Navy Sprint Football Rolls Past Chestnut Hill, 41-14
Navy sprint football rolled to a 41-14 victory over Chestnut Hill on Saturday afternoon at A.A. Garthwaite Stadium in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. The Midshipmen improved to 2-1 overall and remained unbeaten in Collegiate Sprint Football League South Division play at 2-0, while Chestnut Hill fell to 2-1 overall and 1-1 in conference action. Navy piled up 489 yards of total offense and controlled most of the afternoon despite allowing the Griffins to briefly make things interesting just before halftime.
Quarterback Luke O’Connell delivered an efficient performance through the air, completing 16 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns. Both touchdown passes went to sophomore wide receiver Jon Malatesta, who finished with three receptions for 50 yards and two scores. Navy complemented its passing attack with 269 rushing yards, giving the Midshipmen excellent balance while averaging seven yards per offensive play.
Navy struck first on its second offensive possession when O’Connell connected with Malatesta for a 21-yard touchdown to complete a three-play, 53-yard drive. The missed extra point left the Midshipmen with a 6-0 advantage, but Navy’s offense was only beginning to find its rhythm. O’Connell and Malatesta connected again early in the second quarter, this time for an 18-yard touchdown, before Hunter Gennicks ran in the two-point conversion to extend Navy’s advantage to 14-0.
Gennicks then provided one of the game’s biggest moments late in the second quarter. Facing third-and-20, Gennicks broke around the right side for a 30-yard touchdown, completing a nine-play, 91-yard drive and increasing Navy’s lead to 20-0. The touchdown tied Gennicks with Alex Totta and Eric Wellmon for Navy’s career rushing touchdown record at 28, setting up another piece of program history later in the afternoon.
Chestnut Hill suddenly made the game competitive during a wild final minute of the first half. Griffin Walter hit Ronnell Wheeler for a 60-yard touchdown immediately following Gennicks’ score, cutting Navy’s lead to 20-6. The Griffins then intercepted Navy with 35 seconds remaining and scored on their first play from the 10-yard line, with Walter finding Brady Cunningham before Chestnut Hill converted the two-point attempt to make it 20-14 at halftime.
The six-point halftime margin was misleading considering how thoroughly Navy had controlled much of the first half, and the Midshipmen made sure Chestnut Hill’s late surge did not carry into the second half. Navy’s defense shut out the Griffins over the final two quarters, while the offense scored 21 unanswered points. Head coach Major Carter Reading acknowledged afterward that Navy still had work to do, particularly when it came to preventing opponents from generating momentum like Chestnut Hill did before halftime.
Broderick Freeman restored some breathing room late in the third quarter when he powered into the end zone on a 10-yard run. Freeman then carried the ball across the goal line for the two-point conversion, giving Navy a 28-14 advantage with 1:55 remaining in the quarter. The junior finished with 59 rushing yards on eight carries while also contributing a 42-yard reception, making him another important piece of Navy’s balanced offensive performance.
Navy’s defense helped set up the next touchdown when Hagen Holley intercepted Walter and provided the Midshipmen with a short field. Gennicks capitalized by scoring from seven yards out early in the fourth quarter, pushing Navy’s advantage to 34-14. More importantly, the touchdown was the 29th rushing score of Gennicks’ Navy career, moving him past Totta and Wellmon for sole possession of the program’s career rushing touchdown record.
Gennicks finished the afternoon with 116 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries, serving as the centerpiece of a Navy rushing attack that Chestnut Hill struggled to contain. The Midshipmen ran for 269 yards on 42 attempts, averaging 6.4 yards per carry and scoring four rushing touchdowns. Navy produced 16 rushing first downs and consistently stayed ahead of the chains, helping the Midshipmen convert eight of their 12 third-down opportunities.
Navy put the game completely out of reach with another impressive possession late in the fourth quarter. Backup quarterback Rhett Sypult broke loose for a 40-yard run during an 11-play, 90-yard drive that consumed more than five minutes. Wyatt Keyt eventually finished the possession with a three-yard touchdown run, giving Navy the final 41-14 margin with 1:07 remaining.
The final statistics demonstrated just how dominant Navy was outside of Chestnut Hill’s brief scoring burst before halftime. The Midshipmen outgained the Griffins 489-180, held a 30-10 advantage in first downs and limited Chestnut Hill to just 55 rushing yards. Chestnut Hill converted only one of nine third-down attempts, while Navy finished a perfect 2-for-2 on fourth down and scored on all five of its trips into the red zone.
O’Connell gave Navy plenty of production through the passing game as well, while Andrew Daly emerged as his leading receiver with five catches for 73 yards. Biamungu Nkere added four receptions for 31 yards, while Freeman’s 42-yard catch provided one of Navy’s biggest passing plays. Malatesta did not lead the team in receiving yardage, but his two touchdown receptions and work in the return game ultimately earned him CSFL Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
Defensively, linebacker James Wright led the Midshipmen with six tackles, including five solo stops and a tackle for loss. Drake Murrell and Angelo Pearson recorded four tackles apiece, while Tucker Opdahl and Holley each intercepted Walter. Navy held Chestnut Hill to 125 passing yards, 55 rushing yards and only 3.8 yards per offensive play, shutting down the Griffins completely after their two quick touchdowns before halftime.
The victory leaves Navy at 2-0 in the CSFL South Division and gives the Midshipmen an important conference road victory after their early-season schedule. Navy will remain on the road when it travels to Caldwell, New Jersey, to face Caldwell on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 6 p.m. The Midshipmen will enter that matchup looking to remain perfect in divisional play and build on one of their most complete offensive performances of the young season.
MSB Take
This was the type of performance Navy needed after Chestnut Hill briefly threatened to turn a comfortable game into a battle before halftime. Instead of allowing the Griffins’ two rapid touchdowns to change the game, the Midshipmen responded by scoring the final 21 points and completely shutting down Chestnut Hill in the second half. Navy’s 489 total yards, 30 first downs and 8-for-12 performance on third down showed an offense capable of controlling a game both through the air and on the ground.
Gennicks’ record-setting afternoon makes the victory even more significant, as he continues adding his name to Navy sprint football history. O’Connell provided balance at quarterback, Malatesta made the most of his opportunities and Navy’s defense responded when it mattered most after the late second-quarter breakdown. At 2-0 in the CSFL South, the Midshipmen have positioned themselves well in conference play, but Reading’s postgame comments were appropriate: Navy played well enough to win convincingly, yet there are still areas to clean up as the season progresses.
