GAME DAY INFORMATION |
DATE: October 5, 2024
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LOCATION: Dellacamera Stadium
West Haven, Conn. |
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GAME DAY LINKS |
TICKETS | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO |
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THE FIRST LOOK
Looking to stay unbeaten in the Northeast-10 Conference, the New Haven football team welcomes American International to West Haven for Homecoming on the Bue and Gold Turf of DellaCamera Stadium. The Chargers look to maintain their high scoring offense which has scored 45+ in each of the last three games, the first time scoring 40+ in three-straight games since the 2013 season.
INSIDE THE SERIES
·       New Haven and American International meet for the 30th time in the history of the two programs.
·       Overall, the Chargers hold a 22-7 record over the previous 29 meetings, with the all-time series dating back to 1983.
·       In the 15 meetings since 2009, the Chargers hold an 14-1 record, including victories in the last nine meetings.
·       Prior to restarting the series in 2009, New Haven and AIC had not met since 1996.
·       In most recent memory, New Haven has not lost to AIC under head coach Chris Pincince, currently riding a nine-game win streak.
A WIN OVER AIC WOULD...
·       be the fourth straight win for the Chargers
·       be the 10th straight vs AIC, all under head coach Chris Pincince - one of seven teams the Chargers head coach has never lost to
·       keep the Chargers undefeated in Northeast-10 Conference play, while keeping the Yellow Jackets winless in league play.
·       be the 286th overall victory in the 45 plus year history of Charger Football.
·       be the 256th victory since the Chargers began playing at the Division II level - first DII season was 1982.
GAME DAY FORECAST
The Chargers Homecoming game will take place under ideal conditions in West Haven with the high of the day predicted at 77 degrees under partly cloudy skies. Winds will come out of the north-north-west at 10 miles per hour with a humidity level of 60% and a minimal 12% chance of precipitation. Sunrise on Saturday is 6:53 p.m. with sunset coming soon after the conclusion of the game at 6:25 p.m.
SCOUTING THE CHARGERS
Rebounding from its season opening loss at Slippery Rock, the Chargers has scored 45+ points in each of its last three games, entering week five averaging 36.0 points per game and marking the first time New Haven has scored 40+ in three-straight games since the 2013 season. Much of that success for the Chargers comes from its running game which heading into this week against American International has galloped for just shy of 1,000 yards (939), averaging 234.8 yards per game. Leading the efforts is senior Christopher Ais (Stoughton, Mass./Stoughton) who is coming off of a career-high 227 yards last week at Bentley, marking the first time since the 2015 season a player has run for 200+ yards in a single game. Ais isn't the only back to watch out for as Zaon Laney (Hoboken, N.J./Rahway) is just behind him on the year with 359 rushing yards and combined the pair has seven touchdowns (Ais 5, Laney 2). Under center, New Haven continues to rely on its returning starter, Daelen Menard (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Chaminade Madonna), who has 720 yards and nine touchdowns on the year, completing 50-of-99 pass attempts. The other highlight for the Chargers has been in the return game where junior Kha'lil Eason (Norwalk, Conn./Brunswick School) is averaging 39.7 yards per return with three returns of 80+ yards including a pair he returned to the house for touchdowns. Defensively, New Haven is led by the pair of Christopher Campbell and Jalen Fisher (Pasadena, Calif./Chaminade College Prep) who enter week five with 27 and 26 tackles, respectively. The Chargers have also been a force in stopping the ball behind the line of scrimmage with a total of 24 TFL and 12 sacks.
SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS
Still searching for its first Northeast-10 Conference win, American International stands at 1-3 on the season, with the lone win coming in week one against Shippensburg. The Yellow Jackets most recent game was an 84-7 setback to the visiting Ferris State. For the season, AIC is averaging 19 points per game while surrendering 39.8 ppg to their opposition. The majority of the Yellow Jackets offense has come from its passing game where they are averaging 202.5 yards per game, with a pair of quarterback splitting the work. Leading the duo is Cephas Williams who has amassed 584 yards and six touchdowns going 45-75-3 on the season. The Yellow Jackets running game has been unable to get its footing, racking up just 242 total yards with the lone back surpassing 100 yards on the season being Sidiki Kone with 108 net yards.
NEXT ON TAP
Following their only bye week of the season, the Chargers will play their next two games on the road, the first a visit to crosstown rival Southern Connecticut State University for the annual Battle of the Elm City. The yearly rivalry game is slated for Saturday, October 19 at 1:00 p.m. at Jess Dow Field. Kickoff in the Northeast-10 Conference battle is slated for 1:00 p.m. with all of the action available on NE10 Now on Flo Sports.
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