ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy sprint football team (6-0, 2-0 CSFL South) travels to Philadelphia to take on Penn (5-1, 2-0 CSFL South) for the Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL) South Division title on Saturday at historic Franklin Field. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. with the game being broadcast on ESPN+.
 
Both teams enter the game 2-0 in the CSFL South Division and the winner of the game will advance to the CSFL Championship game against North Division champion Army. The title game is slated for 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 13 at Mansfield University's Karl Van Norman Field in Mansfield, Pa.
 
Since the CSFL separated into divisions and began hosting a championship game in 2017, Navy has advanced to the title game twice (2018, '19), winning the championship in 2018. In 2017, the Quakers edged the Midshipmen, 28-23, to advance to the championship, while the Midshipmen swept the CSFL South in 2018 and 2019 for the opportunity to play in the championship. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there was no CSFL Championship game in 2020.
 
All-Time Series
Saturday night marks the 85th meeting between Navy and Penn. The Midshipmen lead the all-time series, 74-8-2, including a 38-4 mark against the Quakers in Philadelphia. Navy has won the last two meetings between the two teams, including a 20-9 victory over Penn the last time the two teams met at Franklin Field in 2018. In the last meeting between the two teams, the Mids claimed a 16-7 win at home in 2019. The two teams did not meet in 2020 due to the coronavirus restrictions.
 
Scouting the Midshipmen
Navy enters the weekend 6-0 on the season and 2-0 in division play. The Midshipmen have been balanced on offense, rushing for 1,150 yards and passing for 1,104 yards for 2,254 yards of total offense. Defensively, the Mids have limited opponents to just 26 points (5.2 points per game) in five games played this season (did not play against Cornell, due to forfeit). The Midshipmen have held opposing offenses to 761 yards of total offense on 685 yards passing and 76 yards on the ground.
 
Senior captain Matthew McGee (Port Charlotte, Fla.) leads the team with 465 yards on the ground with nine touchdowns, while Alex Totta (Kansas City, Kan.) has tallied 294 yards rushing with five TDs. Tyler Massena (Snohomish, Wash.) and Stephen Copeland (Ava, Mo.) have tallied 145 and 120 yards, respectively. Massena has found the end zone twice, while Copeland has added a score.
 
Brandon Atwood (Gentry, Ark.) and William Leong (Irvine, Calif.) led the passing attack. Atwood is 40-for-62 for 548 yards and seven touchdowns, while Leong is 41-for-60 for 461 yards and four TD passes.
 
Andrew Margiotta (Vienna, Va.) leads the team with 494 receiving yards on 23 receptions with five touchdowns. Jake Smith (Union, Ky.) is second on the team with 21 receptions, tallying 254 yards with a score. Marco Pezzini (Salinas, Calif.) joins the receiving corps with a pair of TD catches, while Totta, Jack Masterson (Reno, Nev.), Trent Parker (Washington, D.C.), and Jackson Suddath (Houston, Texas) have also hauled in passes for scores.
 
Paul Kuehler (Roanoke, Va.) leads the defense with 31 total tackles, including a team-high 19 solo stops. The linebacker has a team-best 8.5 tackles for loss with 2.5 sacks. Ed Shead (South Hampton, Pa.) and Major Kent (Dallas, Texas) are second and third on the team with 20 and 17 tackles, respectively. Jack Costigan (Middletown, N.J.) leads the team with 3.0 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. Adam Weissenfels (Richland, Wash.) leads the team with two interceptions, while adding a forced fumble. Jake Karczewski (Chicago, Ill.), David Niski (Shelton, Conn.), and Nadir Emlemdi (Cincinnati, Ohio) have each added blocked kicks on the season.
 
Mychal Golden (Jonesboro, Ark.) is second on the team behind McGee (54 pts) with 52 points on the year. The kicker is 9-for-11 on field goal attempts and 25-for-26 in extra-point tries.
 
Last Time vs. Penn (Oct. 18, 2019)
Navy posted a 16-7 victory over Penn to claim the Collegiate Sprint Football League South Division title for the second consecutive season. With the win and an Alderson Broaddus loss, the Mids advance to the CSFL Championship game in back-to-back seasons.
 
Offensively, Navy outgained Penn, 269-222 in total offense. The Mids rushed for 168 yards compared 106 yards on the ground by the Quakers. Penn had a slight 116-101 advantage in the passing game. Navy was led by Caleb Champion ('20) who finished the game with 99 total yards. The senior running back tallied 65 yards on the ground to go with one pass completion of 34 yards for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown. Braydan Chmiel ('21) finished the game with 73 rushing yards to go along with 67 passing yards. Senior captain J.T. Thompson ('20) led the team with three receptions for a team-high 62 yards and Mids' lone touchdown.
 
Defensively, the Midshipmen finished with 68 tackles, including 9.0 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks. The defense intercepted two passes, forced a fumble, and tallied three pass breakups. David Postma ('20) led the team with 10 tackles, while Trey Ogden ('21) and Luke Kustra ('21) added eight stops apiece. Ogden finished with a team-high 2.5 tackles for loss, including a sack, while Kustra was also credited with a sack. Pat Guinan ('20) and Luis Castillo ('20) each picked off Penn passes in the game.
 
On special teams, Jared Swenson ('20) finished the game with 10 points. The senior drilled three field goals, including a season-long boot of 48 yards. Swenson also drained a 45-yard kick, while adding a 32-yard field goal. In addition, he was true on his one PAT attempt. Swenson also successfully recovered an on-side kick attempt.
 
Last Time Out: vs. Mansfield (Oct. 29, 2021)
Navy rolled to a 46-3 victory over Mansfield 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.
 
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.