CASTLETON, Vt.—Senior defensive back Andy Mangin (Concord, Mass.) returned two interceptions for touchdowns in the fourth quarter to lead the Norwich University to a 31-13 win against the Spartans of Castleton State College on Saturday afternoon in Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) action.
The win marks the fifth straight for the Cadets, who improve to 7-3 overall and 6-1 in league play. The Spartans fall to 1-9 overall and 0-7 in ECFC action.
The two schools compete annually for the Maple Sap Bucket, which will now return to Norwich after spending a year with Castleton. Norwich is now 4-1 against Castleton since the Spartans started playing football in 2009.
After trailing for the better part of second and third quarters, Norwich took a 17-13 lead on a 10-yard rushing touchdown by Keyen Foley (Hemet, Calif.) and a good extra-point attempt by Wesley Medeiros (Gilford, N.H.) with 7:16 to play in the third quarter.
Foley had an impressive day on the ground for Norwich as he posted a team-leading 159 yards with a touchdown on 22 carries. He averaged 7.2 yards per carry and had a long of 39 yards.
Mangin took control from there, recording interceptions on back-to-back Castleton drives and returning both for touchdowns. His first score was a 26-yard interception return with 5:57 to play. He followed that up with a 37-yard interception return with 4:49 on the clock. Medeiros connected on the first extra point and missed the second as Norwich broke away for the 31-13 final.
The Cadets scored the first touched touchdown of the day on their first drive, using five plays to travel 68 yards in the first 1:43 of the game. The drive culminated with a four-yard touchdown run by junior running back Al Georgio (West Greenwich, R.I.).
Georgio totaled 112 rushing yards on for the Cadets and averaged 4.7 yards per carry. With today's touchdown, he ties the Norwich program record for touchdowns in a season (17), set by Michael Crimmins '80 in 1979.
Castleton would silence the Norwich offense after the initial score, as the Cadets would not score again until Medeiros hit a 28-yard field goal with 10:11 to play in the third quarter.
Meanwhile, the Spartans recorded back-to-back-to-back scores, beginning with a 22-yard field goal by Robert Lineberger with 5:28 to play in the first quarter.
Castleton used 11 plays and 5:39 to travel 93 yards in on their first drive of the second quarter to set up Tyler Higley for the one-yard pile-jump touchdown to give the Spartans a 10-7 lead with 7:31 remaining in the third.
The Spartans entered halftime with insurance points, as Lineberger hit his second field goal of the day, a 27-yard attempt scored with seven seconds remaining on the clock.
The second half would prove to be an entirely different story, as Foley, Medeiros, and Mangin combined to outscore Castleton 21-0 over the final two quarters.
Norwich and Castleton played different yet relative equal games, as 311 of the Cadets' 357 total yards of offense came on the rush, while the Spartans saw 208 of their 344 total yards in the air.
In addition to Mangin, the Cadets also saw two interception by Dan Gogan (Keansburg, N.J.), one which he returned for 21 yards. The Cadets received a team-leading 15 tackles from Matt LeFevre (Milford, N.J.). Mangin chipped in with 11 tackles, including two sacks, while Stephen Gilmore (Norton, Mass.) added nine.
Castleton quarterback Higley completed 20 of 47 pass attempts and threw all four interceptions. Keven Alberque has six receptions for 69 yards and a long of 24, while Sorin Pelz-Walsh totaled 44 yards on five receptions and a long of 15.
The Spartan defense was led by Todd Car with 13 tackles. Nick Romeo and Leo Audy both added 12 tackles, while Jay Morgan chipped in with 11. Audy recovered a fumble on Norwich's lone turnover of the day.
Finishing ECFC conference play in second place, the Cadets will now await word from the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) in regards to a bid to an ECAC sponsored postseason bowl game. Information will be released on Monday, Nov. 18, with the bowl to be played on Saturday, Nov. 23.
