ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy sprint football team (6-1) takes on rival Army (6-0) on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at Shea Stadium in West Point, N.Y. in the Collegiate Sprint Football League Championship. The game will be broadcast on YouTube and live stats will be available.
 
All-Time Series
Navy holds the all-time series record, 48-39-1 (.551). The Midshipmen are 21-16 (.568) against the Black Knights in Annapolis, while holding a 15-16-1 (.484) mark in West Point. Earlier this season, the two teams met in early October with Army claiming a 10-3 victory in West Point.
 
The Midshipmen and the Black Knights have met in the CSFL Championship game the last four times it was contested with the Mids claiming three titles.
 
2023 CSFL Championship
With a 33-7 victory over Penn, Navy clinched the CSFL South Division and secured a spot in the 2023 CSFL Championship game. Since the League split into divisions in 2017, Navy has played in four CSFL Championship games (2018, '19, '21, '22), winning three titles (2018, '21, '22), while Army has played in all five championship games with a pair of titles (2017, '19).
 
Sprint Duo Named Conference Athletes of the Week (Nov. 6, 2023)
The CSFL announced its weekly award winners and David Niski and Kai Sasaki were each recognized for their performances in the Mids' 33-7 road win over Penn to clinch the CSFL South Division and advance to the CSFL Championship. Niski was named the Defensive Player of the Week, while Sasaki was tabbed Rookie of the Week.
 
Niski anchored a Navy defense that limited Penn to just one touchdown and 150 total yards in the game (76 rushing / 74 passing). The junior finished the game with four tackles (all solo), including a tackle for loss, which was a sack for a loss of eight. Niski recovered a fumble and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown to help put the game out of reach. Additionally, he was credited with a quarterback hurry.
 
Sasaki was a key part of Mids' passing game on Friday night. The sprint newcomer tied for a team-high with five receptions, finishing with 63 total yards receiving and a pair of touchdowns. Sasaki had a long reception of 31 yards, while adding TD catches of 11 and 10 yards.
 
Last Time Out: at Penn (Nov. 3, 2023):
Navy notched a 33-7 at Penn to win the CSFL South Division. With the win, the Midshipmen will play in the CSFL Championship Game against Army next Sunday, Nov. 12 at 1:00 p.m. in West Point, N.Y.
 
Navy finished the game with 378 total yards of offense, finishing with 239 yards through the air and 139 yards on the ground. The Midshipmen tallied four offensive scores, while notching a defensive touchdown. The Mids defense held the Quakers to 150 yards with 76 yards rushing and 74 yards passing.
 
Quarterback Brandon Atwood ended the game 17-for-28 with three touchdowns and an interception. He completed a team-high five passes to Andrew Margiotta and Kai Sasaki with the duo finishing with 89 and 63 yards, respectively. Margiotta caught a touchdown pass, while Sasaki added two receiving TDs.
 
Tyler Massena led the rushing attack for the Midshipmen tallying 66 yards on 13 carries. Atwood added 52 yards on the ground with a touchdown to his final stat sheet.
 
Defensively, the Midshipmen were balanced 22 players combining for 55 stops. Jack Costigan led the charge with eight tackles, while Jake Wolinski finished with seven stops. Wolinski forced a fumble that was recovered by David Niski, who returned it 38 yards for a touchdown. Costigan added a fumble recovery on the night, while Niski was credited with the Mids' lone sack.
 
Last Time: vs. Army (Oct. 6, 2023)
Navy dropped a 10-3 decision to Army in the annual Star Game, which is part of the overall Army-Navy Star Series presented by USAA, at Michie Stadium in West Point, N.Y. The loss snapped a streak of four consecutive victories by the Midshipmen over the Black Knights.
 
The game pitted two of the CSFL's best defenses against one another. The two teams played nearly even. Navy tallied 229 total yards of offense, while Army finished with 225 total yards. The Mids finished with 90 yards passing compared to 64 by the Black Knights, while Army outrushed Navy, 161-139.
 
Navy won the time of possession battle by nearly a 2-to-1 margin. The Midshipmen held the ball for 39:30, while the Black Knights had the ball for 20:30.
 
The Midshipmen converted 10 of 17 third down conversions, while the Mids' defense held the Black Knights to just a 2-for-9 performance on third down.
 
Devyn Martin led the Navy defense with 12 tackles, including a team-best seven stops. Martin had one of the Mids three tackles for loss, while Jack Costigan and Angelo Labbe added TFLs. Mitchell Waters picked off a Black Knight pass, while David Niski was credited with a pass breakup. Additionally, Trent Parker blocked an Army field goal attempt.
 
Starting quarterback Brandon Atwood finished the game 10-for-21 for 90 yards with two interceptions. The senior added 41 yards rushing to finish second on the team in rushing behind Victor Otero, who posted a team-high 88 yards on the ground. Kai Sasaki led the team with four receptions for a team-high 33 yards, while Chris Stumpf and Jobe Long added 14 and 18 receiving yards, respectively.
 
Mychal Golden scored the only points of the night for the Midshipmen, nailing a 24-yard field goal in the second quarter. The senior placekicker attempted a 45-yard field goal just before halftime, but the ball was just off the mark.
 
Last Time: in CSFL Championship (Nov. 13, 2022)
For the second consecutive season, the Navy sprint football team defeated Army in the Collegiate Sprint Football League Championship to cap off an undefeated season and win the League title. The Midshipmen posted a 28-21 victory over the Black Knights at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
 
Tied 21-21 with two minutes remaining, senior offensive captain Alex Totta took a pitch on an option and scampered 41 yards into the end zone to give the Mids a lead that they would not relinquish.
 
The two teams played nearly even offensively with Navy finishing with 320 total yards of offense compared to 321 by Army. The Midshipmen churned out 219 yards on the ground with 101 yards through the air, while the Black Knights finished with 171 yards on the ground and 150 through the air.
 
Totta finished the game with 193 yards rushing, giving the senior 1,113 for the season. Totta found the end zone twice on day, including the game-winning 41-yard touchdown rush.
 
Brandon Atwood finished the game 13-for-23 for 101 yards and a touchdown. The junior protected the football, tucking and running for 17 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Andrew Margiotta was Atwood's primary target, finishing with six receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown. Jake Smith and Totta rounded out Navy's top three receivers with 35 and 12 yards, respectively.
 
Defensively, Paul Kuehler led the way with 10 total tackles. Jack Costigan and Chris Whiteman added nine stops apiece. Defensive team captain Jordan Richard added five tackles, including a sack for seven yards. Dante Carrasco intercepted a pass, while adding a pass breakup. Trent Parker and Grant Wilson also added pass breakups, while Devyn Martin forced a fumble.
 
Sprint Football Tradition
The Navy sprint football team has 39 Collegiate Sprint Football League championships (32 outright) in the program's 77-year history – the most among any school in league history. The team boasts an all-time winning percentage of .835 with an all-time record of 401-75-9, including an 20-1 (.952) mark in CSFL South Division play (divisions started in 2017).