Panther Football Wins Season Opener

The Plymouth State Panthers started the season on the right foot with a strong 20-7 victory over Castleton University in their season opener on Saturday at Spartan Stadium. Sophomore quarterback Zack Edwards (Brookfield, Mass.) showed off his ability throwing for 157 yards with 1 touchdown pass. The Panther running game would contribute to the strong offensive, adding 151 rushing yards to give the Panthers 308 total offensive yards in the game.

The Panthers were off to a hot start scoring on their first drive of the game, going for 68 yards on nine plays that ended with a 1 yard rushing touchdown by Mitch Banuskevich (Milford, Mass). After converting with the point after, Castleton would respond at the end of the 1st quarter.

Nick Boles found Soren Pelz-Walsh on a 17-yard touchdown reception, giving Castleton a 7-6 lead. That lead would only hold to the beginning of the second half, as Edwards would hit junior wide receiver Chris Kelly (Belmont, Mass) with a 37-yard touchdown giving the Panthers a 13-7 lead. The Panthers would end the game scoring one more touchdown in the fourth, when David Hamilton (Westville, NJ) would pound in a 1-yard touchdown to cap the game at 20-7.

As impressive as the sffense was in their season opener, it was the defense that really shined in Saturday’s showdown. The Panther defense allowed just 182 total yards (133 passing, 49 rushing). The Panthers defense contributed to five Castleton turnovers in the game, three coming via interception and one via a fumble recovery.

The Panthers will be looking to keeping their hot start going when they face-off against the Mount Ida Mustangs in the Panther’s home opener, Saturday September 10, at Currier Field at 1pm.