HILLBURN, N.Y. – The Navy sprint football team (7-1) posted a 24-10 victory over rival Army West Point (6-1) to claim the Collegiate Sprint Football League title in the second annual CSFL Championship game, played at Torne Valley Sports Complex in Hillburn, N.Y.
"I am so proud of the hard work and dedication that this team has displayed all season,"
Major Jason Dewald, USMC said after the game. "They played their hearts out for each other and made this win happen. Defense came up big and offense ran the ball great. The hard work that started in the off-season has carried over to this season. That hard work paid off as they end the season as champions!"
In the game, Navy outgained Army West Point, 361-287, including a 289-16 advantage on the ground. Quarterback
Braydan Chmiel (Warrenton, Mo.) finished the game with a team-high 183 yards rushing with a touchdown, while also passing for 72 yards and a pair of scores.
Caleb Champion (Milton, Fla.) finished the game with 78 yards rushing, while
Kaleb Bodily (Logandale, Nev.) netted 29 yards on the ground.
Jared Wiltshire (Elizabethton, Tenn.) led the team in receiving yards with 55 and a pair of scores.
Defensively, the Midshipmen tallied 53 total tackles, including 5.0 tackles for loss, and 3.0 sacks. The defense broke up 12 passes, recorded an interception, and blocked a punt.
Nick Scalise (Fayetteville, Ark.) led the team with six tackles, while
Gavin O'Donnell (Greenfield Township, Pa.) posted a team-high 1.5 sacks.
Pat Guinan (Elmhurst, Ill.) recorded an interception, returning it for seven yards.
Lukas Kaiser (New Albany, Ind.) blocked a Black Knight punt, setting up the Midshipmen for their first score.
Navy was the first team to scratch the scoreboard. The Mids received terrific field position following a blocked punt, staring their opening possession at the Army 15-yardline. Chmiel called his own number, rushing in from eight yards out to cap a two-play, 15-yard scoring drive.
Jared Swenson (Seymour, Wis.) tacked on the extra point to give Navy an early 7-0 advantage.
On Army's second possession, the Black Knights pieced together a seven-play scoring drive to tie the game at 7-7. Quarterback Keegan West capped the 73-yard scoring drive with a seven-yard jaunt into the end zone.
The Midshipmen regained the lead in the first quarter with a long, sustained drive. The Mids burned 6:41 off the game clock with an 11-play, 71-yard drive. Navy found the back of the end zone as Chmiel found a wide-open Wiltshire streaking across the back of the end zone for the score. Swenson was true to give Navy a 14-7 advantage with 3:08 remaining in the first quarter.
Swenson extended the Mids' advantage to double-digits as the junior hit a 37-yard field goal as first half expired, sending Navy into intermission in front 17-7.
The Black Knights trimmed the margin to one score with 4:50 remaining in the third quarter. Army's Seppi Ortman converted a 24-yard field goal to close the gap.
The Midshipmen added some insurance in the fourth quarter with a touchdown. Chmiel once again found Wiltshire in the back of the end zone to push the advantage to 24-10 with 13:13 remaining in the game. The two teams stiffened their defensive efforts with each squad keeping the other off of the scoreboard and preserving the 14-point victory for Navy.
Navy finished the season 7-1 overall and 4-0 in the CSFL-South. The CSFL Championship is the 30th outright league title for the Midshipmen.
