Football | 9/1/2025 12:00:00 PM

Geno Calgaro (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan), a member of the Saint Francis football team, has been named the Northeast Conference/Atlantic Tomorrow Office Defensive Player of the Week. It is the second time in his career that he has earned the top defensive player weekly nod, and his fourth career weekly award.

Calgaro, the team's leading tackler last season, paced the Red Flash with 12 tackles against FBS opponent Louisiana-Monroe in the season opener on Thursday. The 12 tackles were the second most of his career after he registered a career-best 13 against Stonehill on November 2, 2024, and against Mercyhurst on November 23, 2024. The All-NEC Preseason team selection notched at least nine tackles for the fifth time in the last seven games. 

Saint Francis held Louisiana-Monroe to 10 points in the first half, tying for the fewest points allowed in the first half against an FBS school in the Loretto program's history. The Red Flash also allowed 10 points in the opening half of the game against Akron on September 1, 2022. It was the third fewest allowed in any half after only allowing three points to Kent State in the second half on September 7, 2023, and seven points in the second half against Eastern Michigan on September 3, 2022. 

Calgaro paced Saint Francis with 70.0 tackles (37 solo, 33 assisted) with 7.5 tackles for a loss and a half a sack. He received a spot on the FCS Football Central All-American Freshman team in 2024.

The sophomore was also named the NEC Defensive Player of the Week for the week of October 28-November 3. He was the NEC Rookie of the Week for that week, and for October 14-20.

Calgaro becomes the seventh player since 1997 to earn multiple NEC Defensive Player of the Week honors and the fifth under head coach Chris Villarrial. The sophomore joins Carter Glassmaker, Lorenzo Jerome, DaQuan Minter, Matthew Parker, and Jalen Wells as two-time honorees, while Da'Jon Lee earned the NEC Defensive Player of the Week award two times in three seasons to hold the record with six weekly awards for top defender. 

It marks the 33rd time since 1997 a Red Flash player has been named the NEC Defensive Player of the Week, and Calgaro is the 23rd different player to earn the distinction. It is the 27th time a player has been named NEC Defensive Player of the Week, and Calgaro is the 18th different recipient under Villarrial.

Saint Francis returns to action on Saturday with its first meeting against the University of Buffalo. Game time is 3:30 p.m.