Manny Sanchez scored on an eight yard run with 5:55 left to play on Saturday afternoon, as Plymouth State rallied from a 20-0 deficit to defeat Husson University 21-20 in the sixth annual New England Bowl that was played at the Winkin Complex in Bangor.
Husson got off to the fast start when Parker LaFrance returned a Sanchez fumble 44 yards for a touchdown early in the first quarter. The Eagles added a 26 yard TD run from Elijah Garnett and a Nic Visser five yard QB keeper to make it 20-0. The Panthers began to slice into the deficit when Braden Lynn caught a four yard touchdown from Jake Donahue with 30 seconds left before halftime. Husson kicker Aaron Paradis, who missed an extra point earlier in the game, also missed a 22 yard field goal in the third quarter that would of extended the lead back to 16. Plymouth State took advantage helped by a 38 yard pass from Lynn to Bryan Warren on a 4th down and 3 at the Eagles 47. Thanos Boulukos finished that drive off with a one yard touchdown run. Another mistake by the hosts early in the fourth quarter as they again looked to extend their lead. Garnett fumbled into the endzone and the Panthers recovered for a touchback. Sanchez had 43 yards on the ground on the game winning drive, including the last eight that put Plymouth State (9-2) ahead for good.
Visser went 24-32 passing for 227 yards with one interception in the loss. He also led the team on the ground with nine carries for 56 yards and a touchdown. Garnett had 10 rushes for 50 yards and a score. Russ Walker had 11 catches for 90 yards. Tucker Buzzell and Adam Bertrand finished off a great season on the defensive side. Buzzell had 16 total tackles, 1.5 for loss while Bertrand had 15, one for loss and one sack. Eli Simmonds had two interceptions, while LaFrance had one as well also adding the fumble recovery for a touchdown. Husson officially ends their season at 5-6 in their first ever appearance in the New England Bowl. Sanchez led Plymouth State with 138 yards rushing and the game winning score. The Panthers are out of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference and had two wins over the Eagles on the season that included a 17-0 shutout in Week 2 in Bangor.
All photos are courtesy of Eric Ogden Photography-
