Conshohocken, Pa. – (9/14/2018) – Chestnut Hill College's 2018 Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL) season began this evening, Friday, September 14, as the Scarlet and Gold welcomed the Black Knights of Army (West Point) to A.A. Garthwaite Stadium for their season opener. Army used a 17-point first quarter and three second quarter touchdowns to build a 38-0 advantage before the Griffins got on the scoreboard with a 20-yard connection between junior quarterback Michael Marino (Blue Bell, Pa.) and freshman wide receiver Akeem Browne (Elkins Park, Pa,) (38-7, 00:52, 2QTR). Unfortunately, the Black Knights' 38-7 halftime lead was more than enough to defeat the Griffins as Army eventually won the CSFL by a 45-7 final.


 
After a Griffins' three-and-out, Army (1-0) used a 44-yard catch and run by sophomore Nitai Chun (Gardena, Calif.) to help set up a 28-yard field goal for freshman Seppi Ortman (Lafayette, Calif.), 3-0. The Griffins looked to respond on their next possession, but an interception led to a Black Knight touchdown (10-0) with 8:30 remaining in the first quarter. Unfortunately, Army continued to put points on the board, adding another touchdown (17-0, 4:12 1QTR) before the end of the opening frame and three more touchdowns (38-0, 4:31, 2QTR) prior to Browne's 20-yard touchdown catch (38-7, 00:52) closed the first half. The Chestnut Hill College defense slowed the Black Knights in the second half as Army was only able to add to their lead with a late third quarter touchdown (45-7, 1:56, 3QTR).
 
Senior quarterback Keegan West (West Point, N.Y.) threw for 245 yards and four touchdowns on 17 completions (17-of-34, .500), while leading the Black Knights in rushing with 23 yards on four carries (3.88 yards/carry). His primary target was junior Tom Williamson (Dallas, Texas), who caught five passes for 51 yards. Senior wide receiver Clayton Carter (Indianapolis, Ind.) caught two of West's touchdown passes and finished with three catches for 66 yards.
 
Marino completed 11-of-32 (.344) passes for 173 yards and the touchdown. Freshman running back Xavier Thompson (Yardville, N.J.) was the lead rusher for Chestnut Hill College (0-1) with 47 yards on eight carries (5.8 yards/carry), while Browne finished with a team-high 63 yards on three receptions. Senior linebacker Jonathan Baldwin (Hudson, N.H.) led the Scarlet and Gold defense with 11 tackles, while freshman Nate Moser (Easton, Pa.) captained the secondary with a pair of interceptions.
 
Chestnut Hill College returns to A.A. Garthwaite Stadium next Friday, September 21, when they host Mansfield University in another 7:00 p.m. CSFL contest.