Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
Turnovers
Time of Poss.
Springfield, MA --- An explosive ground game and a strong defense propelled the Springfield football team to a 51-7 victory over WPI on Saturday afternoon in NEWMAC action at Stagg Field. The Pride runs its season record to 5-0, including 2-0 in NEWMAC play, while the Engineers dip to 3-2 overall, 1-1 against conference opponents.
The Pride's offense racked up 591 yards of offense, including 525 on the ground, as the hosts pounded in six rushing touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, the Springfield defense held WPI to just 95 yards on the ground and 143 in the air, also forcing three interceptions.
Pride quarterback Jacob Silvester (Lancaster, MA) completed 2-of-4 passes for 66 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 17 yards and a touchdown. Running back Blane Hart (East Lyme, CT) led the dynamic ground game, rushing 10 times for 165 yards and three touchdowns, including a long of 58 yards. Sean Brown (Westford, MA) added 117 yards on six carries, and Dante Vasquez (Rockland, Ma) contributed 100 yards on three carries.
Defensively for Springfield, Billy Carr (Southington, CT) led the way with eight total tackles, including one for loss. Colby Richardson (East Hartford, CT) added five tackles, one for loss, and two quarterback hurries. Tyler Paladino (Cross River, NY) snagged two interceptions, returning them for 17 yards, while Aaziah Scott (Savannah, GA) added an interception returned for 11 yards.
For WPI, quarterback Mike Ingraffia (Kings Park, NY) completed 16 of 25 passes for 143 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. Josh Castro (Pittsburgh, PA) was his top target, catching three passes for 26 yards and a touchdown. John Chau (Suffern, NY) led the rushing attack with 70 yards on 11 carries.
Defensively for WPI, Gavin Chieff (Bernardsville, NJ) recorded 13 total tackles. Jimmy Espinal (Salem, MA) and Rashad Stepney (Yorktown, VA) each added seven tackles.
In the first quarter, Springfield struck early with a three-yard touchdown run by Arsen Shtefan (West Hartford, CT), capping a 6-play, 55-yard drive. Hart extended the lead minutes later with a 44-yard touchdown run.
The Pride continued its offensive display, adding a 19-yard field goal by Ian Wernik (Plymouth, MA) and a 58-yard touchdown run by Hart, bringing the score to 23-0. Springfield continued to dominate, with Silvester connecting with Noah Wagnblas (Ansonia, CT) for a 53-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter, making it 30-0 at halftime.
After the break, Hart scored his third touchdown of the day in the third quarter with an 11-yard run. The Pride added two more touchdowns in the second half, including a 7-yard run by Shtefan and a one-yard run by Silvester.
WPI got on the board in the fourth quarter when Ingraffia connected with Castro for a two-yard touchdown pass, capping a nine-play, 75-yard drive.
Both teams are off until Saturday, October 19. WPI is back in action on the road at Maritime at 2pm, while Springfield hosts MIT at noon.