ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy sprint football team (6-0) rolled to a 46-3 victory over Mansfield (4-3) on a rainy Friday night at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The Midshipmen defense limited one of the most explosive offenses in the league to three points, four first downs, and under 100 yards in the win.
"What a great way to celebrate our seniors tonight,"
Major Alfonso Meidus, USMC said after the game. "I am extremely proud of the team's performance especially under unfavorable weather conditions. Our goals remain intact and we will head into next week with a drive close out the regular season on a strong note."
Prior to the game, Navy honored its 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 sprint football team.
Defensively, Navy held Mansfield to 98 total yards with 48 yards on the ground and 50 yards through the air. The Mids held the Mountaineers, who average 35.8 points per game, to just three points – the lowest of the year for the Mounties. The defense limited the Mansfield starting quarterback Cahsid Raymond to a 3-for-19 performance passing for -2 yards and two interceptions.
The Mids finished the game with 11.0 tackles for loss, including 2.0 sacks. The defense intercepted two passes, while forcing and recovering a fumble. In addition, Navy blocked a Mansfield punt attempt.
The Mids were balanced on defense with Shead leading the way with eight tackles, including a team-high five solo stops. Fellow senior, Karczewski led the way with 2.5 tackles for loss, registering one of Navy's two sacks.
Jordan Richard (Marietta, Ga.) contributed a sack, while Weissenfels and
Chris Whiteman (Lehighon, Pa.) each picked off passes.
David Niski (Shelton, Conn.) blocked a punt for the Mids to help seal the victory.
Offensively, the home team amassed 370 total yards on 251 yards on the ground and 119 through the air.
McGee made his final home game count as the senior finished with 82 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns – all in the first half. He was joined by
Tyler Massena (Snohomish, Wisc.) and
Alex Totta (Kansas City, Kan.) who tallied 97 and 68 yard on the ground with a touchdown apiece.
Leong took the snaps for a majority of the game, finishing 15-for-27 for 115 yards through the air with a touchdown.
Andrew Margiotta (Vienna, Va.) paced the passing attack with five receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown, while
Marco Pezzini (Salinas, Calif.) chipped in four catches for 31 yards.
Mychal Golden (Jonesboro, Ark.) was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goal attempts, converting from 28 (2x) and 39 yards on the night.
In the first quarter, the Midshipmen struck first on their first possession. Set up by a 62-yard punt return by Weissenfels, Navy took over on the 19 yardline. The three-play drive consisted of McGee rushing three times on his way to the end zone, capping the drive with a one-yard plunge into the end zone. A bobbled snap due to the rain caused the extra-point attempt to fail, leaving the score 6-0.
McGee was the workhorse on the Mids' second drive of the game, rushing five of Navy's seven plays for 27 yards, including a 15-yard scamper into the end zone. The two-point conversion was no good leaving Navy in front 12-0.
Navy's third drive of the game once again resulted in points. The Midshipmen used seven plays to move the ball 33 yards before capping the drive with a 28-yard field goal by Golden. On the ensuing drive by Mansfield, the Mounties marched 44 yards down the field thanks to a 44-yard rush by Raymond. The visitors would get no closer, settling for a 40-yard field goal to close the gap to 15-3.
In the second quarter, Navy pushed its lead to 31-3 with a pair of touchdowns and a field goal. McGee picked up his hat trick of touchdowns with an 11-yard rush, while Golden booted a 39-yard field goal. Totta rounded out the second quarter scoring with a three-yard touchdown run.
In the second half, Navy closed out the game with two more TDs and another field goal. Margiotta hauled in a seven-yard touchdown pass from Leong for the lone score in the third quarter. Golden was true from 28 yards for his third field goal of the game, while Massena scored his first collegiate touchdown on an 18-yard run into the checkerboard end zone to provide the final margin of 46-3.
Navy returns to action next week, as the Midshipmen travel to Philadelphia for a CSFL South Division showdown with Penn at 7:00 p.m. at historic Franklin Field. The winner of the game earns a spot in the CSLF Championship. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be available.
