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A great weekend for football featured Navy clinching a championship appearance, two blowouts, and a close victory for a Mansfield team on a win streak.
Mansfield vs Caldwell
A rough start to the season has done little to discourage the Mansfield Mounties. A bipolar performance by the Mountie defense surrendered 429 yards to the Caldwell Cougars; however, redeemed themselves with an otherworldly 7 forced turnovers. An additional 2 forced fumbles that went unrecovered speaks to the big play ability of Mansfield's defense.
Though the combined 12 tackles and five forced turnovers of Brandon Allen and Saville Pope helped the Mounties hang on to a 34-29 win, they weren't enough to keep Caldwell's Carl Watson from dominating the day. Six receptions and 30 carries led to 278 total yards and 2 rushing touchdowns. Adam Hutchinson led the Mansfield offense with three passing touchdowns despite completing just fifty percent of his passes. Surviving this shootout has salvaged what was once a lost season for Mansfield, giving them a chance to bring their record to 4-3 next week.
Post vs Cornell
Cornell turned their Friday night matchup with Post into a 34-0 beatdown. Conrad McCarthy owned the edge against the Eagles, sacking quarterback Buddy Enriquez three times. Two more sacks by the Cornell defensive line gave Post's offensive line headaches. Just 56 total yards from Post couldn't match the 330 from Cornell. Connor Ostrander completed passes to eight different receivers and tossed touchdowns to Xander Furman and Will Griffin.
Will Griffin had a huge game, collecting three touchdowns on 70 rushing yards and 20 receiving yards. Post's standout performer was linebacker Matt Terlizzi. His thirteen tackles led the Post defense. Overall, a penalty-heavy game ended in a blowout.
Navy at Penn
In a potentially division-clinching game, the Navy Midshipmen traveled to face off against last year’s CSFL runner up and reigning South Division title holders, the Penn Quakers. Navy went into the game with a 3-0 divisional record, while Penn needed a win for a shot at the division with their 2-1 divisional record. Navy jumped onto an early lead in the first quarter thanks to a 63 yard touchdown run by quarterback Braydan Chmiel and a 41 yard pick-six by senior Miles Whitlow. Chmiel led Navy in total rushing yards (136 yards on 16 attempts) while also going 9 for 14 on passing for 130 yards and one touchdown. Penn’s Eddie Jenkins relied heavily on the passing game, going 17 for 37 in the air for 230 yards, but his three interceptions only added to the comeback effort. After a 4 yard touchdown run by Jenkins in the fourth quarter, Penn trailed 13-9 with over 7 minutes remaining. With the postseason on the line, Penn attempted an onside kick and successfully recovered the ball, but a turnover on downs at the 33 yard line followed by a Navy touchdown ended the Quakers playoff hopes. Navy clinched the CSFL South Division and will try their luck in the Championship game scheduled for November 10th at 6pm. Navy will still play next week against Post, while Penn ends their season with a loss after their final scheduled game against suspended Franklin Pierce was cancelled.
St. Thomas Aquinas vs Chestnut Hill
Both St. Thomas Aquinas and Chestnut Hill faced off in a tough matchup that quickly turned into a one sided smackdown. Chestnut Hill’s quarterback Michael Marino led multiple strong drives in the first half, throwing 8 completions on 13 attempts including 2 touchdowns. Marino was replaced by junior David Navas, who struggled in the air somewhat but still finished 4-11 with 1 rushing touchdown and 1 passing touchdown. Chestnut Hill’s offense did not stop pouring on the points against St. Thomas Aquinas, converting 6 of 7 times in the red zone. Running back Sef Penson split carries with senior Raevon Floyd-Bennett, rushing for 91 yards on 23 attempts and 67 yards on 10 attempts, respectively. For St. Thomas Aquinas, Luke Sullivan struggled all day, completing just 11 of 27 passes for only 84 yards. The Spartans scored their lone touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter when backup Kiel McKenzie threw a 73 yard touchdown pass to Matt Ehret with just under three minutes remaining. Chestnut Hill will finish their season against Caldwell away, looking to go 4-3 for consecutive seasons. St. Thomas Aquinas, currently 1-5 overall, will look for their second win in the final game of the season against Mansfield