WEST CALDWELL, N.J. – The Navy sprint football team (4-0, 2-0 CSFL-South) posted a 23-10 victory on the road against Caldwell (2-2, 1-1 CSFL-South) in a key Collegiate Sprint Football League South Division match up at Bonnel Field at James Caldwell High School in West Caldwell, N.J.
 
"It was a tough game today," Major Jason Dewald, USMC said after the game. "Both sides came up with big plays when we needed them. The defense played big with interceptions, while the offense made a critical drive when we needed the momentum. We ran the ball hard and were getting back to our basics. The defense was relentless and they are only getting better as the season progresses. We are looking forward to the bye week to rest, recover, and prepare for another big game against Penn."
 
Navy and Caldwell played nearly even. The Cougars held a slight 167-to-165 advantage in rushing yards. The Midshipmen had an 88-to-41 edge in passing yards to give the Mids a 253-to-208 advantage in total offense. Navy controlled the clock holding onto the ball for nearly 35 minutes. The Mids committed five penalties for 40 total yards, while the Cougars were flagged 10 teams for 91 yards.
 
Caleb Champion (Milton, Fla.) tallied 95 yards rushing on the ground, shouldering a majority of the load with 22 of Navy's 48 carries in the game. He and Alex Totta (Kanas City, Kan.) each finished the game with a rushing touchdown. Quarterback Jake Foss (Merced, Calif.) finished the game 5-for-11 for 67 yards with a touchdown. Fellow QB Braydan Chmiel (Warrenton, Mo.) went 2-for-7 for 21 yards in the game. Ramesh Nagarajah (Boston, Mass.), Walt Fagan (Rock Hill, S.C.), and Champion each finished with two catches apiece. Nagarajah led the way with 31 yards, while Fagan added 26 yards and a touchdown. Senior captain J.T. Thompson (Stratham, N.H.) added a 22-yard reception in the game.
 
Defensively, David Postma (Bellevue, Wash.) led the team with eight total tackles, while Pat Guinan (Elmhurst, Ill.) and Caiden Groff (Bennington, Neb.) chipped in seven stops apiece. Guinan led all Mids with seven solo tackles in the game. Senior captain Troy Monroe (Columbus, Ga.) led the team with 2.0 tackles for loss, including one of Navy's two sacks. Ed Shead (South Hampton, Pa.) added a sack and forced a fumble. Grant Hooper (Huntingtown, Md.) and Adam Weissenfels (Richland, Wash.) each added interceptions on the day.
 
Navy broke the scoreless in the second quarter. Senior Jared Swenson (Seymour, Wis.) converted a 33-yard field goal to cap a 12-play, 47-yard drive to put the Mids ahead, 3-0, with 14:55 remaining in the second quarter. The Midshipmen added a touchdown in second quarter as Foss hit Fagan for an 11-yard touchdown reception. With under 20 second remaining in the half, Caldwell's 24-yard field goal attempt was true, sending the game into halftime with the Mids up 10-3.
 
Neither team was able to score in the third quarter and the Cougars used a four-yard run by Armani Bermudez to tie the game at 10-10 with 11:02 remaining in the fourth quarter. Navy answered with a seven-play, 55-yard scoring drive that was capped by a Totta touchdown to put the Mids ahead 16-10.
 
On the ensuing Caldwell drive, Hooper picked off a Cougar pass on the first play to set up a Champion eight-yard touchdown run to give Navy a 23-10 lead with 7:34 to play.
 
Navy sealed the game on the Cougars' next drive. On the fifth play of the drive, Weissenfels picked off the Caldwell quarterback to give the Midshipmen the ball with 4:50 to play. The Navy offense was able to drain the clock and close out the game on offense.
 
Navy returns to action on Friday, Oct. 18 as the Midshipmen host Penn in a CSFL-South matchup. The game will be live streamed on the Patriot League Network and live stats will be available throughout the game.