PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Navy sprint football team (5-1, 4-0) posted a 20-9 victory over Penn (3-3, 2-2) on Friday night at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. With the win, the Midshipmen claim the Collegiate Sprint Football League South Division title with a perfect 4-0 record in the division. After concluding the regular season next weekend at Post, Navy will compete against the North Division champion in the CSFL Championship game on Saturday, Nov. 10, in Hillburn, N.Y., hosted by St. Thomas Aquinas.
 
"It was a good team win," Major Jason Dewald, USMC said of his team after the game. "Penn is a great team and played extremely tough. Defense played lights out and kept us in the game against a great Penn offense. The team stayed strong and pulled through together. Offense pulled through at the end when we needed to help keep Penn at bay. I am so proud of this team for playing hard and playing for each other.
 
"This team has worked hard all season and we have now earned the right to play for a championship. I couldn't be prouder of them."
 
The two teams played nearly even with Penn holding a slight five-yard advantage in total offense (295-290). Navy did most of its damage on the ground, amassing 160 rushing yards, while passing for 130. The Quakers finished with 220 passing yards and 75 on the ground. The Mids defense forced three turnovers, blocked an extra point, and notched a defensive score to help set the tone.
 
Defensively, the Midshipmen held the Quakers to 295 total yards. The Mids recorded 61 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss and four sacks. As a team, Navy finished the game with three interceptions, four pass breakups, and blocked an extra point. Gavin O'Donnell (Greenfield Township, Pa.) led the way with 11 total tackles, including a team-high 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 of Navy's four sacks. Nick Scalise (Fayetteville, Ark.) joined O'Donnell with double-digit stops, finishing with 10 tackles, including three tackles for loss. Miles Whitlow (Madison, Ala.), Lukas Kaiser (New Albany, Ind.), and Dean Rye (Fairfax, Va.) each recorded interceptions in the game with Whitlow returning his INT 41 yards into the end zone.
 
Quarterback Braydan Chmiel (Warrenton, Mo.) finished the game 9-for-14 with 130 yards passing and a touchdown, while also tallying 136 rushing yards to lead the team, including a 63-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Eric Spicer (St. Marys, Ohio) and J.T. Thompson (Stratham, N.H.) pulled down three receptions apiece for 55 and 41 yards, respectively. Jared Wiltshire (Elizabethton, Tenn.) made his one reception count, hauling in a 16-yard TD catch.
 
Navy took the lead in the first quarter. On the third play of the opening drive, Chmiel scampered for 63 yards for a touchdown to put the Midshipmen on the scoreboard. Penn mounted a drive and were marching down the field until Whitlow picked off a Quaker pass and returned it 41 yards for the touchdown. Jared Swenson (Seymour, Wis.) added the extra point to give Navy a 13-0 lead with 2:52 remaining in the first quarter.
 
In the second quarter, Penn used a 16-play drive to cover 70 yards, eating up 9:26 off the clock. The Quakers capped the drive with an 18-yard field goal by Theo Papazekos to end the shutout.
 
The score remained 13-3 until the 7:43 mark of the fourth quarter. Penn's Eddie Jenkins finished an 11-play drive that covered 83 yards and 5:43 with a four-yard rush into the end zone. Navy kept the score at 13-9 as the Midshipmen blocked the extra-point attempt.
 
Penn attempted an on-side kick and were able to recover the ball. The defense held forcing a turnover on downs. On the ensuing Navy drive, the Midshipmen marched down the field 77 yards for the insurance touchdown. Chmiel found Wiltshire for 16 yards and the score. Swenson's extra point was true, extending the advantage to 11 with 89 seconds on the clock.
 
The defense shined on the final drive of the game to preserve the victory. O'Donnell and Shawn Kluchinsky (Abingdon, Md.) combined for a five-yard sack on the first play of the drive. Navy forced three incomplete passes to take over on downs with 40 seconds on the clock. Navy took a knee to secure the victory.
 
Navy closes out the regular season with a road game against Post on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 12:00 p.m. in Waterbury, Conn. The following week, the Midshipmen will play in the CSFL Championship game as the CSFL South Division champions.