NORTHFIELD, Vt. - Behind a rushing attack that carried the ball 46 times for 278 yards and two touchdowns, Norwich was able to hold off a late surge by Castleton en route to a 26-21 win over the Spartans on Saturday afternoon at Sabine Field. Norwich secures its first win of the season with the Homecoming Saturday victory and clinched the Maple Sap Bucket for the fourth consecutive year.
Senior running back Nate Parady (Saint Albans, Vt.) was a workhorse for the Cadets, rushing the ball 28 times for 146 yards and a touchdown. Junior Jehric Hackney (Jericho, Vt.) scored a touchdown on the ground, carrying the ball 15 times for 91 yards.
Junior quarterback Mitchell Theal (Elma, N.Y.) completed 16-of-32 passes, racking up 261 yards and completing a touchdown to senior Trevor Chase (Eliot, Maine), who finished the game with 11 catches for 182 yards. Junior kicker Zach Buchy (Suffolk, Va.) converted 2-of-3 field goal attempts, hitting from 25 and 36 yards, and averaged 56.5 yards per kickoff and a touchback during the contest.
On the defensive side of the ball, junior Ethan Amburn (Suffield, Conn.) led the team with 10 tackles, a figure that included seven solo tackles. Freshman Imari Milton (Miramar, Fla.) erupted for three tackles for loss and a sack, closing out the contest with five tackles on the night. Junior Stefan Romero II (New York, N.Y.) added eight tackles while junior Noah Knight (Rochelle, Ill.) scored five solo tackles.
The two teams traded drives until the 6:04 mark of the first quarter, when Norwich marched down the field on a nine-play, 70-yard drive for the first score of the game. The Cadets notched a trio of third down conversions, the first on a 26-yard rush by junior Justin Bryant (Eliot, Maine), the second on a 14-yard completion from Theal to Chase and the third on a 12-yard touchdown pass to give Norwich an early, 7-0 lead. The Cadets would add a second touchdown early in the second quarter, with a Parady one-yard plunge capping a nine-play, 80-yard drive for a 13-0 advantage that Norwich would take into the halftime break.
Castleton scored a go-ahead touchdown minutes into the second half to cap a 14-point run, but Norwich was able to rally with a strong drive to retake the lead. Theal and Chase connected for another long reception, moving the ball from deep in Norwich territory to the Castleton 20-yard line, and Buchy drilled a 25-yard field goal to give Norwich a 16-14 lead with 8:50 remaining in the third. The Norwich defense forced a three-and-out, standing strong on a third and two to force a punt that gave the Cadets the ball at the 22-yard line. Norwich marched down the field on a 14-play, 59-yard drive capped by a 36-yard field goal from Buchy to spot the Cadets a six-point lead with 26 seconds remaining in the third.
The Norwich defense held firm again on Castleton's ensuing drive, forcing another three-and-out to take over possession with 14:03 remaining in the fourth. The Cadets pieced together an impressive drive to take a 12-point lead, marching 89 yards down the field over 15 plays and finding pay dirt on an 18-yard scamper by Hackney with 6:20 remaining. Castleton scored with 3:56 remaining, but Norwich was able to secure the onside kick and bled out the final 3:56 of the contest, with a 12-yard rush from Theal on a fourth-and-seven being the final statement on the Cadet victory.
The Cadets will hit the road next week and head to Beverly, Massachusetts to take on Endicott. Kick-off is set for 12 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24, and will see Norwich look to avenge last year's 30-21 set-back to the Gulls. Norwich will return to Sabine Field on Saturday, Oct. 1 for its New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) opener against Coast Guard in the "Little Army-Navy Game."
