The Pioneers Win Big Over Castleton

Alfred, NY- Alfred State put on an offensive showcase as they took down Castleton 44-8. Jazir Francois tallied three receiving touchdowns on the day.

Justin Horvath went 11-17 for 188 yards and three touchdowns. Francois tallied four catches for 144 yards and three touchdowns. Looking at the rushing attack, both Jake Palmer and Noah Currier rushed for 60 plus yards and a touchdown.

On the defensive side of the ball, Danny Browning tallied nine tackles, while Neftail Cruz had four tackles and two sacks. Rylie Van Fleet had an interception and three tackles.

Both teams got off to a slow start in the first quarter, with the Pioneers striking first with a field goal late in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, ASC scored 14 unanswered points. After a turnover on downs by the Spartans, Palmer would take the ball into the endzone for the 10-0 lead. The Pioneers forced a three and out. Then Horvath capped off the next drive with a pass in the endzone to Francois for the touchdown. The Pioneers took a 17-0 lead into the break.

Following the break, it only took Alfred State two plays to find the endzone. After a two-yard rush from Josh Graham, Horvath found Francois over the middle and Francois took it 78 yards for a touchdown and the 24-0 lead. Castleton answered with a touchdown and a two-point conversion to cut the deficit to 24-8.

A few Alfred State possessions later, the Pioneers found paydirt again. Francois was on the receiving end of his third touchdown on the day, as Alfred would take the 30-8 lead. Then on the kickoff, Dylan Knight stripped the ball away from a Castleton player, and ran it back into the endzone for a touchdown and the 37-8 lead.

The Pioneers put the finishing touches on the game with a touchdown by Noah Currier early in the fourth for the 44-8 lead. Alfred would hold off the Spartans to secure the win and move to 5-4 on the season and 2-1 in conference play.