Cadets March Past AMCATS, 50-21

Paxton, MA – The AMCATS of Anna Maria College and the Cadets of Norwich University battled on AMCAT Field in Saturday's ECFC conference match up. The Cadets broke out a 29 point lead in the first, and it was smooth sailing from there as they overran the AMCATS by a score of 50-21.

After dropping this one, the AMCATS fall to 1-7 on the season and 0-5 in the ECFC. The Cadets climb to 3-2 in the conference and 6-2 overall.

Norwich University put up points in bunches, scoring on four of their five drives in the first quarter. Senior running back Danny Triplett (Haverhill, MA) scored first on a 10 yard rush with 9 minutes remaining in the first stanza. Wide out Derrick Pitts (Schenectady, NY) completed a pass for the two point conversion, putting the Cadets up 8-0.

Triplett added a second touchdown in the first on a 12 yard sprint into the end zone, but not before senior quarterback Kris Sabourin (Georgia, VT) completed a 35 yard pass to Zach Allen (Boston, MA), a junior wide receiver. Sabourin broke free for a 68 yard rush following an interception of AMCATS' QB Santino Simone's (Worcester, MA) pass by Norwich's Dane Palloto (Westbrook, CT), a sophomore defensive back. Norwich closed out the first quarter with a commanding 29-0 lead over the AMCATS.

The Cadets' offense continued to click in the second, as Sabourin connected with sophomore wide out Dan Jamieson (Morris Plains, NJ) through the air for a 14 yard touchdown.

The AMCATS finally got a score up on the board with 9 minutes left in the second period when Simone turned the corner on a rush and made it six yards to the end zone.

The AMCATS defense forced the Cadets to turn the ball over after being unable to convert on fourth down. The offense took over on their own 41, but soon lost the ball on a fumble, which was forced by the Cadets' senior linebacker John Taranto (New Britain, CT) and recovered by Cadets' senior defensive lineman Matt Simonelli (Scituate, RI).

Nick Cruz (South Kingstown, RI), an AMCATS freshman defensive back, gave the ball back to his offense by elevating to pick off a pass from Sabourin. Anna Maria marched downfield, meticulously running plays and looking very sharp, until Pallotto picked off his second pass of the day, ending the AMCATS' drive at the Norwich Cadets' 6 yard line. This ended the half, with a score of 36-7 in favor of the Cadets.

The third quarter saw very little action in terms of scoring, with each team adding a single touchdown to their totals. Simone threw an 11 yard strike to freshman running back Chris Bettano (Tewksbury, MA) to cap off a 12 play drive that covered 69 yards. The Cadets scored on a 23 yard pass to Jamieson from Sabourin after moving the ball 71 yards on 7 plays. The score at the end of three was 43-14.

AMCATS junior running back Bobbly Small (Sleepy Hollow, NY) opened up the fourth quarter with a 5 yard touchdown reception from Simone to bring the score to 43-21 in favor of Norwich. The defense came on to the field and forced another turnover on downs. Unfortunately for the AMCATS, Simone threw his third interception of the game, this time to freshman cornerback Dominique Davis (Kissimee, FL). The Cadets would score one last time on a 14 yard rush by Mike Cavanaugh (Raymond, NH), bringing the game to the final result of 50-21.

Simone ended the day with 264 yards through the air on 29 for 42 passing, and 35 yards on the ground for a combined 299 yards of offense. He threw four interceptions, one touchdown and he also rushed for a score. Sophomore tight end Joshua Sundquist (Windham, ME) earned the top spot for AMCATS receivers, pulling in 11 catches for 104 yards.

The AMCATS travel to take on the Hawks of Becker College in Leicester, MA on Saturday, November 3^rd at 12:00 PM.