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PSU rolls past Maine Maritime

PLYMOUTH – Plymouth State University accumulated 428 yards of total offense and scored its most points in a decade as the Panthers cruised past Maine Maritime Academy, 48-6, in non-conference football action at Currier Field on Saturday afternoon.

PSU celebrated its home opener in style, scoring on four of its five first half drives to build a 27-0 lead at the break. Plymouth State added three second-half TDs before the Mariners spoiled the shutout bid with a touchdown in the final three minutes.

Seniors David Hamilton (West Deptford, N.J.) and Nick Lancia (Bedford, N.Y.) combined to rush for 165 yards and four touchdowns, and sophomore quarterback Brett Lavanchy (Walpole, Mass.) finished 8-of-13 for 114 yards and a score. The PSU defense limited the Mariners to 47 yards rushing and forced three turnovers in a dominating effort.

“I think we did some things consistently better today,” Plymouth State coach Paul Castonia said. “We did a pretty good job preventing the big play, but we’ve got to tackle better. We’re going to have some challenges ahead of us and we’ve got work to do.”

Plymouth State (2-0) kicks off the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) schedule next Saturday (Sept. 21) when the Panthers host Worcester State at 1 p.m. at Currier Field. Maine Maritime (0-2) opens its home slate on Saturday, hosting Massachusetts Maritime Academy at noon.

How it Happened.

  • PSU forced a quick three-and-out and freshman Luc Normandeau (Dover) got a finger on the Mariners’ punt to set up the Panthers at the MMA 40. Hamilton ran six consecutive times, finding pay dirt from nine yards out for an early 7-0 lead.
  • Maine Maritime moved to the PSU 36 on its next drive but the Panthers were able to hold on fourth-and-seven. Plymouth marched right back down field with a heavy dose of Lancia carries, capped off by a 5-yard TD run.
  • MMA moved the ball to the PSU 30-yard line in its third drive, but a bad snap led to a fumble and junior Elijah Bussell (Athens, Maine) jumped on the loose ball for the turnover.
  • PSU’s drive stalled, but Lavanchy, who also serves as the punter, pinned the Mariners deep when his kick was downed at the one-yard line. Another three-and-out and a short punt gave PSU excellent field position.
  • Lancia rushed three times for 22 yards, before Lavanchy hit junior Zach Swanson (Meredith) for a 10-yard score and freshman Dan Carey (Plymouth) nailed the point after for a 21-0 lead.
  • PSU got the ball back with 1:46 left in the half and executed on its two-minute drill. Lavanchy hit junior Max Osgood (Nashua) for 17 yards on a third-and-three, and later in the drive found junior Terrell Lewis (Nashua) for a 44-yard strike down the sideline to set up another Hamilton TD run as the Panthers took a 27-0 lead into the break.
  • Lancia cashed in from 8 yards out to finish off a nine-play, 65-yard drive to open the second half. After another three-and-out, freshman quarterback Christian Paillet (Coconut Creek, Fla.) came on and capped a 41-yard drive by hitting Osgood for a 26-yard score.
  • Sophomore Kayden Baillargeon (Derry) snagged his first career interception to stop the next MMA drive and the Panthers cruised down the field with sophomore Rahzir Johnson (Princeton, N.J.) doing the heavy lifting. Junior Vito Aleo (Hazlet, N.J.) ended the drive with a 15-yard score to make it 48-0 early in the fourth quarter.
  • Maine Maritime spoiled the shutout bid with a touchdown with just over two minutes left to account for the final score.

Inside the Numbers:

  • Hamilton finished with 15 carries for 96 yards and a pair of TDs, while Lancia rushed 14 times for 69 yards and two scores.
  • Baillargeon and freshman Joey Cassella (North Yarmouth, Maine) each pulled in their first career interceptions. Along with Bussell’s fumble recovery, PSU won the turnover battle, 3-0.
  • PSU moves to 23-7 all-time against the Mariners, including a 13-1 at Currier Field. The Panthers have won each of the last seven meetings. The two teams last met in 2012.
  • Plymouth State’s 48 points scored were the most since a 48-30 win over Nichols in October 2009.

 

 

 

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