ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy sprint football team (2-0) will travel to rival Army West Point (2-0) for a game on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at Shea Stadium in West Point, N.Y. in the annual Star Game, which is part of the overall Army-Navy Star Series presented by USAA. The game will be streamed on Knight Vision and live stats will also be available.
 
All-Time Series
Navy holds the all-time series record, 44-38-1 (.536). The Midshipmen are 25-22-1 (.531) against the Black Knights away from Annapolis with a 14-15-1 (.483) mark in West Point.
 
Prior to last season, which was effected by the coronavirus pandemic, the two teams had met on the gridiron twice each of the previous two seasons (2018, '19) squaring off in the Star Game and the Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL) Championship.
 
Army edged Navy, 17-14, for the Star in 2018, but the Mids downed the Black Knights 24-10 in the CSFL Championship game.
 
In 2019, the Midshipmen posted a 14-7 come-from-behind victory over the Black Knights in West Point to claim the Star. 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 Alfonso Meidus
Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk announced that Major Alfonso Meidus, USMC has been appointed head coach of the Navy sprint football program. Meidus becomes the 32nd head coach in the program's history. In two games, Meidus is 2-0, outscoring opponents 107-7.
 
A 2009 graduate of the Naval Academy, Meidus was a member of the Navy sprint football team from 2005 to 2008, helping the Midshipmen win the CSFL Championship in 2005, 2007, and 2008. During his tenure as a player, Navy was a perfect 8-0 against Army, including four Star victories.
 
2021 Team Captains
Navy sprint football head coach Major Alfonso Meidus, USMC announced that seniors Mike Garnett (Dallas, Texas) and Matthew McGee (Port Charlotte, Fla.) will be team captains for the 2021 campaign. Garnett will serve as the defensive captain, while McGee will captain the offense.
 
Sprint Football Tradition
The Navy sprint football team has 37 Collegiate Sprint Football League championships (30 outright) in the program's 75-year history – the most among any school in league history. The team boasts an all-time winning percentage of .830 with an all-time record of 379-74-9, including a 12-1 (.923) mark in CSFL South Division play (divisions started in 2017).
 
Last Time vs. Army (Oct. 25, 2020)
Navy dropped a 7-3 contest to Army on a rainy Sunday afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in the annual Star Game, which is part of the overall Army-Navy Star Series presented by USAA.
 
The game was a defensive matchup, pitting two of the best defenses of the CSFL over the past few years against one another.
 
The Midshipmen held the Black Knights to under 200 yards of total offense (186), including just 53 yards on the ground. Navy was able to scratch out 233 total yards of offense with 99 yards rushing and 134 yards in the air. The Mids limited the Black Knights to six first downs, while tallying 17 in the game. The two teams combined for 17 penalties with Army tallying nine for 75 yards and Navy totaling 8 for 45 yards.
 
The Navy defense registered 10.0 tackles for loss, including 4.0 sacks, while picking off a pass, breaking up a pass, and recording a quarterback hurry. For Army, the defense made 11.0 tackles for loss with a pair of sacks, a fumble recovery, an interception, four pass breakups, and three quarterback hurries. The interception for the Black Knights proved costly for the Midshipmen as the short field led to the only touchdown of the game.
 
Jake Karczewski (Chicago, Ill.) led the team with 11 total tackles, including a team-high 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Caiden Groff ('21) tallied nine stops, while Trey Ogden ('21) and Adam Weissenfels (Richaland, Wash.) each recorded eight apiece. Weissenfels registered the only interception for the Midshipmen, while Lukas Kaiser (New Albany, Ind.) was credited with a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry.
 
Offensively, the Mids were led by Matthew McGee (Port Charlotte, Fla.) who carried the ball 16 times for 82 yards. He was joined by Alex Totta (Kansas City, Kan.) who notched 20 yards on the ground. Through the air, Jake Foss ('21) finished 15-for-25 for 84 yards, while Braydan Chmiel ('21) was 3-for-10 for 27 yards and an interception. Jacob Hudson's ('21) lone pass went for 23 yards on Navy's final drive. Totta led the team with 39 receiving yards, while Connor Majarucon (Phoenix, Ariz.) added 31, Jake Smith (Union, Ky.) tallied 30, and McGee chipped in 18.
 
Navy was the first team to score, putting three points on the scoreboard in the first quarter. Mychal Golden (Jonesboro, Ark.) made his first collegiate field goal attempt count as the rookie was true from 35 yards to put Navy in front 3-0.
 
The score remained 3-0 until the third quarter. Army used an interception to set up a short field. The Black Knights capped a 33-yard scoring drive with a one-yard plunge into the end zone by quarterback J.C. Watson to go in front 7-3 with just over nine minutes to play in the third quarter.
 
Navy's best attempt to regain the lead came in the final drive for the Midshipmen. The Mids converted a long third down attempt with a 14-yard pass from Foss to Smith to keep the Navy hopes alive. On first down, Hudson connected with Totta for a 23-yard strike on a halfback pass to move into Army territory. On fourth and short, Navy got the Army defense to jump offsides giving the Mids a new set of downs. Foss followed with an 11-yard strike to Majarucon to get down to the Army 17 yardline. The Midshipmen were unable to move the ball any closer as the drive ended with an incomplete pass on fourth down to seal the game for the Black Knights.
 
Last Time Out: vs. Chestnut Hill (Sept. 24, 2021)
Navy registered a dominating 52-0 victory over CSFL South Division rival Chestnut Hill at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The Mids tallied seven touchdowns and a field goal, while holding the Griffins scoreless for their first shutout since Nov. 1, 2019.
 
Offensively, Navy recorded 527 yards of total offense on 347 rushing yards and 180 yards through the air. Matthew McGee (Port Charlotte, Fla.) and Alex Totta (Kansas City, Kan.) led the team with 161 and 80 rushing yards, respectively. The duo each notched a pair of rushing scores. Brandon Atwood (Gentry, Ark.) led the passing attack, finishing 7-for-9 for 107 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while William Leong (Irvine, Calif.) finished 4-for-5 for 63 yards and a TD. Andrew Margiotta (Vienna, Va.) led the team with 80 yards on three receptions including a pair of touchdowns. Jackson Suddath (Houston, Texas) pulled down a 47-yard touchdown reception for the longest catch of the day.
 
Defensively, the Midshipmen held the Griffins to 129 yards of total offense. The Mids limited the visitors to just 31 yards on the ground and 98 yards through the air. Paul Kuehler (Roanoke, Va.) led the way for Navy, registering a team-best seven tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack, while Dante Carrasco (Germantown, Tenn.) chipped in five stops, including a tackle for loss. Adam Weissenfels (Richland, Wash.) and Jack Costigan (Middletown, N.J.) each forced fumbles in the game with Mike Garnett (Dallas, Texas) and Ed Shead (South Hampton, Pa.) recovering fumbles.
 
Kicker Mychal Golden (Jonesboro, Ark.) continued his hot start to the season, converting seven PAT attempts and drilling a 31-yard field goal to finish with 10 points in the game.