ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy sprint football team will kick off its 2020 season on Sunday afternoon against rival Army West Point. The non-Star game is slated for 1:00 p.m. at Shea Stadium in West Point, N.Y. Due to on-going restrictions in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic the general public will not be allowed to attend.
 
Live stats and live video will be available.
 
The game will be the first of two contests between the two teams this season. The game on Sunday in West Point will not count towards the overall Army-Navy Star Series presented by USAA, while the game hosted on Sunday, Oct. 18 in Annapolis will serve as the annual Star Game.
 
All-Time Series
Navy holds the all-time series record, 44-37-1 (.543). The Midshipmen are 25-22-1 (.531) against the Black Knights away from Annapolis with a 14-15-1 (.483) mark in West Point.
 
The two teams have met on the gridiron twice each of the past two seasons. Army edged Navy, 17-14, for the Star in 2018, but the Mids downed the Black Knights 24-10 in the Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL) Championship game. Last season, the Midshipmen posted a 14-7 come-from-behind victory over the Black Knights in West Point. The Mids trailed 7-0 at halftime, but used lock-down defense and a pair of scores, including a pick six, to post the victory. However, Navy dropped a 13-0 decision to Army in the CSFL Championship game.
 
Head Coach Jason Dewald
The Midshipmen are entering its third season under Major Jason Dewald, USMC, who boasts a 14-2 overall record, including an 8-0 mark in the CSFL South Division. The Mids have advanced to the CSFL Championship each of the past two seasons, winning the title in 2018.
 
2020 Team Captains
Seniors Grant Hooper (Huntingtown, Md.) and Jim Kenneally (Elmhurst, Ill.) will be team captains for the 2020 campaign. Hooper will serve as the defensive captain, while Kenneally will captain the offense.
 
Hooper is a two-time First Team All-Collegiate Sprint Football League selection, earning the distinction in 2018 and 2019. The senior has played in all 24 games of his career, making 60 total tackles, including 44 solo stops as a defensive back. Hooper has registered five interceptions, including three last year, while recording 13 pass breakups, a forced fumble, and three fumble recoveries in his career.
 
Kenneally is also a two-time First Team All-CSFL honoree (2018, '19). He anchors an offensive line that has tallied 7,820 total yards in three seasons, including 4,540 rushing yards and 3,280 passing yards. In three years, Kenneally has played in 22 games with 19 starts, helping the Midshipmen tally 95 offensive touchdowns, including 57 rushing TDs and an additional 38 scores through the air.
 
CSFL Army-Navy Sprint Football Preview Show
The CSFL aired an Army-Navy Sprint Football Game Preview Show this past Thursday night on the CACC Network. The show breaks down Sunday's contest between the Cadets and Midshipmen at Shea Stadium in West Point.
 
Thursday's preview show featured interviews with both head coaches and student-athletes from each school. The show also provided a look at the historic rivalry between the two academies in the sport of sprint football.
 
The CACC Network is the official digital channel of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC), which is a partner with the CSFL. Fans can view the network in a variety of ways, including online at caccnetwork.com. Click Here to view
 
CSFL Announcement on 2020 Season
The CSFL announced on Friday, July 17 that the 2020 fall season would not occur due to safety concerns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision was made following a vote of the 10 CSFL member institutions. The two Army-Navy contests in October are the only scheduled fall games in the CSFL.
 
The CSFL and its remaining member schools allowed Army and Navy to explore competitive opportunities against each other during the fall as considered appropriate by the Superintendents of both institutions. The decision was made for the two schools to explore the opportunity due to their unique mission in higher education.
 
2019 Navy Sprint Football Season
Navy sprint football finished the year 7-1 overall and 4-0 in the Collegiate Sprint Football League – South Division. For the second consecutive season, Navy (South Champion) and Army West Point (North Champion) met in the in the Collegiate Sprint Football League Championship game. The Midshipmen tallied 16 different players earn All-CSFL accolades, including seven players named First Team All-CSFL and four named to the second team.
 
Navy's offense ranked first in the league in red zone offense (.833) and rush attempts (318), while ranking second in the CSFL in rushing offense (179.8 yards/game), rushing yards (1,438), rushing touchdowns (20), first downs rushing (68), and total offensive plays (463). The offense was third in the CSFL in scoring offense (30.2 avg/game), touchdowns scored (32), total offensive yards (2,230), and total offensive touchdowns (29); fourth in first downs (113), yards per rush (4.5 avg), and time of possession (30:49); while ranking fifth in total offense (278.8 yards/game) and passing efficiency (103.6).
 
Defensively, Navy was first in the CSFL in interceptions (25), interception return yards (211), fumble return yards (39), fumble return touchdowns (2), opponent fourth-down conversions (.067), and turnover margin (+21), while ranking second in scoring defense (9.1 avg/game), total defense (217.0 yards/game), passing defense efficiency (73.0), and opponent first downs (91). The Mids were third in the CSFL in sacks (22), fumble recovered (7), and interception return touchdowns (1); fourth in rushing defense (83.0 yards/game) and pass defense (134.0 yards/game); and fifth in opponent third-down conversions (29.9) and red zone defense (.667).
 
On special teams, Navy was first in kickoff returns (24.0 yards/game), kickoff coverage (40.2 net avg), punting (33.8 yards/game), field goals (6), and on-side kicks (1.000). The Mids ranked second in PAT kicking percentage (.968), points scored kicking (48), field goals attempted (12), punting yards (1,470), punt returns (7.8 avg), and punt return yards (140); and third in field goals made (6), field goal percentage (.500), PAT kicks (30), and punts (39).
 
Sprint Football Tradition
The Navy sprint football team has 37 Collegiate Sprint Football League championships (30 outright) in the program's 74-year history – the most among any school in league history. The team boasts an all-time winning percentage of .832 with an all-time record of 379-73-9, including an 11-1 (.917) mark in CSFL South Division play (divisions started in 2017).