SELECT GAME NOTES VS. WAGNERÂ (FULLÂ GAME NOTES PDF) | GAME FLIP CARD | FLASH 10 WITH GENO CALGAROÂ |
 GAME PREVIEW (VIDEO)
FRANKIES TIDBITS IN A FLASH
• Saturday's game between Saint Francis and Wagner marks the 34th meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 1992 season.
• The Seahawks lead the series 23-10, but the Red Flash has won six of the last seven meetings in the matchup, including five straight at DeGol Field. In those five home games, Saint Francis has scored 186 points and is averaging 37.2 points per game in that span.
• It may be hard to believe that Saint Francis has had at least five home games in the last 35 years, since in the previous three years the team had three games at DeGol Arena twice (2022, 2024) and four contests once (2023). The Red Flash will have a four-game homestand for the fourth time in that stretch and the first time since the 2004 season. The team also hosted four consecutive games in 2002, 1999, and 1997, while it had three consecutive home contests eight times in the last 35 years. The most consecutive league games the team hosted were three in 1999.
• After spending the first three weeks of the season traveling 3,403 miles round-trip, starting on September 14, the Red Flash will spend the next 70 days in the state of Pennsylvania. The team will play five games at DeGol Field, two road games, and have two byes in this stretch before its regular season finale at Stonehill on November 22. Saint Francis traveled to Lousiana-Monroe (2,209 miles), Buffalo (421 miles) and CCSU (773 miles in the first 16 days of the season, but will only travel 1,524 miles in the final 71 days of the season round trip: at Bucknell, September 27 (260 miles); at Duquesne, October 11 (157 miles) and Stonehill (1,107 miles).
• To put these 71 days in perspective, the first day of fall is September 22, two days after the Red Flash home opener, while the team will not be on the road again until five days before Thanksgiving. The Saint Francis men's basketball team will play more road games between now and the football trip to Massachusetts —three —and the defending NEC Champions do not open the season until November 4.
• Going into Week 10, Saint Francis is searching for its first win of the season. The 2003 and 2010 Flash teams each registered a victory during the season, while the 2025 team is looking to avoid becoming the fifth team since joining the NEC to finish the season winless (1998, 2000, 2004, 2008). The 2003 team defeated La Salle on October 4 in non-conference play, while the 2010 team defeated Sacred Heart 41-0, marking head coach
Chris Villarrial's first win.
• The Red Flash return to action at home on Saturday, November 8, against Mercyhurst. During the Veteran's Day weekend, Saint Francis will hold Salute To Service games against the Lakers and for the men's basketball home opener against Mount St. Mary's three days later. Veterans will be admitted to the game for free, and fans who contribute to the SAAC Canned Food Drive by bringing non-perishable food items, paper goods, or hygiene products will receive a $5.00 discount on tickets to those games. All items collected will be donated to the Laurel Highlands Historical Village. This non-profit organization holds food drives and other events to support veterans and the elderly in our area. If you or a loved one is a veteran and in need of help, please call the organization's office at 814-241-6123.
AN SFU WIN WOULD
• Be the team's first win of the season
• Be the sixth straight win against Wagner at DeGol Field
• Be the seventh win in the last eight meetings against the Seahawks in the series
• Be the latest in the season the team picked up its first win of the year since winning 35-30 on October 27, 2007, which prompted the team to win three of its last four games
ON THIS DATE
• This will be the sixth game on this date and the first since 2014
• Lance Geesey made four field goals, good for third on the program's single season chart, in a 26-16 win against Duquesne on this date in 2014
• Dan Kanauch registered 23 tackles against Frostburg State on this date in 1980 in Loretto
• Saint Francis is 1-1 at home on this date
DID YOU KNOW
• The last time Saint Francis and Wagner clashed in Loretto was the first-ever NEC game on CBS Sports Network on October 12, 2023. The Red Flash defeated the Seahawks 31-7 during the national broadcast and set a DeGol Field attendance record of 2,878in the process.
LAST TIME OUT
• Saint Francis falls 24-14 to Robert Morris in NEC football action on Homecoming on October 25.
• Nick Whitfield Jr. threw for 240 yards and a touchdown, while Adrian Mejia and Jordan Theodore both caught a touchdown pass.
• Geno Calgaro paced the Red Flash defense with 13 tackles.
• Raphael Ekechi had his best game in a Red Flash uniform with a career-high 114 yards, thanks to 85 yards on the ground on 17 carries and two catches for 29 yards.
• With Saint Francis holding a 7-3 lead, the Colonials punted the ball to the Red Flash with 30 seconds left in the half. A muffed punt was recovered by Robert Morris, who then scored a touchdown to take a 10-7 lead at the break. The Colonials received the ball to start the second half and registered another touchdown for a 10-point lead. The Red Flash answered with a TD, but the Colonials struck back with a touchdown of their own to restore the 10-point lead and go on for the 24-14 victory.
THE WORD ON THE SEAHAWKS
• Wagner comes into the contest 2-6 overall and 1-2 in NEC play after defeating Duquesne 24-13 on October 25. The Seahawks are 2-3 in Staten Island and 0-3 on the road.
• Quarterback Jack Stevens was 10-for-13 for 62 yards and a touchdown pass, and had 10 rushes for 44 yards and a rushing touchdown against the Dukes. Andre Hines rushed for 90 yards and a touchdown, including a 30-yard scamper. Sam Martin powered the Wagner defense with 10 tackles.
• Stevens, who is one of four quarterbacks to take a snap for the Seahawks, has 416 yards passing and two TDs, thanks to hitting on 54 of 92 pass attempts. Stevens also has 219 yards on the ground and two rushing TDs. Jordan Barton, who missed the game against Duquesne, leads the team with 531 yards on 52-for-87 completions and four touchdowns. Hines leads the rushing attack with 438 yards and four touchdowns.
• Martin powers the defense with 60 tackles (40 solo, 20 assist), while Akil Lampley is second on the squad with 49 tackles (26 solo, 23 assist).
LAST TIME WE MET
• Wagner scored two first-half touchdowns to defeat Saint Francis 14-0 on October 19, 2024, in Staten Island.
• Nick Whitfield Jr. was 13-for-24 for 162 yards. DeMarcus McElroy had 50 yards on 14 attempts and Gavin Thomson registered 46 yards on three catches. Geno Calgaro and Mercury Swaim each had seven tackles to power the defense.Â
• Jake Cady was 24-for-38 for 290 yards and two touchdowns. Chase Stafford and Christian Tait each had a touchdown catch, while Jaylen Bonelli led the receiving corps with three catches for 91 yards. Justin Reilly paced the Seahawks defense that registered nine sacks against the Red Flash with eight tackles.
TWO-DEEP QUICK HITS
• #3 Raphael Ekechi had his best game in a Red Flash uniform with a career-high 114 yards against the Colonials, thanks to 85 yards on the ground on 17 carries and two catches for 29 yards. He also had a two-touchdown rushing game against Bucknell. Ekechi has 261 yards on the ground on 66 attempts this season, along with 15 catches for 62 yards.Â
• #4 Jack Courtney recorded his first solo sack of his career and two tackles against Robert Morris. Courtney has appeared in 28 tilts in his career, recording 41 tackles (16 solo, 25 assisted), seven tackles for a loss, and an interception. He registered a career-high five tackles and a half sack at LIU on November 16, 2024.
• #5 Corey Williams has tallied at least five tackles in a game three times this season, including against the Colonials. Williams notched a career-high six tackles and his first collegiate interception against Buffalo. The redshirt freshman has appeared in eight games in his career (seven this season) with 15 solo and 10 assisted for 25 tackles in his career.Â
• #6 Nick Whitfield Jr. was 17-for-31 for 240 yards against Robert Morris and two touchdowns. It is the first time this season he has thrown two touchdowns, and the fourth of his career. The redshirt junior surpassed his season career total with 1,252 yards, after posting 1,033 yards last season. It marked the third time this season Whitfield threw for over 200 yards and the fifth time in his career. Despite only throwing for 58 yards against Duquesne on October 11, Whitfield has thrown for 946 yards in his last four contests. In the first two games of this streak, he had a 71.3 completion percentage (57-for-80) against Delaware State on September 20 and against Bucknell seven days later. The Fredonia, N.Y., native, is 240-for-402 for 2,723 yards in his career with 14 touchdowns.
•  #8 Kendric Council had another standout game against Robert Morris, with eight tackles, and has recorded at least five tackles in five of the six contests he has played this season. He ranks third on the team with 19 solo and 19 assisted tackles for 38 tackles. After playing in 10 games with 30 tackles in 2024, the sophomore has surpassed last year's total and has 68 tackles in 16 career games.
• #16 Denzel Lambert posted a team-high and a career-best four catches for 33 yards against Robert Morris, and has recorded all 11 of his catches for 108 yards in his last four games. Lambert played two games in 2024 without recording a catch and posted a career-high 48 yards receiving at Bucknell.
• #14 Aidan Cirulli currently ranks sixth in FCS on punting yards (1878) and 31st in punting average (43.28). He has attempted 154 punts in four years and 29 games. He has posted 6,315 yards with 13 touchbacks and a 41.0 punting average. He boomed a career-high 69-yard punt at Eastern Michigan on September 21, 2024, and had a 61-yard punt against Louisiana-Monroe. His career punting average is currently 0.1 behind that of Andrew Zecca (41.1, 2015-18) and needs 72 yards to move ahead of Chris Kissel for fourth place (6,387 yards, 1978-81) on the career punt yard list. Cirulli has had four games this season with eight punts and three games with four punts. He will also be the holder on field goal attempts.
• #19 Colin Douglas has 44 tackles in 2025 (27 solo, 17 assisted), including 36 tackles in his last four games after a career-high nine tackles against CCSU and Robert Morris, seven against Delaware State, and eight against Bucknell.
• #87 Scott Raymond has recorded three catches in back-to-back games for 86 yards. He caught a career-high three balls for 59 yards against Duquesne and then had three catches for 27 yards against Robert Morris. Raymond has eight catches for 72 yards this season and 13 receptions for 117 yards in his career.Â
• #95 Balaam Miller registered four tackles against the Colonials after posting a career-high six tackles at Buffalo on September 6 and against Delaware State. The redshirt junior has all 23 of his career tackles this season after playing in two games last season without registering a stat.Â
