GAME DAY INFORMATION
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DATE: September 7, 2019
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LOCATION: George Miller Stadium | Indiana, Pa.
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GAME DAY LINKS
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LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | TICKETS
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THE FIRST LOOK
After a two-year hiatus, the New Haven football team returns to openings its schedule against a PSAC opponent, doing so in each of the first three years under head coach Chris Pincince. The Chargers will trek more than six hours and just over 405 miles from their campus as they will battle Indiana (Pa.) in Saturday's season debut.
INSIDE THE SERIES
· New Haven and IUP will meet for the 10th time in the history of the two programs, and just the second time since football returned to West Haven in 2009.
· Overall, IUP holds a 6-3 advantage in the previous nine meetings, with the most recent coming as a postseason match-up in 2012 with the Crimson Hawks eliminating New Haven from the NCAA Championship in the second round.
· IUP is riding a four-game win streak into the series resurrection on Saturday with the Chargers last victory coming on September 27, 1997.
· Two of the Chargers wins came in back-to-back seasons in 1994 and 1995, the second of those taking place at IUP.
A WIN OVER IUP WOULD...
· be the second season opening victory under sixth year head coach Chris Pincince.
· the second-straight year New Haven has defeated a PSAC team after knocking off No. 8 West Chester in the opening round of the NCAA Championship last season.
· the fourth win over IUP, and the first since football returned to the Chargers in 2009.
· be the 250th overall victory in the 41-plus year history of Charger Football.
· be the 219th victory since the Chargers began playing at the Division II level - first DII season was 1982.
GAME DAY FORECAST
New Haven and IUP will open the 2019 season under great conditions with the forecast calling for partly cloudy skies with a high temperature of 72 degrees. The low for the day is predicted at 49 degrees while there is a 10% chance of rain and a 74% humidity level. Winds on Saturday will be around 11 miles per hour out of the west. Sunset will be 7:39 p.m.
NEXT ON TAP
New Haven will continue its 2019 season on the road when they travel to Easton, Mass. for the first of two meetings against the Stonehill Skyhawks this year. The non-conference match-up against their NE10 rival is slated for a 2:30 p.m. start at W.B. Mason Stadium. The Chargers will look for their third-straight win over the Skyhawks when they faceoff next weekend.
SCOUTING THE CHARGERS
With a number of key returners and a handful of transfers who will make an immediate impact, the outlook is strong for the Blue and Gold. The biggest transition for New Haven will come in the quarterback role following the loss of four-year starter Ajee Patterson (Neptune, N.J./Neptune). Heading into the opener, the starting position remains up for grabs with Division I transfer Christian Lupoli (Branford, Conn./Notre Dame) and returning junior Nick Robins (Nephi, Utah/Juab) both atop of the depth chart. Whomever is under center will have a number of targets to rely on down field with the return of the top two receivers from year ago; Ju'an Williams (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central) and AJ Greene (Middle Island, N.Y./Newfield). Williams returns to West Haven for his second season as a graduate transfer after hauling in a school record 1,171 yards last season. Greene followed him in the stats with 30 catches for 486 yards. In the backfield, Chris Liggio (Mount Laurel, N.J./Holy Cross) returns after taking the most attempts last season, racking up 617 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Defensively, the Chargers return a strong core Christian Sullivan (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) (26 tackles), Scott Lavelle (West Milford, N.J./DePaul Catholic) (61), Devon Nzepuome (Milton, Mass./Milton) (36) and Markel Johnson (Jersey City, N.J./Lincoln) (56) leading a talent laden defense.
SCOUTING THE CRIMSON HAWKS
One of 30 teams that are receiving votes in the preseason AFCA Division II Coaches Poll, IUP is coming off an 8-3 season in 2018. Under the direction of third-year head coach Paul Tortorella, IUP was selected to finish third in the PSAC West division in the preseason tally of head coaches, earning one of the eight possible first place votes. Overall, the Crimson Hawks return 17 starters from last year's team. Offensively, IUP returns nine starters including four members of its offensive line and a pair of running backs that helped the Crimson Hawks average 185.8 rushing yards per game last season. Among the two backs returning is the team's most productive ground performer in junior Justice Evans who racked up 741 yards on 149 attempts. Defensively, Tortorella welcomes back seven starters including senior linebacker Damon Lloyd who was named an All-American following his sophomore season with the Crimson Hawks in 2017. Last season, Lloyd finished with 112 tackles, including 5.5 for loss.
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).
ITS 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 returns 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.
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.
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 three players transferring from Division I schools, joined by Nigel Beckford (Bridgeport, Conn./Notre Dame) (Maine) and Anthony Malaguti (Hewitt, N.J./Don Bosco Prep) (Villanova). 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 are 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 him 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. Among the 2019 opponents, two of the Chargers opponents are among those represented in the preseason poll including the opening week opponents, Indiana (Pa.) who is slotted two positions ahead of New Haven with 68 votes. Rounding out the Blue and Gold's opponents on the preseason poll is Assumption who picked up five total votes.
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 has been selected to participate in the NCAA Division II Showcase with this year's game included on the 18-game slate coming under the lights on September 27 at Bentley. The game, which is part of the hybrid model, will be available with an enhanced streaming broadcast through the NCAA's social media accounts - specifically, the Division II Facebook and Twitter pages. Last season, New Haven hosted Southern Connecticut as part of the D2 Showcase with that game also part of the hybrid model while it 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 1 (Paul Falewicz)
New Haven is the favorite to win the NE10 this year in the opinion of the coaches. The Chargers are coming off a 2018 season that saw them make the second round of the playoffs. They have weapons back on both sides of the ball and should be in the mix to play in the postseason. IUP is slated to finish third in the PSAC West. The Crimson Hawks have a lot of starters back from 2018 and looking to improve upon last year. Their defense is always big and physical, and the offense will wear down the opposing defense. This is the marquee matchup of the weekend and will live up to the billing. Both teams are good and it will come down to late in the fourth quarter. Prediction: New Haven 27, IUP 24
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.
