GAME DAY INFORMATION   DATE: November 2, 2019 LOCATION: DellaCamera Stadium | West Haven, Conn.   GAME DAY LINKS   LIVE STATS  |  LIVE VIDEO  |  TICKETS

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THE FIRST LOOK
New Haven returns from its bye week looking for a second-straight victory when it hosts the Franklin Pierce Ravens for the first ever meeting between the two squads. The Chargers look to build off of their 10th straight Elm City Trophy victory against Southern Connecticut last time they took the field, while the Ravens continue to search for their first NE10 victory since elevating their sprint football program for the 2019 season.

INSIDE THE SERIES

• New Haven and Franklin Peirce meet for the first time in the history of the two programs.

A WIN OVER FRANKLIN PIERCE WOULD...

• be only the second back-to-back wins this season for the Chargers
• maintain an unbeaten record at DellaCamera Stadium this season
• be the 254th overall victory in the 41-plus year history of Charger Football.
• be the 223rd victory since the Chargers began playing at the Division II level - first DII season was 1982.

GAME DAY FORECAST
New Haven and Franklin Pierce will meet under ideal conditions at DellaCamera Stadium with mostly sunny skies allowing for a high of 53 degrees with a zero percent chance of precipitation and a 61% humidity level. Winds on Saturday will come from the east-south-east at six miles per hour.  

NEXT ON TAP
The Chargers will play their final road contest of the season when they return to the gridiron on Saturday, November 9 at Assumption. Opening kickoff in the regular season road finale is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at the Greyhounds Multi-Sport Stadium. New Haven will then return to DellaCamera Stadium for its final regular season game, hosting Stonehill on Saturday, November 16. Be sure to arrive early as prior to that game, the Chargers will honor their 14-member senior class.

SCOUTING THE CHARGERS
A pair of blocked punts that led to nine points for the Chargers may have been the difference as New Haven knocked off its crosstown rival for the 11th straight meeting and the 10th straight Elm City Trophy. Junior transfer quarterback Christian Lupoli (Branford, Conn./Notre Dame) will make his fourth start under center for New Haven and looks to build upon a 57 percent completion average for the season. Overall, Lupoli has racked up 591 yards and five touchdowns, completing 55-of-97 pass attempts. Through the first six games, the Chargers have gained an average of 192.7 points on the ground and 169.1 in the air. Leading the ground assault is sophomore Shamar Logan (Brooklyn, N.Y./High School for Youth & Community Development) who has racked up 753 net yards on 127 attempts with five touchdowns. Logan is riding a streak of three straight 100+ rushing games into Saturday. Following Logan in the ground game is senior captain Chris Liggio (Mount Laurel, N.J./Holy Cross) who has picked up 287 net yards on 55 attempts. Graduate wide receiver Ju'an Williams (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central) leads a group of eight wide outs with 32 catches for 414 yards and four touchdowns. Defensively, the Chargers are led by Zach Cofrancesco (East Haven, Conn./Notre Dame), Ryan Hodgins (Flanders, N.J./Mount Olive) and Allah Sessions (Elmira, N.Y./Elmira) who have 51, 43 and 43 tackles, respectively. The Chargers defense has also forced 14 turnovers with junior Shawn Tafe (Bronx, N.Y./Fort Hamilton) pulling in four of the team's nine total interceptions, one shy of reaching the single season top-10 in program history.

SCOUTING THE RAVENS
The newest expansion team in the Northeast-10, Franklin Pierce elevated what was a sprint football program to full varsity status with 2019 serving as the inaugural season competing as a member of the NE10. At 0-6 in the NE10 standings, Franklin Pierce is the only team to earn a conference victory this season with Bentley the only game remaining following this weekend's match-up. The Ravens lone victory on the year came in week two, a 29-27 win over Curry College, while they will also close out their inaugural season with a non-conference game in week 11, taking on Merrimack who left the NE10 for Division I following last season. For the season, the Ravens are led by freshman quarterback Drew Campanale who has completed 84-of-168 passes for 909 yards and six touchdowns. On the ground, rookie K.O. Gaskin leads the team with 255 net yards on 108 carries with one touchdown, while freshman Chazz Bryant has scored twice in the ground game, racking up 170 net yards on 58 attempts.

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.

HONOR ROLL CHAPTER III
Rookie linebacker Anthony Repollet (Hamden, Conn./Hamden Hall Country Day School) added to his spectacular special team's performance against Southern Connecticut by earning Northeast-10 Special Teams Player of the Week accolades, the third time this season New Haven has had a player honored by the league office. The Hamden, Conn. native blocked a pair of punts in the annual battle of the Elm City with each of those blocked kicks turned into points for the Blue and Gold, nine total for his squad. Repollet started off the scoring when he blocked his first punt, the first blocked punt since 2016 for New Haven, on the Owls opening drive in the first quarter. Senior defensive back Josiah Shumaker (Ledyard, Conn./Ledyard) scooped up the loose ball at the 13-yard line and eased his way into the end zone to put the first points on the board. Repollet would strike again on the Owls opening drive of the second quarter, this time with the blocked punt dribbling out the back of the end zone for a safety. That safety was the first recorded by New Haven since the 2013 campaign.

GOING FOR DISTANCE
Through seven games, the Chargers have not been shy of looking for big plays, racking up 43 plays of 20 yards or more, including 12 for more than 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 40 occasions for 40+ yards, including twice for a run of 47 yards against Stonehill and Bentley, 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 53 PAT conversions stands 10th all-time in program history, while his 14 field goals made is currently tied for sixth 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 30 catches for 406 yards with four touchdowns. Overall, Williams enters Saturday's game needing 347 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 9 (Paul Falewicz)
Franklin Pierce fell on the road to American International 34-12.  The Ravens struggled to move the ball with any consistency as their defense held their own for as long as they could.  They were eventually worn down in the second half.  For the Ravens to win on the road, they will need to play a full 60 minutes.  The offense needs to move the chains and the defense will need to make plays on third down to get off the field. New Haven enjoyed the weekend off.  They defeated cross-town rival Southern Connecticut two weeks ago and had plenty of time to rest up for the final stretch of the season.  For the Chargers to win on the blue turf, they will need to start fast and get their offense on track early.  The defense will need to pressure the quarterback and cause turnovers. New Haven will win the game with their running attack. Prediction: New Haven 38 Franklin Pierce 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.