hudson Falls, N.Y./Hudson Falls) rush. Coon was sacked on third and six and Castleton had to punt. The Seagulls began their drive at their own 14-yard line. The defense once again forced a punt but a roughing the kicker penalty restored possession to Salisbury. The Seagulls did eventually punt five plays later.
The Spartan defense came up big again later on as they caused a Seagulls fumble. Salisbury added another touchdown and kicked a 30-yard field goal as time expired in the first half leading 28-0.
In the third quarter, Salisbury began with the ball. The Gulls marched to the Castleton 10-yard line. On second and eight,
Tyler Buxton (Middlebury, Vt./Middlebury) forced a fumble that Castleton recovered. Coon completed the longest pass of the day for either team when he connected with
Anthony Lopez-Hippler (Athol, Mass./Athol HS) for 59 yards to move Castleton into Seagull territory at the 31-yard line. The promising drive ended on a Coon interception. Salisbury took advantage and marked downfield for the touchdown to go ahead 35-0 at the 5:48 mark of the third quarter.
The Seagulls scored less a minute into the fourth quarter to increase their lead to 42-0. Another Salisbury drive was stopped with just over 10 minutes remaining to play as the Castleton defense forced its third fumble of the day. Another Seagull fumble happened with 3:40 left when Salisbury running back Connor Nichols lost possession of the ball at the Castleton 34.
Salisbury's last touchdown came following a blocked punt. Camron Riley ran it in from 12 yards out for the final score of the contest.
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By The Numbers
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Max Cutler ran for 23 yards on 10 carries
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Josh Cormier had nine tackles to lead the Spartans
• One week after causing five TCNJ turnovers, the Castleton defense forced four Seagull turnovers, which was a season-high for Salisbury
Up Next
The Spartans head on the road for their longest trip of the season as they travel to current #13 Christopher Newport. Kickoff is set for 12:00 pm in Newport News, Va.
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