ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy sprint football team (5-0, 2-0 CSFL South) will host Mansfield (4-2, 2-1 CSFL North) on Friday, Oct. 29 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. with the game being broadcast on ESPN+.
Prior to the game, the Midshipmen will recognize the sprint football seniors –
Shane Fagan (Milford, Pa.),
Mike Garnett (Dallas, Texas),
Nick Haslam (Roanoke, Texas),
Jake Karczewski (Chicago, Ill.),
William Leong (Irvine, Calif.),
Connor Majarucon (Phoenix, Ariz.),
Matthew McGee (Port Charlotte, Fla.),
Kyle McKeon (Annapolis, Md.),
Colin McMann (Detroit, Mich.),
Ed Shead (South Hampton, Pa.),
Jared Simonelli (Linfield, Mass.), and
Adam Weissenfels (Richland, Wash.) – for their contributions to the team during their careers.
Over the past four seasons, the senior class has amassed a 19-3 (.864) overall record with three victories over rival Army, including a pair of N-Star wins. In addition, the Mids won the 2018 Collegiate Sprint Football League Championship. With a win next week against Penn, the Midshipmen would win the CSFL South Division and make their third consecutive trip to the CSFL title game.
All-Time Series
The Midshipmen lead the all-time series, 10-0. The Mids are 5-0 against the Mounties at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. In the last meeting between the two teams, Navy claimed a 55-6 win at home in 2018. The two teams did not meet in 2020 due to the coronavirus restrictions.
Scouting the Midshipmen
Navy enters the weekend 5-0 on the season and 2-0 in division play. The Midshipmen have been balanced on offense, rushing for 899 yards and passing for 985 yards for 1,884 yards of total offense. Defensively, the Mids have limited opponents to just 23 points (5.75 points per game) in four games played this season (did not play against Cornell, due to forfeit). The Midshipmen have held opposing offenses to 663 yards of total offense on 635 yards passing and 28 yards on the ground.
Senior captain
Matthew McGee (Port Charlotte, Fla.) leads the team with 383 yards on the ground with six touchdowns, while
Alex Totta (Kansas City, Kan.) and
Stephen Copeland (Ava, Mo.) have tallied 226 and 120 yards, respectively. Totta has found the end zone four times, while Copeland has added a score.
Brandon Atwood (Gentry, Ark.) paces the passing attack, going 40-for-62 for 548 yards and seven touchdowns. He is joined by
William Leong (Irvine, Calif.) who is 26-for-33 for 346 yards and three TD passes.
Andrew Margiotta (Vienna, Va.) leads the team with 430 receiving yards on 18 receptions with four touchdowns.
Jake Smith (Union, Ky.) leads the team with 19 receptions, tallying 247 yards with a score.
Marco Pezzini (Salinas, Calif.) joins the receiving corps with a pair of TD catches, while Totta,
Jack Masterson (Reno, Nev.), and
Jackson Suddath (Houston, Texas) also have hauled in passes for scores.
Paul Kuehler (Roanoke, Va.) leads the defense with 25 total tackles, including a team-high 15 solo stops. The linebacker has a team-best 7.0 tackles for loss with 2.5 sacks.
Major Kent (Dallas, Texas) and
Jack Costigan (Middletown, N.J.) are second and third on the team with 16 and 15 tackles, respectively. Costigan leads the team with 3.0 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles.
Mike Garnett (Dallas, Texas) has 14 tackles, while
Adam Weissenfels (Richland, Wash.) adds in 13 stops. Weissenfels has an interception and a forced fumble.
Jake Karczewski (Chicago, Ill.) and
Nadir Emlemdi (Cincinnati, Ohio) have each added blocked kicks on the season.
Mychal Golden (Jonesboro, Ark.) leads the team with 42 points on the year. The kicker is 6-for-8 on field goal attempts and 24-for-24 in extra-point tries.
Last Time vs. Mansfield (Nov. 1, 2018)
Navy tallied nearly 400 yards of total offense and caused six turnovers as the Midshipmen trounced Mansfield, 55-6, at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
Defensively, Navy held Mansfield to six points on 260 total yards. The Mids recovered four fumbles and intercepted a pair of passes on the night. Eleven different players were credited with tackles for loss, including six Mids who contributed sacks. Troy Monroe (Columbus, Ga.) led the way with 3.0 tackles for loss, including a pair of sacks. The junior forced two fumbles and added a fumble recovery. Dean Rye (Fairfax, Va.) led the way with a game-high nine tackles, including a team-high five solo stops. Team captain Sheppard Wilson (Charlotte, N.C.) forced a pair of fumbles while
Adam Weissenfels (Richland, Wash.) and
Nicholas Molineaux (Wynnewood, Pa.) each recorded interceptions, while Nick Scalise (Fayetteville, Ark.) returned a fumble recovery seven yards to the end zone to give the defense a score.
Offensively, Caleb Champion (Milton, Fla.) paced the offensive attack with 157 rushing yards on 15 carries. He found the end zone three times, including a 70-yard jaunt in the third quarter. Led by Champion, the Mids tallied 328 yards on the ground and 395 total yards. Quarterback
Braydan Chmiel (Warrenton, Mo.) finished the game with 99 rushing yards and pair of scores. He completed 6-of-11 passes for 67, hitting four different receivers. J.T. Thompson (Stratham, N.H.) led the receiving corps in receptions (3) and yards (29).
The kicking game saw Jared Swenson (Seymour, Wis.) score 13 points on the night. The junior was 7-for-7 in point after attempts, while going 2-for-2 in field goal tries, including converting a career-best 48-yard field goal in the third quarter.
Last Time Out: at Alderson Broaddus (Oct. 9, 2021)
Navy defeated Alderson Broaddus, 65-10, at the Multi-Sport Performance Stadium in Philippi, W.Va. The Midshipmen have outscored their opponents, 186-23, notching three games with 50 or more points.
Offensively, Navy tallied eight touchdowns and three field goals to tally a season-high 65 points in the game. Running backs
Matthew McGee (Port Charlotte, Fla.) and
Alex Totta (Kansas City, Kan.) led the team with two touchdowns apiece, while
Tyler Massena (Snohomish, Wash.) also rushed for a score.
Jack Masterson (Reno, Nev.) and
Trent Parker (Washington, D.C.) added receiving TDs with
William Leong (Irvine, Calif.) and
Luke Wagner (Edmond, Okla.). Navy's final score came from
Dante Carrasco (Germantown, Tenn.) who returned a kickoff 95 yards for a score.
Totta finished the game with a team-high 101 rushing yards, while McGee added 75 yards on the ground. Leong was 20-for-26 for 268 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Wagner finished 4-for-5 with a touchdown pass and an interception.
Andrew Margiotta (Vienna, Va.) led the team with 139 receiving yards on the day.
Defensively, the Midshipmen held the Battlers to 208 total yards, including -15 yards rushing. It is the second consecutive game that the Navy defense has held an opponent to negative yards rushing, holding Army to -10 yards on the ground in the annual Star game. As a team, Navy finished with 11 tackles for loss, including 3.0 sacks. Individually,
Major Kent (Dallas, Texas) led the way with 10 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss.
Paul Kuehler (Roanoke, Va.) added eight stops, including a team-high 2.5 for loss.
Jack Costigan (Middletown, N.J.),
Camren Ross (Whitefish, Mont.), and
Jack Thomas (Darnestown, Md.) each tallied 1.0 sacks in the game.
Mychal Golden (Jonesboro, Ark.) was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goal attempts, while adding eight PATs for 17 points. Golden was true from 45, 35, and 39 during the game.
