Hillburn, N.Y. – (11/2/2019) – For Chestnut Hill College, the Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL) came to a close with this evening's historic 32-19 victory at St. Thomas Aquinas College (STAC). The Griffin defense and special teams were the story of the affair as a safety (10-0, 6:37 1QTR), a kick return (18-0, 6:26 1QTR), three sacks, and three interceptions provided senior quarterback Michael Marino (Blue Bell, Pa.) with enough chances to find senior wide receiver Domoree Hill (Bethlehem, Pa.) (8-0, 14:39 1QTR) and sophomore wide receiver Akeem Browne (Elkins Park, Pa.) (24-6, 6:58 3QTR) for touchdowns. Sophomore defensive back Ryan Jakeman (Cheltenham, Pa.) captained the Scarlet and Gold defense with eight tackles (5 solo, 3 assisted).
 
Chestnut Hill College (5-2) scored three times in the first quarter as Marino needed only one play to find Hill for a 68-yard touchdown (8-0, 14:39). A safety (10-0, 6:37) and a 72-yard kickoff return from junior defensive back Terrell Bush (Valley Stream, N.Y.) later (18-0, 6:26 1QTR) gave the Griffins an 18-0 advantage. But St. Thomas Aquinas College (2-5) managed to capitalize on the second of three Marino interceptions to reduce the margin to 12 points (18-6) during the opening minute of the second quarter (14:01, 2QTR). The Scarlet and Gold found some breathing room in the third quarter as Marino capitalized on an interception from junior defensive back Nate Moser (Bethlehem, Pa.) with a three consecutive completions; the last of which was to Browne for a 10-yard touchdown (24-6, 6:58 3QTR). But the separation only lasted so long as the Spartans answered the scores of their own with 3:33 (24-12) remaining in the frame and 7:12 (24-19) remaining in the fourth quarter. Fortunately, the Chestnut Hill College offense finally came through, running 12 plays in a five-minute (4:45) drive that cemented the victory (32-19, 2:07, 4QTR) with a two-yard touchdown run from senior running back Sef Penson (Brooklyn, N.Y.).
 
Penson provided the exclamation point on the win, but the Spartans held him to 57 rushing yards on 23 carries (2.5 yards/carry). Chestnut Hill College rushed for 69 yards in all, complimenting Marino's 130-yard passing performance. He was 13-of-24 (54.2%) with two touchdown passes. He hit freshman wide receiver James Naylor Jr. (Middletown, Del.) three times (0 yards), but Hill totaled a team-high 87 yards thanks to his 68-yard touchdown reception.

Jakeman's band of Griffins held the Spartans to just 14 rushing yards, forcing STAC into three sacks and three interceptions. Sacks were had by senior linebacker Mike McIlhenney (Philadelphia, Pa.), freshman linebacker Garrett Brown (Tuckertown, N.J.), and junior defensive lineman Tony Wilson (Kennett Square, Pa.), while interceptions came courtesy of Moser (1) and junior defensive backs Rahsul Brown (Swedesboro, N.J.) (2).
 
Chestnut Hill College finishes 2019 with the best record in program history; a 5-2 standing that included CSFL South Division victories over Alderson Broaddus University (W, 26-17 on October 18) and Caldwell University (W, 28-11 on October 25).