The Chestnut Hill College Sprint Football team opened their 2026 season Friday night, defeating Molloy University 17-7 at Mitchel Field in Uniondale, New York.
Xavier Limehouse rushed for 126 yards and scored both touchdowns to pace the Griffins offense. Griffin Walter completed 11 of 19 passes for 112 yards. Aiden Neff and Tzion Allen had three receptions apiece.
On the defensive side, Riley Stidham led the team with seven tackles, including two for loss. He also forced a fumble and recovered it. Josiah Russell-Wiggins had Chestnut Hill's only sack of the evening. Hunter Oaks and Andre Cancellare had two pass breakups apiece.
Obed Irelus handled the punting duties and set a school record for the longest punt, 67 yards early in the fourth quarter. He downed two punts inside the 20 yard line and averaged 51.3 yards per kick (3/154).
Chestnut Hill kicker Brady Reynolds put the Griffins on the board with one second left in the opening half, kicking a 35-yard field goal to give Chestnut Hill the 3-0 advantage heading into the locker room at halftime.
In the third quarter, following a solid defensive effort by the Griffins holding Molloy to a three-and-out on their opening possession, the Griffins took over on their own 40 yard line. Eight plays later Limehouse rushed into the end zone from three yards out for the touchdown. Reynolds added the extra point and the Griffins led 10-0. Limehouse gained 24 yards on the ground in the drive while Walter connected with receiver AJ Ahmad for the big play, a 20-yard reception that set up the Limehouse touchdown.
The Lions got on the board early in the fourth quarter with a 48-yard drive over the first 4:21 of the fourth quarter, closing the deficit to 10-7. On each team's ensuing drive neither offense produced positive yardage and the Griffins took over on Molloy's 25-yard line following a 25 yard punt return from Winday Dawson.
It took just three runs from Limehouse to put another score on the board for the Griffins, as he ran for all 25 yards. The scoring play came from two yards out, his second touchdown of the night. Reynolds added the point after, giving the Griffins a 17-7 lead with 5:45 remaining.
Molloy ran 11 plays on their final drive before turning the ball over on downs to the Griffins at midfield with 2:51 remaining. Anthony Bland carried the ball twice for 21 yards before the Griffins took a knee on the final two plays to run out the clock.
For the game, the Griffins produced 294 yards of total offense while the Lions had 213 yards.
The sprint football team returns to action on Saturday, September 26, 2026 when they host Cornell University at A.A. Garthwaite Field in Conshohocken. Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m.
