ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy sprint football team (1-0) is set to host Army (1-0) on Friday evening at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium as part of the Army-Navy Star Series presented by USAA. Kickoff is slated for 6:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Navy Athletics YouTube Channel and live stats will be available throughout the game.
 
All-Time Series
Navy holds the all-time series lead against Army, 50-41-1. The Midshipmen are 21-17 in games against the Black Knights in Annapolis.
 
In the last 10 meetings, the two teams have played nearly even with the Mids holding a slight 6-4 advantage following last season's overtime win in West Point. The Midshipmen have a slight 3-2 advantage in the last five Star competitions with Navy claiming the Star in 2021, 2022, and 2025.
 
Army and Navy have won the most CSFL Championships in conference history. The Midshipmen claimed 41 league titles with 34 outright, while the Black Knights have won 37 total with 25 outright.
 
In the last 26 years, Navy has won 14 of 25 CSFL Championships. Army has won eight championships in that span, including a shared title with Penn in 2010. Penn claimed the outright title in 2000 and 2016 with Cornell claiming the league's top prize in 2006. (no championship in 2020 due to COVID)
 
Scouting the Midshipmen
Navy opened its 2026 campaign with a commanding 27-6 victory over Penn at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The Midshipmen relied on a stifling defensive performance and a quick-strike offense to build a 27-0 lead through the first three quarters, putting the game out of reach for the visiting Quakers.
 
Offensively, the Midshipmen were able to generate 382 yards of total offense.
 
Needing nine total rushing yards to set the new Navy career rushing record, running back Hunter Gennicks led the Midshipmen on the ground, racking up 97 rushing yards. The Indiana native now has 2352 career rushing yards, surpassing the previous record of 2263 by Eric Wellmon (2012-15). The senior team captain averaged 6.5 yards per carry, adding a touchdown plunge to his stat line. Gennicks, who now has 27 career rushing touchdowns, is one rushing touchdown shy of tying Alex Totta (2019-22) and Eric Wellmon (2012-15) for the program record with 28.
 
Broderick Freeman provided a major spark early in the third quarter by capping off a quick four-play drive with a 19-yard rushing touchdown to extend Navy's lead to 27-0. The junior finished with 31 yards on the ground.
 
Quarterback Luke O'Connell commanded the passing attack, finishing the game with 194 passing yards on 10-for-14 passing with a pair of touchdowns. O'Connell connected with junior Andrew Daly for a team-high 89 yards receiving, including a 63-yard touchdown strike in the first quarter for Daly's first collegiate catch. Ibi Denson also caught a touchdown pass, running over a defender to complete a 30-yard TD catch.
 
The Midshipmen defense set the tone early, pitching a shutout in the first half to help Navy build a 20-0 lead entering the locker room.
 
The pass defense successfully pressured Penn's freshman quarterback John Franchini in his collegiate debut, limiting his output and forcing him to throw an interception. In the red zone, Navy prevented the Quakers from finding the end zone for the vast majority of the game, only yielding a single touchdown following a 14-play, 80-yard drive late in the contest.
 
Jake Frazier and Sam Stotler led the team with seven tackles apiece. Cooper Arnold, Drake Murrell, and Lex Willson paced the squad with one sack apiece, while Murrell led the team with 3.0 tackles for loss (for a loss of 16 yards). Lexington Megerle recorded Navy's lone interception, while Matthew DeVito recorded the Mids' sole fumble recovery.
 
Scouting the Opponent
Army secured its first victory of the 2026 season with a 41-10 victory over Caldwell at Shea Stadium. Army scored 28 unanswered points in the third quarter to push themselves to the win.
 
The Black Knights controlled the line of scrimmage, finishing with 448 yards of total offense and holding the Cougars to -4 rushing yards on 10 attempts. Army's backfield set the tone throughout the night, led by JP Ross, who delivered 132 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries.
 
Gabriel Bolivar finished with 104 yards and a touchdown, giving Army two 100-yard rushers. Quarterback Kyle West directed the offense, completing 13 of 22 passes for 96 yards, while Max Sinkovic added the game's longest play, a 51-yard touchdown to Jeff Ryder late in the third quarter.
 
Army's defensive unit limited Caldwell to 3-of-14 on third down and generating six tackles for loss, two sacks, and an interception from Silas Wilson, who returned it 35 yards. Linebacker Caleb McGarity led the way with six tackles and five pass breakups, while JC Romo added two breakups.
 
Athlete of the Week (Sept. 21, 2026)
The Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL) announced its weekly award winners and Navy wide receiver Andrew Daly was selected as the conference Rookie of the Week. Daly helped lead Navy to a 27-6 victory over Penn in the season opener. The junior concluded his first sprint football game with a team-high three receptions for a team-best 89 yards with a touchdown.
 
The Wayne, N.J. native made his first collegiate reception count as the sprint newcomer hauled in a 63-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Luke O'Connell. Daly added catches of 19 and seven yards to finish the game with 89 yards receiving. Additionally, Daly added 15 yards on a kickoff return, eight yards on a punt return, and made a tackle on special teams.
 
Last Time vs. Army (Nov. 15, 2025 – Star Game / CSFL Championship Game)
WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Navy sprint football team needed overtime to record a 20-17 victory over Army at Shea Stadium in West Point, N.Y. in the annual Star Game, which is part of the overall Army-Navy Star Series presented by USAA. The Black Knights forced overtime, tying the game at 17-17 late in the fourth quarter. After an unsuccessful field goal attempt by the home team in the extra period, the Midshipmen claimed the win with a 36-yard field goal by Jacori Sutton to finish the season undefeated and win the Collegiate Sprint Football League Championship.
 
Navy finished the game with 271 yards of total offense compared to 225 by Army. The Midshipmen had a decisive advantage in the running game, outgaining the Black Knights, 122-43 on the ground. The home team had a game-high 182 yards passing compared to 149 by the Mids.
 
Quarterback Luke O'Connell finished the game 15-for-25 for 149 yards and two touchdowns. Jake Berger led the way with six receptions for a team-high 79 yards and a touchdown, while Biamungu Nkere added three catches for 43 yards and a score.
 
Once again, Hunter Gennicks led the rushing attack. The junior finished the game with 137 yards on 30 carries for a 4.6 yards per carry average with a long of 59.
 
Army's Kyle West led the Black Knights in both passing and rushing. West concluded the game 13-for-34 for 174 with a touchdown and two interceptions, while finishing with a team-high 14 yards on the ground with a score.
 
Defensively, Jake Wolinski led the Midshipmen, finishing the game with a team-high nine tackles. Seamas Carrasco added eight stops while Christian Conley followed with seven. Wolinski and Tyler Meisenzahl led the team with 1.5 tackles for loss apiece with Gabriel Arriola adding a TFL. Meisenzhal had the Mids' only sack, dropping West for a loss overtime. Conley and Sean Bettwy picked off passes with Carrasco leading the team with a pair of pass breakups.
 
Sutton finished the game with a pair of field goals. The sophomore kicker converted a 21-yard attempt to put Navy in front 17-7 early in the fourth quarter. In overtime, Sutton connected on the biggest field goal of his two-year career with a 36-yard kick to give Navy the Star, the CSFL Championship, and an undefeated season.
 
Up Next
Following the game with Army, the Midshipmen hit the road for the first time this season as Navy heads to Conshohocken, Pa. to take on Chestnut Hill. The game is slated for Saturday, Oct. 3 at 4:00 p.m. The game will be live streamed and live stats will be available.