FRANKLIN, Mass. – October 9, 2021– The Dean College football team dropped an Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) contest to Castleton, 21-13, Saturday afternoon at Lippert Field.
Dean dips to 1-5 overall and 0-2 in the ECFC. The Bulldogs hit the road next Saturday for a 12 p.m. kickoff at Keystone. Castleton improves to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in conference play. The Spartans are off next week and will return home to host Keystone on Oct. 23.
Dean quarterback
David Curry (Bethlehem, Ga.) finished 23-38 for 331 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. He also was the team's leading rusher with 51 yards.
Errol Breaux (Baton Rouge, La.) hauled in 15 catches for 241 yards and a touchdown.
Sophomore
Dre Kidd (Manassas, Va.) led the Bulldogs with 12 tackles, a forced fumble, an interception and a pass break-up. Freshman
Joe Penton (Bealeton, Va.) contributed five tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a break-up. Sophomore
Keontay Maxwell (Orlando, Fla.) registered five tackles, one tackle for loss and a blocked kick.
Castleton quarterback Jacob McCarthy (West Yarmouth, Mass.) was 12-26 for 209 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The Spartans gained 197 yards on the ground and were led by Devin Wollner's (Keyport, N.J) 84 yards. Senior wideout Anthony Martinez (Brattleboro, Vt.) led the pass catchers with 92 yards on five receptions and a touchdown.
Senior Chris Rice (Bethel, Conn.) had six tackles and two sacks for the Spartan defense. Jaxson Emerton (Maypearl, Texas) and Damiyr Martinez (Philadelphia, Pa.) each had an interception. Junior Jacob Griggs (Williston, Vt.) chipped in with six tackles, a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss.
After Castleton's opening drive resulted in a punt,
Mason Dill (Carrollton, Ga.) converted a 38-yard field goal on Dean's first drive to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead.
Dean's next drive ended early as Castleton's Ethan Palazzetti (South Kingstown, R.I.) recovered a fumble deep in Bulldogs territory. Noah Crossman tied the score late in the first quarter with a 25-yard field goal.
In the second, Castleton had a first and goal from the 1-yard line when
Dre Kidd made a big stop on Simon Davis Jr. (Warwick, R.I.). He knocked the ball out and
Malachi Reeves (Mattapan, Mass.) scooped up the ball to keep the Spartans out of the end zone.
On Dean's ensuing play, the Spartans came away with a safety as Dustin Rock (Milton, Vt.) sacked Curry in the end zone.
The Spartans then received the ball and turned the possession into seven points in two plays when McCarthy hooked up with Martinez for a 40-yard catch and score.
Dean cut the deficit to 12-10, late in the second, after Curry found Breaux in the end zone from 11 yards out.
Castleton increased its lead to 14-10 at 7:12 in the third quarter with another safety. Rice made a tackle on Breaux who caught a shovel pass and failed to escape the end zone.
On Castleton's next possession, the Dean defense came up big as Maxwell got a hand on Noah Crossman's 30-yard field goal attempt to make the ball go wide left.
Four seconds into the four, Dill made a 22-yard field goal to pull the Bulldogs to within a point, 14-13.
Castleton then methodically moved down the field and chewed up 8:44 of the clock. The drive was capped by a McCarthy 1-yard run, giving the Spartans a 21-13 lead.
With Dean first and goal from the five on the next possession, Martinez came up with a pick in the end zone to turn the ball back to the Spartans.
The Bulldogs defense stood up and forced a punt to get the ball back for one last chance with 21 seconds remaining, but Mike Morgan's (Wallingford, Vt.) kick went out of bounds at the five pinning the Bulldogs deep in their own territory.
Dean couldn't muster much from that point and the game ended with a sack by Rice.
