The Plymouth State football team was shut-out this past rainy Saturday (10/4) afternoon against Westfield State, dropping the Panthers to 1-4 overall and 0-3 in the MASCAC (Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference).
Regardless of the cold, sloppy weather at Alumni Field in Westfield, Massachusetts, Plymouth State offense couldn’t do anything against Westfield’s defense. Throwing for just 19 yards and rushing for under 10 yards on 31 attempts, they have a lot of work to do this bye week if they want to get back into playoff contention. “We’re struggling on offense, to say the least,” Head Coach Paul Castonia said. “We will use this bye week to look at some personnel moves and try some new things to help us move the ball.”
The Westfield defense turned the ball over twice and recorded two safeties, and only allowed Plymouth State one first down in their 22 minutes of possession. Senior tailback Michael Mercadante broke the 100-yard rushing mark for the third time this season, carrying the ball 122 yards on 25 attempts, and broke through the end zone twice en route to the 35-0 win.
Mercadante scored on the opening drive with a 14-yard rush to cap off a 10 play, 92-yard drive. The Owls scored on their next possession, thanks to a Panther fumble early on in the drive. Senior quarterback Steve Guercio, who threw for 175 yards, launched a 33-yard bomb to Scotty Nye on the very next play.
The Westfield State Owls went on to score 21 points over the next three quarters, including two safeties, a field goal, and two rushing touchdowns, with the big play coming off a 43-yard Mercadante rushing touchdown.
“We got beat by a big, strong, experienced Westfield team. It was an eye-opener for many of our young guys. On defense, we did some good things and had chances to do some other good things, but missed some opportunities,” Coach Castonia said.
PSU has a lot of things to think about going into their bye week. The Panther defense was on the field for nearly two-thirds of the game, and given the talent Westfield has, they could have given up a lot more than 35 points. Offensively, this team could strive. They have youth and depth in the quarterback position, and they’ve shown early on in the season that they’re more than capable of making the big time plays when they need to. Hopefully this bye week will give them time to reflect and bounce back.
Plymouth State travels to Bridgewater State on Saturday, October 18th.