WEST CALDWELL, N.J. – The Navy sprint football team (3-1, 2-0 CSFL South) used a 24-point second quarter to take a commanding lead and cruised to a 45-14 victory on the road against Caldwell (0-4, 0-1) on Saturday afternoon at Bonnell Field in West Caldwell, N.J. The Midshipmen used an interception return for a touchdown, a pair of TD passes, and a field goal to take control of the game in the second quarter.
"Both offense and defense played well today,"
Major Jason Dewald, USMC said after the game. "There were hard runs, great tackling, and a total team effort, which made for a great game. Coming out of the bye week has helped us get healthy and set the team up for the remainder of the season."
Offensively the Midshipmen tallied 420 yards of total offense, rushing for 229 and passing for 191. Quarterback
Braydan Chmiel (Warrenton, Mo.) finished the game 13-for-20 for 186 yards and four touchdowns, while
Caleb Champion (Milton, Fla.) led the ground attack with 136 yards on 17 carries. Chmiel chipped in 38 yards and a TD on the ground, while
Kaleb Bodily (Logandale, Nev.) and Brennan Means (Highland, Calif.) finished with 42 and 16 yards rushing, respectively.
Stefano Saragusa (Haines City, Fla.),
Jay Cooke (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.),
J.T. Thompson (Stratham, N.H.), and
Jared Wiltshire (Elizabethton, Tenn.) each caught touchdown passes on the day.
Eric Spicer (St. Marys, Ohio) led the way with 43 yards receiving, followed by Saragusa (39), Wiltshire (36), Cooke (30) and Thompson (28).
Defensively, the Mids limited the Cougars to 269 total yards, including just 17 yards on the ground. As a team, Navy recorded 12.0 tackles for loss, including 10.0 sacks.
Troy Monroe (Columbus, Ga.) led the way with 4.5 sacks, while
Gavin O'Donnell (Greenfield Township, Pa.) and
Nick Scalise (Fayetteville, Ark.) finished with two apiece.
Shawn Kluchinsky (Abingdon, Md.) recorded an interception, returning the ball 11 yards for a score.
Mason Hooten (Orlando, Fla.) added a fumble recovery on the defensive side.
Jared Swenson (Seymour, Wis.) was one again perfect on special teams. The place kicker was 6-for-6 on point after touchdowns and converted his lone field goal attempt, hitting from 41 yards.
Navy was the first team to scratch the scoreboard, breaking the scoreless tie with just under 11 minutes on the first quarter game clock. Saragusa hauled in a 24-yard pass from Chmiel to cap a three-play scoring drive that covered 43 yards.
In the second quarter, the Midshipmen erupted for 24 points. Kluchinsky started the scoring 10 seconds into the quarter by picking off a Caldwell pass and returning it 11 yards for the pick six. After a Cougar touchdown, Chmiel connected with Wiltshire for a 36-yard touchdown with 6:44 to play. Swenson drilled a 41-yard field goal three and a half minutes later. Thompson caught an eight-yard TD reception for the final score of the quarter to put Navy in front 31-7.
Chmiel was responsible for a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter. The sophomore QB found Cooke in the end zone for a five-yard touchdown and called his own number, running the ball in from six yards out. Caldwell used a 59-yard TD pass for its second touchdown of the game, providing the final score of 45-14.
Navy returns to action on Friday, Oct. 19, at 7:00 p.m. as the Midshipmen play host to Chestnut Hill at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Live stats will be available throughout the game.
