PAXTON, Mass. – Sophomore running back Tyler Carpenter (Fort Edward, N.Y.) scored three rushing touchdowns to help spark the Castleton State College football team to a 49-35 victory over Anna Maria College during an Eastern Collegiate Football Conference matchup at AMCAT Field on Saturday. The conference win moves the Spartans to 3-3 overall, and more importantly 3-1 in ECFC-play. The loss drops the AMCATS’ season mark to 0-7 (0-4 ECFC).
The two teams combined for over 1,100 yards of total offense on the day, as Anna Maria set program records for both rushing yards (396) and total offense (584) in a single contest.
Freshman tailback Robert Small (Tarrytown, N.Y.) led the AMC offense with a record-setting performance. Small smashed the AMC single game record for rushing yards, totaling 256 yards on just 24 attempts for an average of 10.7 yards per carry. He scored two touchdowns on rushes of 74 and 80 yards, the latter of which set an AMC record for the program’s longest play from scrimmage.
Quarterback Santino Simone (Worcester, Mass.) also played well, completing 16 passes for 188 yards and one score, while also gaining 146 yards and one touchdown on the ground. Sophomore Domenique Concepcion (Middlebury, Conn.) led the team in receiving, grabbing six passes for 60 yards, while freshman Gregory Caldwell (Springvale, Maine) reeled-in his first collegiate touchdown catch.
The AMCATS were led on defense by freshman Jordan Koehler (West Warwick, R.I.) who recorded a game-high 13 tackles while also forcing a fumble. Juniors Richard Brandt (Natick, Mass.) and Nii Quartey (Worcester, Mass.) also had strong games on defense, as Brandt collected 11 total stops and Quartey made seven tackles and forced a fumble.
The AMC special teams was highlighted by freshman Kevin McCoy (Springfield, Mass.) whose 69-yard kickoff return was the first kick ever returned for a touchdown by an Anna Maria player.
Carpenter paced the Spartans with his three touchdowns, rushing for 85 yards on 18 carries. Sophomore Mick Wong (Hartford, Vt.) led Castleton in rushing with 122 yards on 15 carries, while quarterback Shane Browzowski (Rensselaer, N.Y.) rushed for two scores and threw for another.
Freshman Michael Patterson (Jackson, N.J.) led the CSC receiving core with five catches for 94 yards, while Mick Wong grabbed the lone touchdown pass of the day for the Spartans.
After Castleton scored the game’s opening touchdown on a one-yard plunge by Carpenter, the AMCATS answered right back, as Small went 74 yards to pay dirt on the very first play of the ensuing drive to tie the game at 7-7.
Not to be out done, the Spartan offense took advantage of great field position on their next possession and marched 48 yards on eight plays, scoring on a 14-yard scamper by Brozowski to reclaim the lead, 14-7.
After driving 76 yards down the field on their next possession, the AMCATS faced a critical fourth-and-goal from the Castleton four-yard line. Electing to go for it, Simone found Caldwell in the back of the end zone to cap the 80-yard drive and tie the score at 14-all.
Once again, the Spartan’s regained the lead on their next possession, going 55 yards on just four plays and scoring on a one-yard dive by Carpenter to build a 21-14 advantage.
The lead was extremely short-lived, however, as McCoy returned the ensuing kick-off 69 yards to tie the score at 21-21 with 3:06 remaining in the opening half.
In a critical spot in the game, the Spartans managed to put some distance between themselves and the AMCATS, building the first two-score lead of the game by scoring a touchdown on their last possession of the first half, as well as their opening drive of the third quarter to take a 35-21 lead, and never looked back.
Small’s 80-yard touchdown run in the third quarter gave the AMCATS some life at 35-28, but the Spartans responded with a two-yard touchdown run by junior Chad Bentz (Juneau, Alaska) and a 14-yard rushing touchdown by Carpenter to pull away, 49-28.
Simone added a score on a nine yard QB draw with just over eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but it proved to be too-little-too-late, as the Spartans ran the clock out for a 49-35 victory.
Both teams return to conference action next Saturday at 1:00 PM, as the Spartans travel to face Husson and the AMCATS host Norwich.