Fast Five: Pioneers Tangle with Spartans in Home Finale

Alfred State plays a huge ECFC battle vs. Castleton in their 2021 home finale. The Pioneers and the Spartans are two of the four teams tied on top of the ECFC standings.

• Meeting History: 
• Last Game: Alfred State downed Keystone 38-7 while Castleton won a wild 38-31 contest versus Anna Maria.
  • Alfred State evened their record and moved into a four-way tie in the ECFC standings with a 38-7 victory over Keystone on Saturday afternoon. Joseph Alvarado got the Pioneers on the board with 57 seconds remaining in the 1st quarter when he intercepted a Giants pass and returned it 79-yards for a score.  A pair of rushing touchdowns (8 and 19 yards) late in the 2nd quarter by Aaron Jenkins gave ASC a 21-0 lead at half. Dawson Fontaine connected on a 20-yard field goal with 2:35 left in the 3rd quarter and Jenkins made it 31-0 early in the 4th with his third rushing touchdown. His 13-yard run capped an 83-yard drive. The Giants broke the shutout with 4:51 left in the game but Jason Salcedo answered right back with a three-yard rushing touchdown to cap the scoring. Jenkins finished with 122 yards rushing (three TD's) on 13 carries and was 8 for 12 for 126 yards passing on the day. Dylan Banks carried the ball 10 times for 54 yards while Ben Ba caught four passes for 51 yards. Mike (Syracuse/Leadership Academy) led the defense with 11 tackles (two for a loss). Rylie Van Fleet and Te'Hari Campbell each had seven tackles. Alvarado had five tackles to go along with his 79-yard interception return for a score. Full game story
  • The Castleton University football team pulled off a thrilling, last-minute victory over Anna Maria on Saturday, scoring the game-winning touchdown with just 1:04 to play to complete the 38-31 win in Eastern Collegiate Football Conference play at Dave Wolk Stadium. Jacob McCarthy connected on 19-of-35 passes on the day, throwing for 265 yards and a touchdown. Anthony Martinez caught the lone receiving touchdown, and finished with 120 yards on eight receptions. Devin Wollner was a force out of the backfield, carrying the ball nine times for 70 yards and two touchdowns. Lucas Morse added two touchdowns of his own, amassing 38 yards on 12 carries. Defensively, Castleton was led by eight tackles each from Ethan Palazetti and Jayson Gilsinger. Jacob Griggs added seven stops, as did Kyle Ford. Ian DeTulleo picked off a pair of passes, including the game-sealing interception to put an end to Anna Maria's final drive. Full Game Story
• Game Notes:
  • Alfred State, Castleton, Gallaudet, and Anna Maria all sit on top of the ECFC standings with a 3-1 record. This week's action will start the determination of a champion as Castleton travels to Alfred State and Gallaudet is @ Anna Maria.
  • Aaron Jenkins was named the ECFC Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season. Castleton's Ian DeTulleo was named the Defensive Player of the Week.
  • Alfred State is averaging 344.8 yards per game and 26.8 points while Castleton is averaging 328.6 yards and 25.1 points per game. Defensively the Pioneers are allowing 336.5 yards and 23.9 points per game while the Spartans are allowing 297.4 yards and 13 points per game.
  • Aaron Jenkins has used his legs to power the Pioneer offense during ECFC play. He has rushed for 689 yards and 11 touchdowns on the year. He has also passed for ten scores and 1,582 yards.
  • Castleton's Chris Rice has been one of the top defensive linemen in the ECFC. He leads the team with 52 total tackles and leads the conference with 10.5 sacks. 
  • In any big game, turnovers will be key. The Spartans picked off four Anna Maria passes last week. They come into the game with a +10 turnover ratio.
  • Special teams will be key as well. Dawson Fontaine is 26-26 in PAT's for Alfred State and 6 for 9 in field goal attempts while Noah Grossman is 19 for 22 in PAT's and 8 for 11 in field goals.
  • Pioneer defensive linemen Brock Weist figures to be a factor. He leads ASC with four sacks and eight tackles for a loss. First year defensive linemen Nuhsar Mike has been impactful recently and now has 44 tackles on the season.
• ECFC News:
  
  • Last Week Results: Maritime 31 Dean 27, Castleton 38 Anna Maria 31, Alfred State 38 Keystone 7
  • Current Standings: 
    • Gallaudet: 3-1/5-1 overall
    • Anna Maria: 3-1/5-2 overall
    • Castleton: 3-1/5-3 overall
    • Alfred State: 3-1/4-4 overall
    • Maritime: 2-2/2-5 overall
    • Dean: 1-4/2-7 overall
    • Keystone: 0-5/0-9 overall 
  • Games this week: Castleton @ Keystone, Gallaudet @ Anna Maria, Keystone @ Maritime
  • For more information on the ECFC visit: https://www.easterncollegiatefootball.com/landing/index
• Game Details: 
  • Opening kickoff is slated for Noon. Senior day festivities will begin at 11:45 a.m.
  • Tailgaiting will be allowed in the parking lots outside Pioneer Stadium - Tailgaiting Rules and Regulations 
  • Live Stats * Live Video