Courtesy Castleton Sports Information
BANGOR, Maine – The Spartans and Husson were tied 7-7 early in the second quarter but the Eagles responded with the final 34 points of the afternoon to come away with a 40-7 victory on Saturday afternoon in Bangor.
In the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference opener for both teams it was the defending champions who were the aggressor, totaling 545 yards of total offense and 301 through the air to improve to 2-1 on the year. Castleton, meanwhile, was limited to 222 yards of offense and just 32 on the ground, as the team dropped to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the conference.
George Busharis went 14-for-31 for 158 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Soren Pelz-Walsh caught three passes for 66 yards while Anthony Porcelli has three receptions for 55 yards. Moe Harris rushed the ball 17 times for 42 yards and also added 11 receiving yards, 107 return yards and competed a 32-yard pass.
Husson’s Joe Seccareccia was pinpoint, going 18 of 24 for 298 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. His primary target was Robenson Saintard, who caught seven passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. Deon Wiggins had four receptions for 83 yards and two scores. John Smith led the rushing attack with 98 yards and two touchdowns on 20 attempts.
Following two empty possessions, Husson got on the board first. On first down, Seccareccia connected with an open Wiggins for a 61-yard run and catch for the touchdown with 6:31 left in the first.
Castleton responded on its next drive to even the game 7-7. The Spartans started on their own 25-yard line and used a heavy dose of Harris runs to get inside the Husson 10-yard line. A few penalties back them up but they churned it back inside the 1-yard line as the first quarter came to a close.
On fourth down from the one-yard line, Corey Brimmer went over the left side and pushed his way into the endzone for the score. Bobby Lineberger‘s extra point was good to tie the game at 14:56.
The Eagles took back the lead with just 2:44 left in the half on a four-yard touchdown run following a pass interference call on third down that extended their drive. Matt Keir blocked the extra point to make it just 13-6.
Castleton was forced to punt on its next possession and Husson made them pay as Seccareccia found Greg Moore down the sidelines for a 63-yard touchdown reception with only 1:20 left in the half. The Eagles converted on a two-point conversion to push their lead to 21-7 going into the break.
Husson received the ball to start the second half and used ten plays to go 85 yards, culminating in a 13-yard touchdown run by Smith for the 27-7 lead. The extra point was missed to keep it a 20-point game.
The Eagles added a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter to secure the 33-point win while also keeping Castleton off the board.
Defensively, Darren Callan led the the Spartans with 15 tackles while Leo Audy had 11 tackles. Brett Denning added six tackles, including 1.5 for a loss. Husson was led by Alonzo Connor with 15 tackles with 1.5 for a loss and Ellis Throckmorton added 14 tackles with a sack.
Castleton returns home on Saturday when the Spartans host Mount Ida at 1 pm.