GAME DAY INFORMATION   DATE: October 12, 2019 LOCATION: Grappone Stadium | Manchester, N.H.   GAME DAY LINKS   LIVE STATS  |  LIVE VIDEO

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THE FIRST LOOK
Entering the fourth week of league action, New Haven looks to build on a 28-21 win over Pace last weekend as it continues to fight for a top spot in the Northeast-10. A win over Saint Anselm on Saturday under the lights would be the first in NE10 play on the road while it would also maintain an unbeaten record for the Blue and Gold when playing in Manchester, N.H. 

INSIDE THE SERIES

• New Haven and Saint Anselm meet for the 11th time in a series that dates back to the Chargers first season in the Northeast-10, 2009.
• Overall, the Chargers lead the Hawks 8-2 in the-all-time series.
• New Haven has won the last four meetings, outscoring Saint Anselm by an average of 24.5 points over that stretch.
• In the all-time series, New Haven has never lost in Manchester, N.H., including a 2013 meeting where the Chargers racked up 70 points (70-26) at Grappone Stadium.

A WIN OVER SAINT ANSELM WOULD...

• be the fifth straight win for the Blue and Gold against Saint Anselm in the all-time series
• keep New Haven unbeaten at Grappone Stadium all-time against the Hawks
• keep Saint Anselm out of the win column in 2019 through six weeks
• be the third straight season New Haven has earned a victory under the lights
• be the 253rd overall victory in the 41-plus year history of Charger Football.
• be the 222nd victory since the Chargers began playing at the Division II level - first DII season was 1982.

GAME DAY FORECAST
A rather unsettled and cold evening is on tap when the Chargers return to the gridiron under the cover of darkness on Saturday. With the sun setting at 6:08 p.m. all but kickoff will come under the lights at Grappone Stadium with temperatures on Saturday set for a high of 59 degrees and a low of 48. The forecast calls for showers during the day, diminishing late in the afternoon. The chance for precipitation stands at 40% throughout the day but falling to just 10% after dark while the humidity level will hover between 75 and 90 percent. Winds on Saturday will be minimal, around four miles per hour out of the west.  

NEXT ON TAP
With New Haven not returning to its home field until Saturday, November 2 (Franklin Pierce) the Chargers will play its second-straight game on the road when they take on crosstown rival Southern Connecticut State in week seven. Opening kickoff at Jess Dow Field is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. as part of the Owls Homecoming Weekend on Saturday, October 19.

SCOUTING THE CHARGERS
In his first start and complete game, junior transfer quarterback Christian Lupoli (Branford, Conn./Notre Dame) led New Haven to a 28-21 victory with four touchdown passes as part of 173 passing yards. In addition to Lupoli's success it was the defense of Zach Cofrancesco (East Haven, Conn./Notre Dame) that highlighted the week five win as the graduate defensive back picked off a pair of passes and forced a late fumble that iced the Chargers victory. Both of his INT's led to Charger touchdowns as the Blue and Gold held a 28-7 lead at the break. Through the first five games in 2019, the Chargers have gained an average of 180.4 points in the ground game and 170.4 in the air. Leading the ground assault on the season is sophomore Shamar Logan (Brooklyn, N.Y./High School for Youth & Community Development) who has racked up 457 net yards on 76 attempts for an average of 6.0 yards per carry. Following Logan in the ground game is senior captain Chris Liggio (Mount Laurel, N.J./Holy Cross) who has picked up 250 net yards on 47 attempts for an average of 5.3 per carry. Lupoli and Junior Nick Robins (Nephi, Utah/Juab) split time under center to start the season with Lupoli taking over fulltime against Pace. For the season, the transfer from the Univ. of New Hampshire has completed 27-of-47 passes for 260 yards. Robins has amassed 592 yards, while both have thrown four TD passes. Graduate wide receiver Ju'an Williams (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central) leads a group of eight wide outs with 26 catches for 314 yards and three touchdowns. Defensively, the Chargers are led by Cofrancesco and sophomore Ryan Hodgins (Flanders, N.J./Mount Olive) who have 40 and 32 tackles, respectively. The Chargers defense has also forced 12 turnovers with junior Shawn Tafe (Bronx, N.Y./Fort Hamilton) pulling in three of the team's eight total interceptions.

SCOUTING THE HAWKS
Saint Anselm enters Saturday night's game as the only winless team in the NE10, currently 0-5 on the season. Offensively, the Hawks are averaging just 15.4 points per game while defensively, opponents have rung up an average of 49.6 ppg. Saint Anselm opponents have cross the goal line 32 times total (15 rush, 17 pass), while Saint Anselm has scored nine times total. The majority of the Hawks offense has come in the passing game where they are averaging 267.4 yards while their ground efforts have only net 69.4 yards per game. Fourth-year head coach, Joe Adam has relied on a pair of quarterback with Phillip Tran leading the duo with 767 yards while Eric Fairweather has thrown for 570 Yards. On the ground, Christian Matthews-Byrd leads Saint Anselm with 195 yards on 48 attempts while Fairweather follows with 42 attempts racking up 129 yards.

HONOR ROLL
Rookie RB Shamar Logan (Brooklyn, N.Y./High School for Youth & Community Development) and junior DB Shawn Tafe (Bronx, N.Y./Fort Hamilton) each hauled in some brass following week two earning Rookie of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively. Against Stonehill, Logan ran all over the O-Line racking up 157 rushing yards on 22 carries with a pair of touchdowns. His first collegiate score came in the first quarter when he broke through the middle of the line and sprinted straight down the left hash marks to the end zone to put the Chargers on the board. He then took the ball for both plays of a two play, 19-yard drive that ended with his second touchdown of the afternoon. For the season, Logan has amassed 218 rushing yards and an average of 6.2 yards per carry. Tafe picked apart the Stonehill passing game, intercepting a pair of Skyhawk passes, returning them for a total of 33 yards. He also added five tackles.

HONOR ROLL PART DEUX
Graduate transfer defensive back Zach Cofrancesco (East Haven, Conn./Notre Dame) racked up 10 tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble, all leading to NE10 Defensive Player of the Week honors following week five. His 10 tackles were tied for the team lead against the Setters while it is the second time this season he has recorded double digit stops. He began with both of his interceptions coming in the first half, both setting up scoring drives as he led his squad to a 28-7 lead at the intermission. After hearing his name called numerous times over the second half, Cofrancesco came up clutch in the final minutes when came off the side of the line to hit the Setters quarterback forcing a fumble his teammate would recover, effectively ending the game as the Chargers were able to run the remaining time off the clock.

GOING FOR DISTANCE
Through five games, the Chargers have not been shy of looking for big plays, racking up 27 plays of 20 yards or more, including seven or more of 40+ yards. The longest of the season so far was a pair of 58-yard plays against American International, the first a pass from Nick Robins (Nephi, Utah/Juab) to AJ Greene (Middle Island, N.Y./Newfield) and the second a pick-six from Allah Sessions (Elmira, N.Y./Elmira). On the ground, Shamar Logan (Brooklyn, N.Y./High School for Youth & Community Development) has broken through the line on three occasions for 40+ yards, including twice against Stonehill for 47 and 42 yards, the first of those going for a touchdown. Last season the Chargers finished the year with 84 plays of 20 yards or more, including six of 50-plus yards.

RETURNING IN 2019
The Chargers boast 42 total lettermen returning in 2019, including 23 on offense, 17 on defense and a pair of kicker/punters. Additionally, the Chargers return 14 starters from a year ago, including four of the five starters on the offensive line. Finally, the Chargers return six of 13 players who received all-conference honors last season, highlighted by the lone first teamer to return; wide receiver Ju'an Williams (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central).

IT'S ALL ON THE LINE
The Chargers offensive line was nothing but exceptional last season and this year expect much of the same as the Blue and Gold return four of their five starters. Add to that, all 10 players on the depth chart have significant playing time under their belts on the line. Last season, the Chargers O-Line contributed to 4,827 total yards on offense, the most in the NE10, which included just shy of 2,000 rushing yards. Additionally, the O-Line allowed opponents to sack quarterback Ajee Patterson (Neptune, N.J./Neptune) just three times through the 10-game regular season.

BIG BOOT
The Chargers will return a big boot in 2019 with Michael Stalenyj (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway) returning as one of two kicker/punters. Stalenyj closed out his rookie campaign in 2018 a perfect 9-of-9 in field goal attempts while he was also 34-of-38 in extra point attempts. So far in 2019, Stalenyj stands at 4-of-5 in field goal attempts, with his longest conversion of the season from 35 yards. He has also converted 15 extra point attempts. For his career, his 49 PAT conversions stands 10th all-time in program history, while his 13 field goals made is currently tied for seventh all-time.

FLIPPING THE FIELD
One area the Chargers will look to recover from a large loss is their punting game. Last season, graduate student Francis Palmer (Brewster, N.Y./Trinity-Pawling) averaged 40.4 yards on 31 punts including a pair of 50+ yard boots. He also pinned Charger opponents inside the 20 eight times with his longest punt of the season going for 59 yards. The lone Charger who returns after attempting punts last season is wide receiver Ju'an Williams (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central) who on seven kicks averaged 36.6 yards and pinned the opposition inside the 20 once.

WELL OILED MACHINE
Second-year transfer wide receiver Ju'an Williams (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central) has quite the resume heading into his final season on the gridiron. The Springfield, Mass. native closed out his first season wearing the Blue and Gold by hauling in a single season school record 1,171 yards on 65 catches with 11 touchdowns. In addition to his yardage record, Williams' 11 touchdowns was also tied for fifth most in a single season among wide receivers in program history. So far in 2019, Williams has completed 21 catches for 283 yards with one touchdown. Overall, Williams enters Saturday's game needing 447 yards to reach the top-10 in program history for receiving yards.

TRANSFER SUCCESS
Head coach Chris Pincince is hoping that last year's success of graduate transfer Ju'an Williams (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central) will carry over to 2019 with the addition of five graduate transfers this season. A pair of the transfers, Zach Cofrancesco (East Haven, Conn./Notre Dame) and Dennis James (Hillside, N.J./St. Peter's Prep), are high up on the depth chart, both defensively. Cofrancesco hails from East Haven, Conn. transferring to New Haven after completing his undergraduate degree at LIU Post. James (St. Francis, Pa.) is one of two players transferring from Division I schools, joined by Nigel Beckford (Bridgeport, Conn./Notre Dame) (Maine). Rounding out the graduate transfers for 2019 is Mohammed Berry, a defensive back who comes from Seton Hill.

ON THE RADAR
The postseason run for New Haven didn't go unnoticed as the Chargers were among teams receiving votes in the preseason AFCA Division II Coaches poll released by the organization on August 26. New Haven garnered 65 votes in the initial poll with that total placing them 29th in the tally. Following last year's NCAA Tournament run New Haven was slated 23rd in the final AFCA poll which was released following the national championship game.

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO
Among 13 players who were named to All-Conference teams following the 2018 campaign, the Chargers return six. Highlighting the group is a First Team selection in Ju'an Williams (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central) who led the Chargers with 65 catches and 1,171 total receiving yards. Joining him offensively are o-lineman Osaro Eromosele (Hillside, N.J./DePaul Catholic) and Mike Zecchin (Thiells, N.Y./North Rockland). A pair of defensive players return with Scott Lavelle (West Milford, N.J./DePaul Catholic) and Markel Johnson (Jersey City, N.J./Lincoln) both earning accolades last season. Combined the pair collected 117 tackles and combined for 24 tackles for loss last season. Rounding out those returning players who were honored last year was rookie kicker Michael Stalenyj (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway) who earned a spot on the All-Rookie team. Last season, Stalenyj finished a perfect 9-9 in field goal attempts while converting 34-of-38 extra point opportunities.

UNDER THE LIGHTS & ON THE BIG SCREEN
For the second-straight season, the New Haven football team was selected to participate in the NCAA Division II Showcase with this year's game coming in week 4 under the lights at Bentley. The game, which was part of the hybrid model, was available with an enhanced streaming broadcast through the NCAA's social media accounts - specifically, the Division II Facebook and Twitter pages. As did last season's game against Southern Connecticut, this year's match-up against Bentley also aired live on MyTV 9 throughout Connecticut.

LEADERSHIP IS EVERYTHING
In a vote of all active players, Gavin Dowd (Williston Park, N.Y./Herricks), Chris Liggio (Mount Laurel, N.J./Holy Cross), Christian Sullivan (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) and Ju'an Williams (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central) were all tabbed captains for the 2019 campaign. All first-time leaders for the Blue and Gold, Dowd, Liggio and Williams are all major components of the offense while Sullivan anchors New Haven's defensive line.

FAMILIAR FACES ON THE SIDELINES
They may not be between the white lines in 2019, but All-American Zach Voytek and four-year starting tight end Jonathan Badyna (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian) return to the sidelines for the Blue and Gold as members of the coaching staff.  Voytek returns for his second season working with the Chargers tight ends after spending the 2017 NFL training camp season with the Buffalo Bills. Badyna, who completed his eligibility last fall, will serve as the Director of Football Operations.

WHAT D2FOOTBALL.COM IS PREDICTING FOR WEEK 6 (Paul Falewicz)
New Haven defeated Pace 28-21 last weekend.  The Chargers scored all of their points in the first 30 minutes of the game and then made some defensive plays down the stretch to win the game.  Their quarterback play was better but needs to extend for a full game.  For the Chargers to win on the road, they will need to play an entire game mistake-free.  The offense needs to move the chains and the defense needs to make stops. St. Anselm lost on the road at Tiffin 55-6.  The Hawks lost their fifth straight game and have played a strong out of conference schedule with the iron of the PSAC and GMAC.  They welcome another strong opponent to the Hilltop this weekend.  For the Hawks to win on their home turf, they will need to play physical as well as mistake-free.  The offense needs to score in the red zone and the defense needs to contain all of the Charger playmakers. New Haven is the better team and will win on the road.
Prediction:  New Haven 38 Saint Anselm 10

PRESEASON PROPS
Coming off of an NCAA Championship Second Round appearance last season, the Chargers have been selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2019 NE10 Championship in a poll of the league's nine head coaches. New Haven racked up a total of 63 points and seven of the nine possible first place votes, finishing nine points ahead of the Assumption Greyhounds who scored the remaining two first place tallies.
2019 Northeast-10 Football Coaches' Poll
1. New Haven – 63 (7)
2. Assumption – 54 (2)
3. Pace – 49
4. Bentley – 40
4. Southern Connecticut – 40
6. Stonehill – 29
7. American International – 23
8. Saint Anselm – 18
9. Franklin Pierce – 8
(#) indicates first-place votes

GAMEDAY IMPROVEMENTS
If you haven't visited Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium since the NCAA Championship game against Slippery Rock, you are going to find a welcome addition with the construction of a permanent restroom and concession building. The new building is located on the southeast corner of the stadium, just inside the main entrance.