The final numbers on the scoreboard at Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium only told a small part of the story of an unforgettable afternoon.

Eight different players scored touchdowns as the Chargers rolled to a 67-20 over a visiting Post University program that is in its first season playing at the Division II level. However, reminders were everywhere that there are things that are more important than a final score in a football game.

In the annual Pink Game, former UNH tight end Sam Sorbello was joined by cancer survivor Tracy Worrell to not only speak to the team following Friday's practice, but also be recognized for their work with the Pink Clover Foundation founded by Sorbello in honor of his late wife.

Middlebury's Anthony Izzi was also on hand as the latest recipient of New Haven's partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Former NFL offensive lineman Chris Snee's speech was played over the video board for Izzi and his family to see. Izzi realized his wish of having his family receive a swimming pool.

"It is a reminder that there are more important things than football,"

New Haven coach Chris Pincince said. "Tracy from the Pink Clover Foundation has spent some time talking to our kids, they have a great relationship with her. Today with Anthony and the Make-A-Wish with the reveal out there, if you watch our kids on the field and how they interacted with him, how they treated him, I think he had a great day and his experience is one he will remember forever. It is really a testament to our kids and really our entire athletic department with the way they treated both situations today."

The importance of the "Pink Game" is driven home every year with the Chargers. However, it was pretty hard to miss the brutal reminder of how precious life is during the last week for the University of New Haven football family.

"[Worrell] said she is part of a group of 50 women who ended up beating cancer, so our kids understand that it is something that is going to affect each and every one of us," Pincince said. "We had a couple in our own program who had a tough week. One of our coaches lost a mom and one of the players lost a best friend, it was a tough week for our kids."

This is a program that knows something about the loss of loved ones.

Sorbello, who came to New Haven projected to be an offensive lineman before earning a letter on the 1981 team as a tight end, dealt with a devastating loss when his wife Colleen died back in 2017 after a valiant fight with cancer. While Colleen was alive, she played a key role in being forever connected to the university.

The Colleen Sorbello Research Laboratory was dedicated in 2018, a year after her death. The state-of-the-art facility is playing a key part in the ongoing fight against cancer with New Haven students benefitting from Colleen and her husband's philanthropic spirit.

"Colleen said to me that I really want this to be a part of who we are," Sam Sorbello said before Saturday's game. "I want to represent this lab, I want to come back a few times to see what their wants, needs and desires are and work with this lab."

The Sorbello family has gone as far as to have researchers who work at the lab on the UNH campus spend a weekend at their New Jersey home.

"We really got to learn who they are and what they are about," Sam Sorbello said. "They were unbelievably highly intelligent kids. We talked about how we can grow this thing and what are the next steps, the impact of what we can have on this community, they have been a big help."

About 30 women have been Comfort Recipients with the Pink Clover Foundation helping them deal with medical expenses. When Worrell spoke to the team on Friday, an emotional Sorbello couldn't help but have flashbacks of his late wife's talk with the New Haven coaches and players back in 2015.

"We took her lead and when she passed away in 2017, we are taking over what she started," Sorbello said. "[Receiver] Paul Cooper (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park) came up and said cancer has impacted his life. [Quarterback] Connor Degenhardt (Westford, Mass./Westford Academy) said something to me about it.

"It all started when Colleen spoke here in 2015, she was really nervous and almost didn't want to give that speech to the team just like Tracy didn't yesterday. She got the confidence. When she started, she said, 'guys I am really nervous.' One of the football players said, 'you got this, just go for it. I mean it, you have our attention.' It was really cool. She just calmed down and gave the speech of her life, she killed it and Tracy yesterday took the next step and just talked to the players."

Worrell certainly had the attention of the New Haven players when she spoke to them.

"It is important for us," Degenhardt said. "I think Sam does a great job with everything he does in the program, everything he does in the community. It is huge for the team, it is always a great message and it is important what goes on outside the football field. It is a good message to always keep fighting and if those women can do that, they can keep fighting and never put their heads down and push through that, it is a good message for us to translate to the football field.

"It was great seeing her. Her being able to talk to us, being able to have that great relationship with us and seeing her out there on the field today as opposed to when she was in the hospital last year, it is amazing to see and it is extremely inspiring for all the guys on the team. That is the stuff that is really important to us."

As for the football, Degenhardt threw for four touchdowns and ran for another as the Chargers won their ninth straight home game. Hunter Cobb (Sandy Hook, Conn./Newtown) and Dev Holmes (Troy, N.Y./Troy) each had a pair of touchdowns as the 6-1 Chargers outgained the 0-6 Eagles 656-194.

Holmes had 147 yards on four catches including an 89-yard score while Cobb ran for 105 yards to go with the 118 yards from starting running back Christopher Ais (Stoughton, Mass./Stoughton).

"It is meshing perfectly right now, especially going into the bye week," Cobb said. "As soon as I saw the holes opening up, the offensive line did an amazing job. I saw the lines open up and I just hit them."

Ais, Jake Conlan (West Haven, Conn./Trinity-Pawling), Jack Chandler (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty), Degenhardt, Zhyaire Fernandes (Stratford, Conn./Bunnell) and Jermaine Coggins (Waterbury, Conn./Crosby) added touchdowns for New Haven. The Chargers scored the most points in a game since a 70-26 win at Saint Anselm in 2013.

Chandler, the backup quarterback, had one of the signature moments in the game with his 1-yard TD run after he was ruled just short of the end zone on his previous carry in the second half. For a player who spent four seasons with the program and finally got to see some game action, it was pretty special.

"Those guys work hard every day at practice so it was good that they finally can get out there, show what they can do and make an impact," Degenhardt said.

The offense didn't have all the fun.

Damon Burton Jr. (Rochester, N.Y./Aquinas Institute), Devonte Myles (Yonkers, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac) and Khyon Fitzpatrick (Union, N.J./Paramus Catholic) had interceptions while Chisom Okoro (Cheshire, Conn./Cheshire) and Jaysen Triunfer (Paterson, N.J./John F. Kennedy) had sacks.

"With Bentley winning 10-3 at Assumption on Saturday, New Haven is now in sole possession of first place in the Northeast-10. After having a bye week, the Chargers head to Assumption on Oct. 29.

Post scored touchdowns on a blocked punt and a fumble return.

Even those mistakes by the Chargers didn't make the New Haven players and coaches lose sight of what the day was really all about.

"The things they are going through, it is very heartbreaking and very motivational," Cobb said. "Just hearing the stories about what these people are going through it every single day, playing for them makes it even more [special]."

Being a part of special is something that has driven the Sorbello family and is a reason why future generations of students will benefit from their gifts to the university.

"I love doing this," Sorbello said. "We want to take this thing to a whole other level, we want to continue to grow this research lab and make the research lap something special."