PLYMOUTH, N.H. - Junior quarterback John DeMarco (Milford, N.H.) threw for a pair of touchdowns and ran for one Saturday afternoon to lead Plymouth State University to a 28-17 victory over Endicott College in a New England Football Conference Boyd Division affair at Currier Field.

            DeMarco, whose one-yard sneak gave the Panthers a 7-0 first-quarter lead, hit senior Drew Richardson (Newburgh, Maine) with a pair of TD passes. The first was a 10-yarder in the second quarter that gave PSU the lead back, 14-10, and the second was a 65-yard bomb at the end of the third quarter to make it a 28-10 PSU lead.  The Panthers also got 99 yards rushing from senior tailback Jeff Mack (Milford, N.H./Milford) and 71 yards rushing and a touchdown from junior fullback Brandon Clough (Gonic, N.H./Spaulding).

            Plymouth State improves to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the NEFC Boyd Division, while Endicott falls to 1-4 and 1-2.  The Panthers, who have won seven straight dating back to last season, have captured their first five to start the season for the seventh time in school history, and the first time since 1995.  PSU has already won more games than any of the five previous years, and clinched a winning season for the first time since 2001.

            After DeMarco's two-yard sneak gave the Panthers a 7-0 lead, Endicott senior quarterback Vinny Orlando (Manchester, Mass.) hit classmate Ryan MacLean (Mansfield, Mass.) with a 39-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 7-7 after one quarter. The Gulls pulled ahead on a 23-yard field goal by sophomore Chris Brennan (East Longmeadow, Mass.) early in the second frame, but Richardson's first TD of the day put the Panthers ahead 14-10 at the intermission.

            Clough scored on a 23-yard burst up the middle midway through the third quarter to extend PSU's lead to 21-10, and Richardson's second score made it 28-10 heading into the fourth quarter.

            Orlando connected with sophomore Timothy Viall (Sandwich, Mass.) on a 14-yard TD pass early in the fourth quarter. Endicott put together a 12-play drive to set up a score that could have made it a four-point game, but the Gulls fumbled at the PSU 10 yard line.  The Panthers recovered and then ran out the clock.

            PSU is home again next Saturday, hosting Nichols College at 1:00 p.m.  Endicott visits defending champion Curry College next Saturday at 7:00 pm.

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