SHIPPING UP TO MASSACHUSETTS

• The Sacred Heart University football team looks to keep its winning streak going as the Pioneers head to North Easton this Saturday, September 21, to face the Skyhawks of Stonehill College. 
• This is the ninth all-meeting between the two programs, with Stonehill holding the 6-2 edge over the Pioneers. 
• The opening kickoff is at 1 p.m. at W.B. Mason Stadium. Fans can catch all the action live on NEC Front Row.

LAST TIME VS. STONEHILL
Date: 10/21/24
Score: STO 22 | SHU 19 (2OT)
Highlights: 

• Sacred Heart broke the tie in the second overtime following a 25-yard field goal from Sam Renzi, but the Skyhawks' offense proved too much for the Pioneers as Corbett rushed up the middle for the game-winning touchdown.
• The Pioneers' lone touchdown came from Malik Grant, who rushed up the middle for his second touchdown of the season on a first and goal. 
• Renzi finished the afternoon with 13 points after going 4-for-5 in field goals and 1-for-1 in extra-point attempts. 
• The Pioneers' defensive unit had five guys finish with seven tackles, while Nick Foglia registered a sack for a loss of nine yards, and Arsheen Jiles posted an interception. 
• Cade Pribula concluded the afternoon with 87 passing and 34 rushing yards, respectively, as well as went 7-of-18 in the pocket. 

FOOTBALL SHUTS DOWN GEORGETOWN
Score: Sacred Heart 40 | Georgetown 14
Brief Recap:

• A nine-yard rushing touchdown from John Michalski and a six-yard touchdown pass from Logan Lyson gave the Pioneers a 13-7 advantage at the end of the first quarter. 
• The second quarter saw the Hoyas battle back to within one, 14-13, following a nine-play, 71-yard drive, but a turnover by the visitors gave the Pios the edge needed to close out the quarter. 
• With 66 yards to go and only 1:11 to do it, the Pios wasted no time marching down the field and finding themselves in the red zone. Hilliman brought in a lofted pass by Michalski in the back of the endzone, giving SHU a 20-14 advantage with 25 seconds remaining in the half.
• The Pioneers' defense was ready and waiting, as Myles Talley picked off Georgetown's QB Danny Lauter with 15 seconds on the clock, setting up a Matt Kling 21-yard field goal as time expired to send SHU into halftime up 23-14.
• Georgetown was held scoreless for the remainder of the game, while the Pioneers scored an additional 17 points to put the game out of reach for the Hoyas.
• Leigh stole the show in the third quarter as he found paydirt on a 37-yard carry up the middle, juking a defender in the process, to stretch the margin to 30-14.
•  Jalen Madison got his chance to shine in the fourth, breaking an 84-yard run up the middle and scoring on the next play after being tripped up at the two.

Highlights:

• Leigh recorded his third straight game with a touchdown, while Lyson, Madison, and Michalski tallied their first of the season. 
• On the defensive side of the ball, Myles Talley recorded four tackles, a fumble recovery for 19 yards, and an interception for 25 yards. 
• Along with Talley, Nick Verbitsky registered an interception and collected four tackles. 
• Teammate Ryan Moore also served as a defensive threat, tallying a team-high nine tackles and a forced fumble. 
• Isaiah Bishop recorded the Pioneers' lone sack of the afternoon for a loss of five yards.

MAKING A DEFENSIVE STANCE
Following a team-best five-turnover performance, the Pioneers' defensive unit is now ranked within the top five in FCS in four different categories - 

• Redzone Defense (3rd - .500)
• Fumbles Recovered (4th - 4)
• Scoring Defense (4th - 11.3)
• Total Defense (5th - 244.7)

LEIGH RUNNING THROUGH THE FCS RANKINGS
Running back Xavier Leigh is running through the FCS rankings after a solid 113-yard performance against Georgetown last Saturday. Leigh, who is having a breakout senior season, is ranked 24th in FCS in rushing touchdowns and 32nd in total touchdowns with three. He is also 46th in rushing yards with 230 and 48th in rushing yards per game with 76.7.

THE KICK IS GOOD!
Matt Kling has made his presence known this season on special teams for the Pioneers. He currently leads the team with 23 points behind six field goals and five extra points. He averages 2.00 field goals per game, ranking second in FCS, and also ranks 12th with an 85.7 field goal percentage.

WHAT A CATCH!
Ethan Hilliman's amazing endzone catch against the Hoyas landed him at No. 1 on Sports Center's Top 10 and earned Best Catch. 

With 66 yards to go and only 1:11 to do it, the Pios wasted no time marching down the field to end the half. The first two plays of the drive led to 16 yards for Sacred Heart before Michalski found Hilliman with a back-shoulder strike that the senior turned into a 44-yard gain. 

Hilliman's heroics were not done with the long catch-and-run, as he brought in a lofted pass by Michalski in the back of the endzone, just tapping his right toe in bounds for a circus touchdown to give SHU a 20-14 advantage with 25 seconds remaining in the half.

MADISON MOVING THROUGH THE RANKS
Jalen Madison continues to progress through the SHU football career book. He currently ranks 10th with 4.7 yards per carry behind 286 attempts. Madison has totaled 1,348 career rushing yards following a 111-yard performance against Georgetown. 

Madison took a giant leap in 2023, rushing for 645 yards on 139 carries and scoring four touchdowns. The Stratford, Conn. native added 11 receptions for 60 yards to his 705 all-purpose yards in 11 games last season. 

PIOS EARN FIRST WIN OF 2024
Score: Sacred Heart 10 | Saint Anselm 3
Brief Recap:

• The Pioneers opened the scoring in the second quarter. The hosts put together a 7:15 drive that resulted in a 29-yard field goal from Matt Kling with one minute left on the clock. 
• SHU then capitalized on a mishandled snap by the Saint Anselm punter, putting the Pioneers in prime position with four seconds remaining in the half. 
• The next play saw Xavier Leigh push through the Hawks' defensive line for the three-yard touchdown with no time on the clock.
• Saint Anselm countered the Pioneers' final drive of the game with a pair of plays that could have resulted in a comeback tie, but the Pios' defense held firm to help secure the win. 

Highlights:

• With Saturday's win, Coach Mark Nofri earned his 70th career win after taking over the reins in 2012. 
• John Michalski earned his first collegiate win as a Pioneer after going 10-of-16 with 86 passing yards to go along with 81 rushing yards behind 17 attempts. 
• Tyreke Brown and Maximus Mongelli paced the defense with a team-high six tackles, while Brown recorded 1.0 sacks for a loss of five yards. 
• Leigh posted his second straight touchdown of the season and finished with a total of 40 yards on 12 attempts. 

DEL STATE TOPS SHU IN HOME OPENER
Score: Delaware St 17 | Sacred Heart 15
Brief Recap:

• Trailing 17-9 in the fourth quarter, the Pioneers put together a 5:21 scoring drive that resulted in a four-yard rushing touchdown from Xavier Leigh to trim the deficit to within two, 17-15. 
• However, SHU could not convert the two-point attempt to tie the game with 1:53 remaining in regulation and could not secure the ball on Matt Kling's on-side kick attempt.

Highlights: 

• John Michalski went 12-for-23 with 104 passing yards as well as recorded 11 rushing attempts for 84 yards. 
• Kling finished the evening 3-for-3 in field goal attempts.
• Leigh tallied the Pioneers' first touchdown of the season.
• Nate Chandler led the defensive unit with two sacks, while Tyreke Brown and Stanley Dennis II posted a sack apiece. 

BRIEF LOOK AHEAD TO 2024
The Pioneers, in their first season as an FCS Independent, begin 2024 with three straight home games against Delaware State (August 31), Saint Anselm (September 7), and Georgetown (September 14). 

The Pioneers then close out September with road games against Stonehill (September 21) and the University of Delaware (September 28). 

October opens with a home date against Norfolk State (October 5) before a two-game road stint with Howard (October 12) and Lafayette (October 19).

One week later, the Pioneers resume play on the road against Mercyhurst (October 26). SHU's final season home game comes against LIU (November 9). 

The Pioneers finish the season with an away game against Merrimack (November 16).

OH CAPTAINS, MY CAPTAINS
Head football coach Mark Nofri announced his 2024 team captains at the end of spring camp. 

Tyreke Brown, Marques Mason, Myles Talley, Jalen Madison, and Payton Rhoades, all of whom have demonstrated exceptional skills and leadership, have earned that honor.

NEW ADDITIONS TO THE COACHING STAFF
Over the summer break, SHU football head coach Mark Nofri announced new additions and appointments to his 2024 coaching staff. 

DeMarcus White, Mike Kennedy, Kyle Wiggins, and Nate Marr have joined the Pioneers. White will serve as the new safety coach, while Kennedy will be the new coach for outside linebackers. Wiggins will take over as the corners coach, and Marr will serve as the Director of Football Operations/Recruiting Coordinator.

Kevin Duke, who previously coached the outside linebackers, has transitioned to quarterback coach. Doubling up on his duties is Pat Saporito, who will oversee both special teams and wide receivers for the Pioneers. 

WELCOME TO PIONEER FOOTBALL
The SHU coaching staff was busy during the offseason, signing 27 players, including 14 offensive players, 12 defensive players, and one special teams player. 

Ten of the 27 players are transfers from Bates College, Iowa Central Community College, Sierra University, Monmouth University, Florida State University, Trinity (CT), Youngstown State, the University of Rhode Island, Rutgers University, and the University of San Diego. 

SHU, MERRIMACK PLAY FOR THE YANKEE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
Sacred Heart and Merrimack jointly announced on August 21 that their football programs will compete for The Yankee Conference Championship presented by LEONA on November 16 at Merrimack. 

Scheduled for a noon kickoff at Duane Stadium, the winner will be crowned as The Yankee Conference Champion and claim possession of the historic trophy.

Originally formed in 1946 and later transitioning to a football-only league in 1976, The Yankee Conference consisted of various members spanning the New England to Mid-Atlantic region competing at the Division I-AA level, now known as the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

CHESTNUT RE-SIGNS WITH THE TENNESSEE TITANS
Former SHU standout Julius Chestnut re-signed with the Tennessee Titans on a one-year contract. Chestnut joined the Titans before the 2022 season. 

Chestnut first caught the attention of NFL teams during the spring season of 2021 when he finished third in the Walter Payton Award voting after leading the FCS with 205.2 all-purpose yards per game and a program-record 171.0 rushing yards per game. A consensus First-Team All-American, he finished his career second in school history with 3,467 yards, and his 34 touchdowns are third all-time.

CHESTNUT SECURES SPOT ON 53-MAN ROSTER FOR TITANS
After a strong preseason performance, Julius Chestnut earned a spot on the Tennessee Titans' 53-man roster. 

In his first two NFL campaigns, Chestnut carried the ball nine times for 12 yards and caught three passes for 41 yards. He has also returned 10 kickoffs for 215 yards. He was a reserve on the Titans for the first three games last season but was placed on injured reserve on September 26 and missed the final 14 games.

LAST SEASON RECAP
The Pioneers finished the 2023 season with an overall record of 2-9 and a NEC mark of 2-5.

SHU's first win of the season came on the road against NEC foe Saint Francis (Pa.). With the game tied at 34-34, following a Red Flash touchdown, the Pioneers maintained their composure offensively, moving the ball from the SHU 45 to the SFU 23 over the final 2:20 to set up Sam Renzi for the game-winning field goal with two seconds left on the clock. 

The Pioneers' next win came on Senior Day, when they topped Central CT State by a final score of 31-24, snapping a five-game losing skid. SHU was led offensively by Malik Grant, who tallied two rushing touchdowns, while defensive back Maximus Mongelli recorded a career-high 13 tackles.

Sacred Heart had six NEC All-Conference bids, including a pair of First Team selections. Linebacker, team captain DeAndre Byrd, and defensive back Arsheen Jiles earned placement on the First Team All-NEC list. Four Pioneers were named to the Second Team All-NEC list, including defensive linemen and team captains Tyreke Brown and Carson Primrose, defensive back Mike-Lee Joseph, and kicker Sam Renzi.

Byrd also was recognized by the New England Football Writers Association as being named to the All-New England Team. The Lawrenceville, Ga. native finished with a team-leading 79 tackles behind 31 solo and 48 assisted stops.

FOLLOW LIVE

• Pioneer fans can find the latest news, scores, highlights, up-to-the-minute breaking news, or schedule changes on the official website of SHU Athletics. 
• Follow the Pioneers at @SHU__FB on Twitter and @shufb_ on Instagram.
• All the Pioneers' home contests can be found on Pioneer+, SHU's new video and streaming platform. 
• Live Stats are also available at sacredheartpioneers.com/sidearmstats/football/summary

ON DECK
The Pioneers return to action on Saturday, September 28, with a road contest against the University of Delaware. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m. in Dover, DE.