RINGE, N.H. – The Navy sprint football team (1-0) opened up the 2018 season with a 45-7 victory at Franklin Pierce (0-1) on Saturday afternoon at Sodexo Field in Rindge, N.H. The Midshipmen started slow, but found their stride in the second quarter, scoring 24 points to take control of the game.
 
"This was a great win today with a total team effort," first-year head coach Captain Jason Dewald, USMC said. "The defense played great early as our offense had a slow start. The team found a rhythm in the second quarter and were able to put points on the board. We are looking forward to next week's home opener against Army."
 
The Midshipmen tallied 245 yards of total offense, including 135 yards in the air and 110 yards on the ground. The Ravens finished with 208 yards of total offense, but were hampered by 165 yards worth of penalties.
 
Walt Fagan (Rock Hill, S.C.) earned the start at quarterback. The junior finished the day 11-for-19 with 107 yards and four touchdowns. Braydan Chmiel (Warrenton, Mo.) also saw time at quarterback, finishing the game 3-for-8 with 28 yards and an interception.
 
Four Mids finished the game with a pair of catches each. Jay Cooke (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) converted both of his reception into touchdowns. Jared Wiltshire (Elizabethton, Tenn.) and Dane Livengood (Treynor, Iowa) each added TD receptions in the game.
 
Caleb Champion (Milton, Fla.) led the way on the ground for Navy, finishing with a team-high 67 yards and a score, while Chmiel added 57 yards.
 
The defense limited the Franklin Pierce offense to 208 total yards of offense, while causing six turnovers – three fumble recoveries and three interceptions. Dean Rye (Fairfax, Va.) led the team with a team-high seven tackles, while adding an interception. Troy Monroe (Columbus, Ga.) was second on the team with five stops with a team-high 4.0 tackles for loss, including a pair of sacks. Grant Hooper (Huntingtown, Md.) notched an interception with a 41-yard return for a touchdown. In addition, Navy had three players recover fumbles in the game.
 
The game started slow with neither team scoring for the first 20 minutes of the contest. Navy broke the drought with a 29-yard field goal from Jared Swenson (Seymour, Wis.) to go up 3-0 with 9:38 to play in the first half. The Midshipmen recovered a Ravens' fumble on the ensuing kickoff to set up a short field. On the first play from scrimmage following the fumble, Fagan hit Cooke for an eight-yard score to put Navy up 10-0 just nine second later. Navy continued the scoring in the second quarter as Champion capped off a seven-play, 40-yard drive with a two-yard plunge into the end zone for his first score of the season. The Mids went into intermission with a 24-0 lead after Fagan connected with Cooke for the duo's second TD of the quarter.
 
In the third quarter, Wiltshire recorded his only reception of the game, a 36-yard score to put Navy up 31-0. Hooper increased the lead to 38 points as the sophomore intercepted a Ravens' pass and took it 41 yards to the house for the pick six. Franklin Pierce used a 75-yard scamper to avoid the shutout. The Mids concluded the scoring with a one-yard reception by Livengood to provide the final margin, 45-7.
 
Navy returns to action on Friday, Sept. 21, as the Midshipmen host Army West Point in the home opener. The game, which is part of the Star Series presented by USAA, is slated for 7:00 p.m. at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Live stats and live video will be available for the game.