Sept. 22, 2012

Final Stats

PRINCETON, N.J. - The Navy sprint football team scored on its first four possessions of the game and went on to defeat Princeton, 62-13, on Saturday afternoon in Princeton, N.J. Navy's special teams recorded three touchdowns, including a pair of kickoff returns, while the defense held the Tigers to just 66 yards of total offense, including -9 on the ground.

Saturday's game was the CSFL opener for Navy, which is now 2-0 on the year, while Princeton fell to 0-2.

"We were pretty sloppy today on both sides of the football and certainly have some things to work on this coming week," said Navy head coach Maj. Kavan Lake, USMC. "We also can't afford to commit so many penalties. Fortunately our special teams and defense came up big today."

Adrian Montecinos, who connected on two field goals on Saturday, gave Navy a 3-0 lead on its first drive of the game and on the next possession Lewis Correale hit Michael Buck in the end zone with a 16-yard pass as Navy took a 10-0 advantage.

The Tigers got on the board on the following possession as Sean Conrad rushed 40 yards to the end zone, cutting the Navy lead to 10-6. It marked the first time the Tigers scored against the Navy defense since the 2004 season, a streak that stretched over 375 minutes.

Navy quickly responded on the ensuing kickoff as it scored its first of three special teams' touchdowns. Brendan West took the kick and went 86 yards to the end zone to give the Mids a 17-6 lead.

After the Mids' defense held Princeton to a three-and-out on the next possession, it was Tracy Daniels turn to go the distance on a kick return. Daniels took Darek Johnson's punt at his own 42 yard line and raced to the end zone to give Navy a 24-6 lead with just :20 remaining in the first quarter.

Senior D.J. Hooper plunged in for a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter to help extend the Navy lead. Hooper's TD runs of five and two yards were sandwiched around Montecinos' second field goal of the day, giving Navy a 41-6 lead at the half.

Navy scored twice in an :18 span early in the fourth quarter to push its lead to 55-6. Backup quarterback Will Hampton tossed a 17-yard TD strike to Warren Rooney and the Mids got their third interception return for a touchdown of the season on the following Princeton possession. Carter Reading stepped in front of Joseph Bush's pass at the Tiger 40-yard line and took it to the end zone.

A forced fumble return for a touchdown by the Tigers' Nick Barnett made it 55-13 with just over 6:00 to play in the fourth quarter. Stephen Meidus responded with Navy's third special team score on the following kickoff, as he went 82 yards for the touchdown.

The Mids finished with nine penalties totaling 77 yards and 264 yards of total offense.

"Offensively we need to be able to drive the ball down the field much better," said Lake. "We also can't give up so many yards in penalties."

Zac Blanchard led Navy in tackles with six, including 3.0 for loss.

Offensively, Correale finished 10-of-15 for 92 yards with two interceptions and one TD.

Navy will return to action next Friday in Annapolis when it meets Post at 7:30 p.m. at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.