MANSFIELD, Pa. – The Navy sprint football team (7-0) concluded the regular season with a 43-14 road victory over Mansfield (5-3) at Karl Van Norman Field in Mansfield, Pa. The Midshipmen held the Mountaineers scoreless in the second half, while causing a pair of turnovers, including one for a score, in the final two quarters.
"Hats off to Mansfield today," head coach
Major Alfonso Meidus, USMC said. "They played extremely tough. I am really proud of the way our team responded to some early mistakes. Scoring at the end of the second quarter was a big emotional win that carried into the second half. The defense came up with some big plays and did a great job, especially in the second half. We have a big week ahead of us as we look to end the season on a high note."
Defensively, the Midshipmen held the Mountaineers to a pair of touchdowns. Navy finished with five tackles for loss, including a pair of sacks. The Midshipmen intercepted a pass, returning it 63 yards for a touchdown, while also picking up a fumble and returning 45 yards deep into Mountaineer territory.
Paul Kuehler (Roanoke, Va.) led the team with six tackles, while
Dante Carrasco (Germantown, Tenn.) added five stops. Carrasco,
Jordan Richard (Marietta, Ga.),
Jonathan Swift (Philadelphia, Pa.),
Devyn Martin (Las Vegas, Nev.), and
Andrew Bailey (Annapolis, Md.) each finished with a tackle for loss apiece with Swift and Martin registering sacks.
Lane Condie (Lovelock, Nev.) picked up a fumble and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown, while
Trent Parker (Washington, D.C.) added a 63-yard interception return. Martin, Condie, and
Tyler Meisenzahl (Charles Town, W.Va.) were each credited with pass breakups in the game.
Offensively, the two teams played nearly even with the Mids edge the Mountaineers, 368-339 in total yards. Navy paved the way on the ground, outgaining Mansfield, 212-123, but the home team held a 216-156 advantage in the passing game.
Alex Totta (Kansas City, Kan.) led the charge for the Midshipmen on the ground. The senior tallied 160 yards on 24 carries (6.7 yards per carry) with a pair of touchdowns.
Cephas McKinney (Nokesville, Va.) added 4.2 yards per carry on six rushes with
Victor Otero (Acton, Mass.) posting 2.8 yards per rush on six carries. Quarterback
Brandon Atwood (Gentry, Ark.) also added a pair of rushing scores.
Atwood finished the game 11-for-14 for 146 yards and a touchdown, while
Luke Wagner (Edmond, Okla.) was 1-for-2 for 10 yards.
Andrew Margiotta (Vienna, Va.) led the way with five receptions for 105 yards (21 yards per catch) with a touchdown.
Mychal Golden (Jonesboro, Ark.) was a perfect 5-for-5 on extra-point attempts, while
Jobe Long (Bay City, Mich.) connected with Totta on a two-point conversion.
Navy was the first team to scratch the scoreboard, finding the end zone in the first quarter. Atwood capped a nine-play, 49-yard drive with an eight-yard scamper into the end zone on third and seven. Golden's kick was true to put the Midshipmen in front 7-0.
The Mids extended the advantage to 14-0 in the second quarter. Totta rushed for eight yards into the end zone to put Navy in front by two scores. The Mountaineers answered with a pair of scores to knot the game at 14-14 midway through the second quarter. Quarterback Cahsid Raymond rushed for an eight-yard score, while tossing a 15-yard TD pass to even the score with 7:42 remaining in the half. Navy regained the lead as Totta once again found paydirt, breaking free for 15 yards. With 25 seconds remaining before halftime, Atwood found Margiotta for a 26-yard strike into the end zone to give the Midshipmen a two-score advantage, 28-14, heading into intermission.
The Midshipmen added 15 points in the third quarter and relied on stellar defense to set the final score of 43-14. Atwood rushed for a 15-yard touchdown – his second of the game – and Long hit Totta in the end zone for the two-point conversion. The defense scored a touchdown as Condie recovered a loose ball and returned it 45-yards into the end zone for the final touchdown of the game. Golden split the uprights for the PAT to provide the final margin of 43-14.
Navy returns to action next week as the Midshipmen host rival Army in the Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL) Championship at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 12:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live stats will be available.
