NEC Football Power Rankings Week 6: Stonehill Gets Elevated
We called our shot early, and it seems to be looking pretty good in the beginning weeks of league play.
Of course, anything can happen. But here’s how early season predictions work. When you’re winning during the season, at any point at all, you need to celebrate how brilliant you are. You ignore your misses. And if your early wins turn into misses, forget it. You’ve celebrated it. Now, just go ahead and ignore the downfall.
We liked Stonehill taking on LIU and we loved Stonehill’s defense coming into the season, but what we saw against the high powered, difficult to plan for Sharks was beyond what we could have expected. Accordingly, the big story this week isn’t the change at the top (funny how that works), but that Stonehill- picked 8th by every other outlet I’ve had the pleasure of reading, picked 4th by NEC Blitz- is in the top half of the rankings and has doubled their win total from last season, with chances to have two additional wins on their resume. There’s holes in that resume, and the season is young. We’re still in September. But, still- take the wins where you can get them.
Duquesne
The Dukes had no trouble handling New Haven in Pittsburgh, and while this is their best win to this point they looked dominant against the Chargers. New Haven was on a two game win streak including a big win over Albany, but after a good first drive the game was all Dukes. Joey Isabella had 3 touchdowns in the first half alone and Ty Riddell looked like one of the best quarterbacks in the NEC- he’s quietly been building a resume, and once the Dukes get into conference play we’ll get a chance to see him up against the rest of the league. He had no problems matching up with a stellar quarterback in AJ Duffy. Defensively, the Dukes once again looked dominant. The Dukes have won the two non-conference games they were supposed to win, lost the two expected FBS games, and were very competitive with a top 10 Lehigh team. They’re the favorite heading into conference.
Stonehill
Stonehill’s still having some trouble getting into the end zone, but the defense has made the huge strides we hoped and believed that they could. LIU was held to 3 points, and while Stonehill was only able to muster 10 of their own, you do tend to win football games when you only give up a field goal. They forced Ethan Greenwood into two interceptions and Charles Battaglia will probably be the defensive player of the week in the league with 9 tackles and 2 sacks. The less obvious downside? Stonehill had trouble with penalties (12 for 90). They’ll have to clean that up if the offense isn’t able to get more points on the board, but in a league that looks low on dominant teams, a defense this good should make some more noise through the rest of the conference slate.
Central Connecticut State
The Blue Devils traded two turnovers for two turnovers with Dartmouth, but it’s hard to win giving up 407 yards through the air. Nevertheless, there were still a lot of bright spots here and I’d consider them effectively tied with Stonehill- just better wins for the Skyhawks. Brady Olson continues to be careful with the ball and puts CCSU in a position to win every time Hard Hittin’ New Britain takes the field. He’s so seasoned that it’s hard to imagine the Blue Devils beating themselves this season. Unfortunately, there was just too much room for Dartmouth to throw, especially with a last second 50 yard touchdown to give the Ivy League school the lead and the win.
Long Island
Despite the loss to Stonehill, the Sharks are not done this season and still have the big win against Eastern Michigan to buoy them somewhat. It’s hard to tell if Stonehill’s issue was their own offense or the good defense that that Sharks have shown this season. When- not if- the offense gets back to scoring points, LIU will get the wins back.
Mercyhurst
The Lakers lost big in a buy game on the road to South Dakota State. Flush it and move on. We’re excited to see the Urena to Evans connection moving through the league slate.
Wagner
Wagner got their first win in pretty dramatic fashion against Head Coach Mike Vick’s Norfolk State. The Seahawks have decided to go with Jordan Barton at QB for the time being, and he was able to throw for 2 TDs against 2 INTs. The big story might be the 108 yard game from Andre Hines, who also provided a touchdown. It’s a good win against an opponent getting lots of press prior to entering conference play.
Robert Morris
RMU was idle this week. They’ll travel to former NEC foe Merrimack this Saturday before beginning league play (and a game we’ll be at!) with a big rematch against CCSU, which was the best game in the NEC last season.
New Haven
New Haven struggled against Duquesne, but an interesting trend we’ve seen is that New Haven seems to be fantastic at scripting drives to start games. Zaon Laney had his best game with over 60 yards and a 51 yard scamper, but this one looked an awful lot like the contest against Mercyhurst. Might set up an interesting match for the Dukes and the Lakers in a few weeks.
Saint Francis
Saint Francis was scoring points against Bucknell and went into the half with the lead. With the offense starting to wake up, the Red Flash are still only at 0-1 in conference despite the overall record and certainly have the potential to be more than a factor in league play- they still have the opportunity to make the playoffs with minimal help at this point! Without wins, though, there’s nowhere else to put them.
NEC Football Power Rankings Week 5: Playing Darts Blindfolded
I think I quote it like twice a week. In my first conversation ever with an NEC head coach, he told me: “Well, the NEC is a funny thing.”
And it is. There’s a reason I always point to this as the most fun you’ll ever have watching football. You never really know what will happen. The unpredictable nature of football lives in the NEC, even when it’s sometimes hard to find at other levels of competition. I think I know what’s coming. I’m as well-studied as anyone out there to know what’s coming. And even then, I’m looking forward to my well-educated spectacular misses. It never stops being fun here.
I hardly know where to move things, or if I should even move things at all, after this week. But after some deliberation, this is what I’ve come up with:
Central Connecticut State
The loss to Merrimack was a heartbreaker and marked by a lack of points from the Blue Devils until the final frame. They took the lead with two touchdowns but lost on a last second field goal to the Warriors to drop to 2-2 overall. Elijah Howard ran for 91 and got involved in the passing game, but the Donovan Wadley revenge game was not to be and perhaps having this one in New Britain would have changed the outcome. Nevertheless, it was a fine defensive performance from CCSU and they remain the leader at 1-0 in conference play.
Duquesne
Even though CCSU lost and you can mostly write off FBS losses (especially after no one was going to let the NEC sneak up on them following Long Island’s win over Eastern Michigan), you can’t really reward the Dukes after the Akron game. Again, write it off. We have something far more interesting on Saturday when New Haven comes to the Bluff. You hate to rely too heavily on the transitive property, but this will give us a chance to see how Duquesne stacks up compared to their in-state competition up in Erie. New Haven is on such a roll, though, that any conclusions will have to wait until the Dukes and Lakers meet.
Long Island
It’s been two games since LIU was able to knock off FBS opponent Eastern Michigan, and in that time we’ve had two no-shows for Ethan Greenwood at quarterback and this past week Luca Stanzani did not participate. Chris Howell did what he could, but he ended up with a 0 TD to 2 INT ratio and the Sharks were able to score just 7 points on the #6 Rhode Island Rams. I would have loved to see what Long Island could have done if healthy- I think they could have absolutely hung with the Rams for the second straight season- but this is who they are for the time being and I’m not sure I can put them up any higher with the uncertainty at the most important position in football. A bright spot was here, though, with O.J. Ross running for 130 yards at the running back slot. That’s LIU. There’s 100 yard rushers all the way down.
Stonehill
We’ll bump Stonehill up to fourth here as they were able to mount a furious comeback against Penn of the Ivy League that just fell short. Stonehill is 1-3 and yet are probably just a handful of plays from 3-1. Fascinatingly, they’re also one play from 0-4. You expect this is a bit of growing pains from a team that’s just gained some experience from the year prior, has improved, but maybe hasn’t really learned how to win yet. The game against Maine was a big start, but they’ll have to grow up in a hurry now with conference play ahead of them. LIU heads to Easton next and while we’re just not sure what quarterback we’ll see from the Skyhawks, how they’re able to contain whomever it is we’ll see- and if they can find the end zone just a little more often- will probably determine how this one goes.
Mercyhurst
A virtual tie with Stonehill. I gave the Skyhawks the nod just because the offense was able to do a little more than Mercyhurst was, even against an absolute monster Montana State team that the Lakers had to go up against. They acquitted themselves well- incredibly well, actually- on defense, but the 3 red zone drives without points will probably go down as the missed opportunity for Urena and Co. The road trip goes on to South Dakota State this weekend before we get to see what the Lakers are really made of in conference play, and if they really are as good as the team that punched out New Haven just a few weeks ago.
New Haven
Speaking of New Haven, the Chargers are on a 2 game win streak but have had fast starts with furious comebacks against them in the past two weeks. They’ve been able to hold on, but a 4 quarter performance is still missing from their repertoire. A.J. Duffy remains a dark horse for the first team QB conversation in the NEC, and if they can give Duquesne a fast start this week they’ll have a chance to really shock the league and shake up the Northeast. Everyone in the league saw the performance against Mercyhurst, but you can be sure everyone is aware of what the Chargers were able to do against Albany, too. Really looking forward to this one on the Bluff.
Robert Morris
Bobby Mo had Dayton on the ropes in Moon Township but let the game slip away. A particularly troubling aspect was that quarterback Zach Tanner left the game and did not return. Quarterback was probably the one place with RMU where we really knew what they had and were excited about it, but now there’s a little more uncertainty for the Colonials. Ethan Shine is looking like a fine addition to their running back room, but after Tanner left the game the passing suffered a little and the offense had some of the trouble it’s shown earlier in the season.
Wagner
Wagner took on FBS Central Michigan this Saturday. You can flush it and forget it. Wagner gave significant attempts to Jordan Barton in this one, and my suspicion is that we may not be completely done with the quarterback competition on Staten Island. Freshman Benjamin Newton also saw some time. It’s a fine idea to use the FBS game to see what you’ve got across the board as the Seahawks prepare to welcome Michael Vick’s Norfolk State team to Staten Island before a bye week will recover them from NEC play. This is the time to work out the kinks.
Saint Francis
Against a team the Red Flash beat last season in a spectacular comeback victory, the offense yet again sputtered while posting its highest point total of the season, hitting double digits for the first time with 10 points. The bigger problem? Delaware State was able to score on Saint Francis early in the game, which we haven’t really seen much of to this point. We had wondered if the defense was finally getting tired late in contests and surrendering points. Now, you have to wonder if the frequent low scoring performances are becoming a problem, or if DeSean Jackson was just able to turn around the Hornets that fast. They’re not famous for winning performances at Delaware State, but unfortunately they were able to put together a convincing one in Loretto. With the Red Flash at 0-1 in conference, there’s just nowhere else to put them until they’re able to muster an offensive performance.
NEC Football Power Rankings Week 4: I’m Blue
If you are my age, you will remember a crucial debate from childhood: Red or Blue?
That is, which version of Pokemon is best? (Conventional wisdom, by the way, favored Blue entirely on the basis of Raichu being available in the Power Plant in late game.)
I digress. This past week in the Northeast Conference, we got to see the Blue Devils take on the Red Flash. It looked close for a half, but no defense can hold on forever without the offense helping them out, and in the second half the Blue Devils prevailed and pulled away to make it look easy. A far cry from last season’s tight battle. With LIU losing a homecoming heartbreaker, we have yet another leader at the top spot in the volatile early weeks of the Power Rankings.
Central Connecticut State
No shocker here, as the Blue Devils pulled away from the Red Flash late and Elijah Howard made his presence known, returning to the field with a receiving touchdown on the second Blue Devils drive. His rushing totals were a bit limited (he only did have 12 carries), but his return means big things for the CCSU offense. It’s not clear they need him to have more than 12 carries at this point in the season, either. Donovan Wadley got going this week with a 39 yard catch, and Brady Olson has been taking care of the ball through the first 3 games with a 4 to 0 TD to INT ratio. And best of all? That defense looks like the same aggressive one that forced turnovers last year. I think we may have downplayed how good the Blue Devils really are up until this point.
Duquesne
The Dukes lost to #10 Lehigh but played them tightly, giving them a contest throughout the entire game after taking it to Lincoln (PA) the week prior. The Dukes travel on the road to FBS Akron this week, which often means it’s another game that we can’t learn too much from. Joey Isabella looks like the best WR in the NEC to this point. The linebackers, which we thought would be a weakness, are actually one of the strengths of the team with multiple players capable of being named Prime Performers each week. Daniel Tarabella has emerged as one of the NEC’s top tight ends. It’s hard to punish Duquesne for a loss to the #10 team in the country, particularly when they showed that they’re able to compete with anyone at this level of football, but polls like this are fluid and the Dukes certainly control their destiny even after they face Akron.
Long Island
The Sharks still have a dominant victory over FBS Eastern Michigan on their resume, but they fell to Sacred Heart in a tough loss on homecoming this past weekend and their ranking suffered for it. The Sharks surrendered 10 points in the 4th quarter including a winning field goal as time expired to fall by 3 points. Sacred Heart has looked better than expected this season (has also defeated Stonehill) but after a big run from Luca Stanzani (75 yards!) offense was tough to come by. Ethan Greenwood did not play in this contest. The Sharks have another big chance at an upset this week as they head to Rhode Island to take on a Rams team ranked as high as #6.
Mercyhurst
The Lakers were able to play with Sacramento State, even leading 18-7 in the 2nd quarter and had it within a touchdown in the 4th. New Haven’s win over Albany also gives us some good context for their victory over the Chargers in Erie. Rylan Davison and Dylan Evans each caught a Urena TD pass. They’ll head to #4 Montana State next.
Stonehill
Stonehill pulled off a road win at Maine which has been kicked around by football focused media in this part of the country as potentially the biggest win in program history. The miracle 4th and 21 pass to Brigham Dunphy shouldn’t take away from the overall season Stonehill’s had so far, though. They played Sacred Heart as well as LIU did, and this is a team that could certainly be looking at 2-1 right now. They’ll have to take on the Ivy League’s Penn next at home.
New Haven
New Haven got their first win as a Division I program, rocketing out to a fast start in Albany and holding off the Great Danes for the remainder of the contest, giving AJ Duffy his second Offensive Player of the Week nod in the process. New Haven will host Division II Saginaw Valley State (1-2) on The Blue for their first home game as a Division I program.
Robert Morris
RMU was able to beat West Liberty, but the offense still seemed to have some trouble getting started against the Division II program. The Colonials were able to get some touches in for Ethan Shine and Donta Whack, and Zach Tanner threw two touchdown passes to no interceptions although they limited their reliance on the pass game. They’ll host Dayton this Saturday.
Wagner
Wagner played Georgetown well on the road but was unable to get much going on offense against Marist, losing 21-10 behind a turnover-hindered performance (5 turnovers to Marist’s 1). You can’t win when you’re giving up possessions in bulk- a theme behind the bottom two in our rankings this week. Wagner is 0-3 but probably had opportunities to win their past two games. They’ll get back on the road to face an FBS opponent in Central Michigan.
Saint Francis
Saint Francis has a stellar defense that has kept them in games for a half most of this season so far, but the offense hasn’t been able to replace what they lost through the transfer portal including their top two running backs and best wide receiver. The Red Flash fumbled the ball 5 times, recovered only two of those, and threw 2 interceptions. You can’t win games giving up the rock five times. The Red Flash have been fantastic at playing defense, but their 7 points on Saturday was unfortunately their high on the season so far. You can’t win games in football unless you score points- it’s an obvious statement, but if you haven’t shown that you’re going to be able to win games, you can’t get out of the basement.
GAME RECAP: New Haven Tames Albany, 24-17
No one deserved last night more than the New Haven fans. Since we’ve welcomed them into the league, it’s hard to think of a more passionate fanbase. I talked to these folks up in Erie. I’ve met them through the cyberworld of Twitter (X?) that we inhabit. And I’ve talked to their coaches, athletic director, their players, their athletic department staff… everyone that I think I could have talked to connected to the program at this point. And I can’t imagine finding a more passionate group of people anywhere.
I hope you all received a game ball in some way or another. You’ve earned it.
After a rocky two weeks for the program with losses against Marist and Mercyhurst, the Chargers got off of the bus and didn’t stop marching down the field for the entire first half. They exploded early with a 10-0 lead at the end of the first which grew to 24-7 at the half. AJ Duffy threw touchdown passes to three different receivers (Matt Chandler, Evan Chieca, and Nikkem Reynolds) and Liam Quigley added a 38 yard field goal. At one point, the Chargers led 24-0 before Albany finally pushed in a 1 yard run near the conclusion of the half.
It was a more balanced offensive attack for New Haven with 180 passing yards and 114 rushing. It took a village to get those yards on the ground, with Brian Thomas pacing the backs for 43 and Zaon Laney returning with 8 carries for 41. Joshua Tracey didn’t earn a touchdown through the air, but led receivers with 65 yards. It seemed like the ball had to get everywhere for New Haven to move the sticks, and in the first half they certainly accomplished that.
The second half required the defense to hold Albany out of the end zone as the offense finally was slowed down. Albany actually had 436 total yards, but with 396 of those through the air, there wasn’t much balance and definitely plenty of doubt that the Great Danes could run the ball if the occasion called for it. Albany quarterback Jack Shields through 53 times but was sacked 6 times by a hungry Chargers pass rush that was ready to let out some early season frustration. The Chargers forced three turnovers (2 INT, 1 fumble) while they took care of the ball. When you’re up 3 turnovers to none, you tend to win football games, regardless of how you’re outgained.
And make no mistake, the Great Danes could compile yardage. The 436 yards for UAlbany certainly dwarfs the 296 the Chargers could put up, but with turnovers and the 12 penalties they committed to 8 for New Haven, it was one of those games that reminds fans of offense that there’s a lot more to it than moving the ball in football. For one thing, you have to score, and Albany couldn’t do enough of that. Football is about discipline, taking care of the ball, and overcoming adversity. The Chargers handed Albany 24 points worth of adversity, and the Great Danes simply couldn’t overcome it even when they began to slow down the offensive side of the ball.
The game was finally sealed with Albany reaching the red zone and looking to tie up the game. Coach Powell’s defense had to stand firm just one more time. Holding them to a 4th down, Albany’s quarterback Shields dropped back to pass and was met by two Chargers who forced through the offensive line and brought him down for a sack. Give game balls to Stephen Conwell and Pete Melle for bringing down Shields when it mattered most, too. Duffy kneeled out the clock and New Haven got on the board at 1-2.
For New Haven, this is their first win as a Division I program and the first career win for Head Coach Mark Powell. This one goes in the media guides permanently for both of them. For the NEC, it caps off a curious weekend that saw the league go 2-0 against the CAA. The depth in this league might be surprising to pundits paying attention, but to NEC fans it just adds to the excitement for conference play to begin in earnest.
NEC Football Power Rankings Week 3: Sharks Jump
I don’t think this is any surprise heading into this week. If you beat an FBS team- no, if you control the game against them, have a 4th quarter drive that takes up over 9 minutes, and never trail- well, you get to be first place in the power rankings. Congratulations to the Long Island Sharks, but this early in the season, volatility in the power rankings is everywhere.
Long Island
You know the really brilliant thing that the Sharks have going for them? There can never be a quarterback controversy here. It was understood going into the season that Luca Stanzani and Ethan Greenwood would both play. Now that they’re doing that, it doesn’t really matter if Stanzani takes more of the snaps going forward; you can’t split the locker room when exactly what was expected to happen, well, happens. Long Island now has to take it back home to take on Sacred Heart; they’ll be expected to outscore the Pioneers easily, but if they can do that they have to hit the road to take on a Rhode Island team that’s been consistently ranked. You can’t get ahead of yourself, but taking on CCSU and Duquesne in subsequent weeks toward the end of the season might be the most important two game stretch in LIU Sharks football history. They just have to keep winning until then.
Duquesne
Through no fault of Duquesne, they fall to second place after taking care of business against Lincoln (PA). They’ll welcome #10 Lehigh to the Bluff for next week in what will be one of the biggest games of the week for the NEC. Ty Riddell looked every bit what he showed a few glimmers of against Pitt on Saturday, Joey Isabella found the end zone, and we’ve got a Dukes team that has been all over the place here in terms of opponents, heading from the P4 to D2 and finally to a top 10 FCS team. They’ll then head off to Akron to face a G5. We might not really know what we have with the Dukes until October, but what we saw against Lincoln looked very promising.
Central Connecticut State
The Blue Devils rebounded from facing a tough UConn team on the road to taking on American International at home. It was never in doubt for the Blue Devils, and now they’ll head straight into conference play by welcoming Saint Francis to Hard Hittin’ New Britain. An interesting wrinkle against AIC was that Donovan Wadley had one carry and one catch. You have to imagine that the former NEC Offensive Player of the Year is going to have a bigger role as the season goes on, and as he does that you’d assume that CCSU will further hit its stride. A big opportunity for him is coming up after the Saint Francis game when CCSU travels to former conference foe Merrimack- and Wadley’s former school.
Mercyhurst
The Lake Show was out in full force, defeating New Haven convincingly and confirming that Dylan Evans is here to stay. Adam Urena threw for 347 yards, but the show was more than the signal caller. The Lakers garnered a massive 647 yards of total offense, with Brian Trobel running for over a hundred, sometimes from the wildcat, and rookie Mookie Gamble earning NEC Rookie of the Week honors. Unfortunately, we might be taking a brief break from the Lake Show, as road games against Sacramento State, Montana State, and South Dakota State will challenge the Lakers heavily. On the other hand, Youngstown State is a traditionally strong foe, and the Lakers hung with them well. We’ll have to see how Mercyhurst handles top flight out of conference competition before re-entering conference play.
Wagner
Wagner led for much of the game against Georgetown, but couldn’t pull off the upset and dropped the decision to fall to 0-2. With how well they hung on, though, it seems unfair to punish them too hard. Wagner will be welcoming Marist to Grymes Hill for the first home game of their slate and the first time they’ve faced the in-state Red Foxes since 2008. They’ll be expected to win before they get back on the road to face FBS competition. Wagner looks like they’re talented, but it’s unclear yet if this is the breakthrough season that just feels like the program has been building up to.
Robert Morris
Unfortunately for the Colonials, they weren’t able to do much of anything against the Youngstown State Penguins who had difficulty handling Mercyhurst the week prior. The transitive property strikes and we’re left wondering how Robert Morris will fare against Mercyhurst late in the season. However, we would caution against panic just yet. RMU is a transfer heavy team this season and underwent a lot of coaching turnover, including some late changes. It just might not have come together yet for the Colonials. They’ll have a chance to get right against West Liberty and while there’s some consternation in Pittsburgh, our opinion is to just be patient. Top flight competition, new coaches, and a roster that hasn’t come together yet would make anyone look pedestrian.
Stonehill
The Skyhawks gave up 21 points in the 2nd quarter, but the offense looked to be making some improvements late in this contest. They’ll need it as they’re traveling 270 miles north to Maine. The 90 yard fumble scoop and score for the Skyhawks (Richard Mosley III) might have actually made this one look a little more competitive than it was. Jack O’Connell once again was completing passes, but this time he had some scoring and yardage might behind him, with 3 TD passes and 269 yards through the air. The best football for Stonehill is still up ahead for them this season, and I do still think this is a team with potential to make noise in league play. If they continue to make incremental improvements, you have to like them hitting their stride as conference play begins in earnest.
New Haven
The Chargers weren’t able to stop the Lake Show on defense and the offense struggled as well on the road in Erie. Unfortunately, they’ll hit the road against Albany yet again and won’t have many reprieves this season. AJ Duffy threw for 183 with one TD through the air (he rushed for another) in the losing effort against Mercyhurst. Interestingly, they looked like they’d be very competitive early with a TD drive on the first possession, but as the game wore on they were unable to keep pace with the Lakers. This is still not a team that’s been fully healthy, missing Zaon Laney, and perhaps they’ll get better football under them as the season goes on.
Saint Francis
The Red Flash dropped their second consecutive FBS game to Buffalo and scored their first touchdown of the season late. With CCSU coming up, we still don’t really have a great idea of what Saint Francis will do against like competition this year, but the defense had more trouble against Buffalo than they’d had against ULM and as such they’ll have to stay in the basement here. CCSU and Saint Francis played an incredibly close game in 2024, and an upset is certainly not out of the question as we’ll finally get a chance to see what the Red Flash will offer in 2025.
GAME OF THE WEEK: New Haven at Mercyhurst
It’s finally here- the first ever NEC game for the New Haven Chargers. While we only learned this spring that the Chargers would be joining Division I, it felt like a foregone conclusion- if anyone was coming up soon, it would be the Chargers. When they announced they’d be joining the NEC, there was little surprise anywhere in the sports world- more of a “it’s about time” feeling. That extended to the athletic department at New Haven, who posited (correctly) that they’d been operating as a Division I program for some time.
But the goodwill only lasts so long, and the first showdown with conference-mate Mercyhurst (albeit, as an officially non-conference game) won’t feel anything like two new best friends.
There’s no point in beating around the bush with the key storyline here. This game, from the outside, is all about Adam Urena vs. A.J. Duffy. The two quarterbacks were the best in the league this past week, with Duffy winning the league’s official offensive player of the week for the Chargers. On Thursday, we felt that Urena had dispelled a key storyline heading into the season- that the Lakers signal caller had put up numbers against poor competition and struggled in Division I. We never bought that for a second, and they don’t buy it in Youngstown anymore, either. He had a new favorite target emerge in Dylan Evans and threw for 311 yards and 2 TDs against the Penguins. Clearly, against a Missouri Valley defense, Urena was just as good as he ever looked.
And then A.J. Duffy took the field the next night, throwing for 377 yards on 31 of 55 passes with 2 TDs of his own. For all of the fingers being pointed at Urena’s competition last season, it’s worth noting that Marist had just one win the year prior when New Haven took them on in their inaugural Division I game. Still, the numbers don’t lie, and the counter-argument here- that Duffy had been without expected key contributor Zaon Laney at RB- only underscores what a performance Duffy had.
Both teams enter this one at 0-1 in what has been described as a likely rainy day out on Lake Erie. However, we could have easily had two 1-0 teams coming into this one with momentum.
Another interesting angle is that both New Haven and Mercyhurst were a few mistakes away from winning their respective games. In particular, the stat line for Mercyhurst in their 15-24 loss to Youngstown State reveals one very important difference between the two teams: turnovers. Mercyhurst lost a 4-0 edge to the Penguins when it came to losing the football. There simply can’t be doubt that the Lakers would have won this game had that margin been reversed- it’s awfully hard to win a game down 4 turnovers- but could the Lakers have won had it been 2-2? With a made field goal… I think it’s almost a certainty.
New Haven was 0-1 on field goals, but two muffed punts might have been the difference. The 31-14 score makes the game seem further out of reach than it was. If those two plays go the other way…
S&P+ has Mercyhurst a 2.2 point favorite on a neutral site. That obviously suggests we’ll have a tight game. It’s unclear at press time if New Haven will get Zaon Laney back in time, but weather permitting, this game should have fireworks and maybe- just maybe- the two best quarterbacks in an NEC that is loaded with good quarterback play.
NEC Football Power Rankings Week 2: Mulligan!
There’s no point in doing power rankings in week 1; that’s just your season predictions. For the NEC, in a lot of ways, there’s not always a ton of value in doing Week 2 power rankings, either.
The membership of our league was not upset, nor did it pull any upsets; everything went pretty much chalk with one exception- S&P+ had New Haven, a school playing their first Division I football game with a new team as a road favorite against Marist. Just pointing that out to be truthful. I think it’s not a huge stretch to say that context matters and whatever metrics go into S&P+ create a strong, fun system. That said, you can’t draw on much of New Haven’s production or performance in prior seasons given both the transition and the team’s lightning-fast rebuilding effort. So we’ll chalk it up as a possible upset, but realistically, I’m not real sure I’d put a ton of stock into that one.
So there’s not too much movement here, but here we go: our power rankings after Week 1.
Duquesne
Duquesne had a tough first game against in-city rival (they call it the City Game, after all) Pitt in front of 53,006 fans. That’s actually more than the Dukes saw whenever they opened up the season against Florida State several years ago, but that makes a lot of sense. Not only were Pitt fans hyped up to see Duquesne, the Dukes faithful didn’t have much of a journey to go on a road trip, either. There was kind of a buzz around the game and in the press box opinion seemed fairly split as to whether or not Duquesne could muddy up the game with their offensive and defensive lines, or if Pitt was just too much for the Dukes to handle.
In the end, it was definitely the latter. The Dukes fell 61-9, but they were very competitive in the first quarter and Pitt certainly got off to a slow start. The offensive line wasn’t able to stay on the field with the Pitt pass rush or run stuffers, but Joey Isabella certainly handled himself well with over 100 yards through the air, Ty Riddell showed some promise with a great deep ball when he had the time to throw, and Jack Dunkley had some big moments from an athleticism standpoint. Point being, we’re not penalizing the Dukes for this one. But we will not tweet for them to be ranked this week.
Central Connecticut State
The Blue Devils had an in-state opponent of their own. While they got on the board first, they weren’t able to keep pace with what is expected to be a very good UConn team. Maybe the most troubling news is that Elijah Howard was on crutches on the sidelines during this game. Rob Gullo at the New Britain Herald tweeted out that it was a calf injury and that he’s been dinged up since camp. We do not speculate on injuries, but certainly hope Elijah is feeling better and is ready to go this week.
Robert Morris
We’re giving Bobby Mo a little bit of a bump northward here as they were able to hang with a West Virginia team for a half (heading into the locker room at 10-3) and the defense that we hoped for out of the Colonials seemed to be present. There’s been a lot of coaching turnover for Robert Morris, but we liked the promotion of Coach Makrinos to defensive coordinator and oftentimes the problem against FBS teams (and especially P4 teams) for FCS teams is depth more than first string talent. That seemed to be the case as the Colonials might have gotten a little gassed later on as the game got out of hand. This is a West Virginia team welcoming back a previous head coach, so we won’t know exactly what they’ve got until later in the season. Still, it was a solid first half performance and enough to get a bump up here.
Mercyhurst
I’m not all-in on the Lake Show after one week, but it would feel pretty criminal not to at least give them a few spots up after playing what was one of the most competitive games for the conference in week 1- in a situation where they were definitely expected to be playing up a few levels. The Lakers hung with the Youngstown State Penguins and showed off new wide receiver Dylan Evans, who caught 7 passes and looked like yet another weapon at receiver for Mercyhurst. Defensively, they hung well with well-regarded offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich’s first outing in Youngstown, although Gino Leone tells us that it may have been a somewhat vanilla gameplan. In any case, the Lakers were probably a handful of miscues away from winning this game. They’ve got a lot of tough road games ahead, but we’ll be in town to see them take on New Haven this Saturday.
Long Island
You just can’t take that much from a game against Florida with 89,000+ fans in The Swamp at night. You just can’t. The negative here for the Sharks from a ranking perspective is that we didn’t really see much to tell us who they are this season yet. Stanzani and Greenwood weren’t able to get much going through the air, and Ingram and Ross pretty much split the tailback carries. Greenwood wasn’t the same weapon on the ground against a top-15 team as he is against more reasonable competition. Deion Richardson had a 28 yard catch, but other than that it was tough going for the Sharks and we’ll have a better chance to truly evaluate them next week against Eastern Michigan. Don’t consider this the Sharks dropping from the preseason so much as getting a better idea of some of the other competition and some more standout performances from them. Teams moved up; the Sharks didn’t really get knocked down.
Wagner
The Seahawks opened up a new and improved stadium for Kansas on a weeknight and the atmosphere and talent from the other side was always going to be a little much to handle. We did get an idea on Wagner’s QB situation (it looks like it’ll be R-Fr Jack Stevens) and a viral interception came of the game from Jayden Brown. What did we say last year- the NEC is the Conference of Insane Interceptions. I’m not really convinced that there’s much to go on from the Seahawks offensively, but this might be an opportunistic team on Grymes Hill as Wagner did win the TO battle at 2-0 against Kansas.
Stonehill
The Skyhawks barely made it to their game (reportedly, they got a flat tire and were almost late) and that might have had an impact offensively. Defensively, they were stout as expected, giving up only one touchdown (they surrendered a field goal and the offense gave up a safety). A 12-7 win is a tough way to lose in week one, but there were bright spots here. Charles Battaglia was as good as hoped for with 9 tackles, and Jack O’Connell was 30-39 through the air. Offensively, they’ll need to turn those completions into yards (212 through the air for O’Connell) and points. It’s not where we hoped Stonehill would start on week one, but it’s a long season.
New Haven
New Haven hung with Marist in their first game in Division I and, much like Mercyhurst, had opportunities to win the game that weren’t able to be capitalized on, especially on special teams. You make your biggest improvement from Week 1 to Week 2, and gametime decision Zaon Laney will hopefully be healthy heading into Mercyhurst this weekend as we’re expecting rainy, grind-it-out weather up on Lake Erie. A.J. Duffy absolutely looks like the real deal, but we’re in a kind of wait-and-see mode on the Chargers until this Saturday when we get a real data point for them against Erie. The Chargers certainly look like they’ve got a playmaker under center, and I do not think next week is at all out of reach for this team.
Saint Francis
Saint Francis headed into Louisiana-Monroe and after a weather delay weren’t able to get off the blocks offensively. Geno Calgaro had an outstanding performance with 12 tackles, and the Red Flash were able to block two extra points. Unfortunately, the longest play for the other side of the ball was 14 yards, and while the Red Flash were able to go into half time at 10-0, Louisiana-Monroe is not traditionally the same level as a West Virginia and so you have to adjust the credit that you give the defense accordingly. Still, just like every season in the portal era, the Red Flash lost plenty and were still able to rebuild their defense. Hopefully, we get a little bit of a better idea of what to expect offensively next week before they open up the NEC season on the road in Hard Hittin’ New Britain.
GAME RECAP: New Haven Loses First D1 Game to Marist, 31-14
The opportunities were certainly there for New Haven, but the ball just couldn’t bounce their way.
There were certainly positives to take away. Once the defense settled in around the second quarter, the Chargers looked competitive. AJ Duffy had a coming out party as the real deal- and, likely, among the top quarterbacks in an NEC that might be defined by strong quarterback play. We thought Adam Urena’s game proved he was the real deal- and it did- but Duffy threw for video game numbers, dishing out 377 yards and 2 TDs to 1 INT.
Next week at Mercyhurst should be a lot of fun. And a lot of points.
But let’s get back to the inaugural 77 Classic.
The Chargers couldn’t get out of a hole dug in the first quarter, when Marist was able to get up two scores to reach 17-7. But a blocked field goal, muffed punt, and a goal line stand by the Red Foxes on 4th and goal at the 1 kept the Chargers from surmounting the two score deficit.
A final special teams gaffe- another muffed punt- led to the final Marist touchdown that ultimately made the game look more lopsided than it actually was.
Had the goal line stand gone the other way, had the field goal gone through the uprights, had the ball been fielded cleanly on punts- it was an “if only” game for the Chargers, who had their opportunities to take their first game as a member of Division I and the Northeast Conference.
Defensively, defensive back Dre Kirton paced New Haven with 10 tackles. New Haven seemed to miss the talents of Zaon Laney, as they were only able to eat up 18 rushing yards on the day. Evan Chieca and Logan Smith caught the two Duffy touchdown passes.
New Haven at Marist: Game Notes
The 77 Classic
The first game in New Haven Division I Football history is the 77 Classic.
Well, that’s the branding, and with rivalries being the lifeblood of college sports… you’d really like to see it develop into something special.
Per the Marist athletics website, the two teams have never actually met previously. But there’s no time like the present. As the name implies, they’re only separated by 77 miles, with Poughkeepsie, NY tapped for the site of the inaugural bash.
The good news is that “inaugural” likely doesn’t mean “only.” Fans who love short road trips should know that there’s a lot of work being put in behind the scenes to make New Haven vs. Marist an annual thing to open up the year. Familiarity breeds rivalry, after all, and these days it’s hard to make familiarity work in non-conference play. Let’s hope this is a rare exception to that problem.
AJ Duffy Named Starting QB
Florida State transfer AJ Duffy has been named the New Haven starting quarterback. He’s a former four star that will have a lot of expectations as New Haven begins its season just from the pedigree that ranking has. The first spot of the season on NEC On the Run didn’t hurt that perception.
Of Duffy, Coach Mark Powell said, “He’s always even keeled, always operating the right way. We’re excited to see what he does.” He’s excited about his dual threat ability and calls him the “commanding officer” of the team. Not bad praise from a coach from a naval family.
Blue Collar in Blue and Gold
The New Haven Chargers had a lot of rebuilding to do prior to this season.
When the news about the transition to Division I hit- and the subsequent need to quickly rebuild a schedule- many of the players from New Haven hit the transfer portal. When Coach Powell took over, he was able to recruit many of those players back (we’ve written about this before), but not all of them. In response, this is a team that had to build significantly through the transfer portal. But heading into week one, there’s some good things that have come from it.
For one thing, the identity of the team is strong. “Just really blue collar toughnes. They go to work every day. The team slogan is FAST- family always stays together- and they’re just a resilient group.”
That’s exciting, but how are all of the new guys gelling? According to Coach Powell, that’s not a concern either. “In pre-season camp, you wouldn’t know we had as many transfers as we had,” he said, noting that the team is close. The Chargers staff is preaching family, and it’s helping what could have been a disparate group be perfectly cohesive.
A Perfect Circle
For Coach Powell, this is a culmination of a lot of hard work, but it’s also a trip that has taken him back to the beginning. “I went to high school across the street from campus,” he told us. Of course, Coach Powell’s grandfather coached at Yale for 32 years. He’s no stranger to New Haven. But how many head coaches get to live the dream of bringing your hometown to Division I?
And as the 77 Classic kicks off the season, he’ll be in the history books forever as the first Head Coach of the program as they make their long-overdue transition to the NEC.
NEC Releases Coaches Poll
The official NEC Coaches Poll just dropped.
I’m always the first to say it- those guys are the experts, not me. But football is fun, and so are friendly disagreements. Let’s compare the coaches poll and our rankings and then dive into four places where our opinions differ.
2025 NEC Preseason Coaches Poll
CCSU (5)
Duquesne (2)
Robert Morris (1)
LIUWagner
Saint Francis U
Mercyhurst
Stonehill
And here’s how we see it:
NEC Blitz Rankings
Duquesne
CCSU
LIU
Stonehill
RMU
Wagner
Saint Francis U
Mercyhurst
Let’s get to the meat of it.
1. Duquesne at #1?
We like the Dukes to be at the top of the conference, while the coaches picked them at second with two first place votes. The Dukes feel that they have five starting offensive linemen are back. That alone should send a message. Jack Dunkley and A.J. Ackerman return up front on defense, and on the back end, DJ Cerisier and Antonio Epps keep things locked. Add in Joey Isabella at wideout and Taj Butts in the backfield? There are questions for the Dukes, but there are a lot more answers than unknowns.
We had a lot of questions about the linebackers heading into practices this summer, but word out of camp is clear: they’ve reloaded at that spot and will be just fine. Duquesne is the most complete team on paper and deserves the top spot.
2. CCSU: Still Dangerous, Still Some Holes
CCSU deserves their place among the league’s elite, and we like them as a close second place, while the coaches have them favored to repeat. Donovan Wadley’s arrival bolsters the receiver corps, and there’s transfer talent across the board, especially in the secondary to replace Kimal Clark. Elijah Howard remains the best offensive player in the league until proven otherwise, and there’s a good stable of backs behind in for depth.
But replacing most of that offensive line and the OL coach? That’s not a small thing. On the defensive front, Jalen Howard and Dan Toatley are gone. Those are huge losses. While there’s a lot of solid talent we’ve heard great things from coming in, the Blue Devils still have to find a way to replace the NEC Defensive Player of the Year, and while Christopher Jean is a good answer, it’s still a big question. Derek Berlitz is a great get from WVU, but CCSU has more to replace than people realize.
3. Stonehill Deserves More Respect
This was the real head-scratcher. Last in the coaches poll? I guess I get it, but if you look past the record there’s some good things here. Stonehill returns a lot of pieces, and that matters in a conference with razor-thin margins. The Skyhawks had a great offseason in the weight room, and they showed fight last year even against the league's top teams. They’ve got a shot to open up at 1-0 against Sacred Heart, and doing that might be enough to give them the confidence to find their way through league play. On one hand, I think I might be a year early on sounding the alarm for the Skyhawks. On the other hand, as a head coach in this league once told me: The NEC is a funny thing.
They might not win the league, but they’re a long way from the bottom.
4. RMU: One Big Mystery
We’re all for bold picks, but a first-place vote for Robert Morris? It’s hard to know what team you’re voting for. Coaching turnover, roster overhaul, and a rebuilt skill position group make this team a big question mark. RMU has experience reloading through the transfer portal and it’s certainly within the realm of possibility that they’ll be in the top tier of the league, with the RMU vs. Duquesne game at Joe Walton determining the fate of the league. It’s possible, but it’s so hard to work out where the standouts for the Colonials are with all of the big losses. Players always step up, but I’m hesitating until I get more information.
They’ll be very strong on defense again with Coach Makrinos becoming the new defensive coordinator, but they’re breaking in new backs, receivers, and a tight end. There's talent in the DB room and at linebacker, but far too many unknowns to justify a top-3 spot.
Bonus: Stop Snubbing Urena
We get it. Picking preseason awards is tough. But once again, the league has opted to not name Adam Urena to the all-NEC team. That’s a mistake that’s going to age badly. You’ve just given one of the NEC’s top returning signal-callers a giant chip on his shoulder. Best of luck with that.
The season can’t get here fast enough.
New Haven is on the Board for 2026 with Garrison Heslop
The New Haven Chargers are officially on the board for 2026, and they didn’t have to look any further than their own back yard to land their first pledge. Garrison “G-Money” Heslop, a 6’2”, 170-pound defensive back from nearby West Haven, CT, has become the first player to commit to New Haven for 2026- the season that the program will officially make its move to the NEC in football. And he knows exactly what that milestone means.
“Knowing that the Chargers are moving to Division 1 and that I’ll be eligible to compete for a conference title as a freshman was a huge factor,” Heslop told NEC Blitz. “I want to be part of a program that’s not only competitive but also making big moves and growing. The opportunity to play D1 football right away, and be part of something special from the beginning, really stood out to me.” Heslop is right about what he’ll be competing for. While the FCS playoff spot is ineligible to transitioning programs- at least, for now- there is no rule against hanging banners as a transitioning team. The Chargers will have every chance to do that in 2026 when they play their first full league slate.
While Heslop’s commitment marks a symbolic first for the new-look Chargers, it also speaks to the trust he’s built with the coaching staff. We asked about relationships that stood out to him, and he pointed out the one he’s built with a coach on the other side of the ball in offensive line coach Adrian Burnori.
“Coach Brunori was a great influence,” Heslop said. “He helped me during the recruiting process and he’s the one that offered me.”
For now, the plan is for Heslop to line up at cornerback, though his versatility could lead to reps at other spots in the secondary.
“Corner is my main position, but I definitely feel that I can bring more to the table and play safety or nickel,” he said. “But for now, CB is what I’m being recruited for.”
New Haven’s jump to Division I play signals a new era for the program, and Heslop’s commitment is a sign they’re already building it with intention. He's not just a key get. He's the first.
NEC Blitz Unveils Our 2025 All-NEC First and Second Teams
PITTSBURGH, PA – NEC Blitz is proud to release our inaugural 2025 Preseason All-NEC Football Teams, showcasing the league’s top players. Featured in the NEC Blitz 2025 magazine, this elite lineup previews the Northeast Conference season, providing a watchlist for fans and analysts. Both magazine cover athletes, Adam Urena and Zaon Laney, are featured on the first team.
2025 Preseason All-NEC Team:
First Team Offense:
QB: Adam Urena (Mercyhurst)
RB: Elijah Howard (CCSU)
RB: Zaon Laney (New Haven)
WR: Joey Isabella (Duquesne)
WR: Donovan Wadley (CCSU)
TE: Noah Canty (Duquesne)
OL: Brian Beidatsch Jr (Duquesne)
OL: Michael Fallah (Duquesne)
OL: Donnie Hardin (LIU)
OL: Isaiah DeLoatch (CCSU)
OL: Brady Anderson (Wagner)
Second Team Offense:
QB: Ethan Greenwood (LIU)
RB: Brian Trobel (Mercyhurst)
RB: Taj Butts (Duquesne)
WR: Teree McDonald (Wagner)
WR: Brigham Dunphy (Stonehill)
WR: Rylan Davison (Mercyhurst)
OL: Cameron McLaurin (Duquesne)
OL: AlecZander McCoy (CCSU)
OL: Mofe Adewole (RMU)
OL: Gary Satterwhite III (Duquesne)
OL: Connor Van Tassell (Saint Francis)
First Team Defense:
DL: A.J. Ackerman (Duquesne)
DL: Jack Dunkley (Duquesne)
DL: DQ Watkins (LIU)
DL: Logan Barnes (Wagner)
LB: Geno Calgaro (Saint Francis)
LB: Charles Battaglia (Stonehill)
LB: Malachi Wright (CCSU)
DB: DJ Cerisier (Duquesne)
DB: Christopher Jean (CCSU)
DB: Antonio Epps (Duquesne)
DB: Mo Seide (Stonehill)
Second Team Defense:
DL: Sharod Watkins (CCSU)
DL: PJ Williams (Stonehill)
DL: Jonas King (Mercyhurst)
DL: Zack Athy (Stonehill)
LB: Rafael Fasolino (LIU)
LB: Jack Stoll (CCSU)
LB: Jordan Nelson (RMU)
DB: Trey McLeer (Saint Francis)
DB: Dylan Merrell (LIU)
DB: Jordan Irvine (Stonehill)
DB: Todd Bowles Jr. (LIU)
First Team Special Teams:
K: Jayson Jenkins (RMU)
P: Will Lynch (LIU)
AP: Ethan Greenwood (LIU)
Selected by NEC Blitz, this team predicts 2025 potential, including New Haven’s FCS transition with Zaon Laney. Full analysis of the schools and players is in the NEC Blitz 2025 magazine, available at NECBlitz.com and Amazon.com.
Follow @NECBlitz on Twitter for season updates and join the NEC conversation.
New Haven Schedule Revealed
The New Haven Chargers have released their updated 2025 football schedule. It came together quickly and there’s a lot to like about it. When we spoke to Athletic Director Devin Crosby, he gave us some ideas about how the schedule could look and probably was able to calm the nerves down of a fanbase that wasn’t sure how many games they’d get in 2025. Not all of those games were able to come through, but the coaches and athletic department were able to get ten games together that keep the Chargers within the region and offer some good home opportunities.
Originally built as a Division II slate, the schedule has since been reshaped as the Chargers begin the reclassification process ahead of their official NEC debut in 2026. While they won’t play a full NEC schedule this fall, they’ll get a taste of league play with three unofficial conference matchups. In total, it’s a 10-game campaign, and definitely a very competitive one, as the opening act for the NEC’s newest member.
Let’s walk through it.
The season opens with a road trip to Marist on August 30. But the first big milestone comes just a week later, when New Haven travels to Mercyhurst on September 6. That game will serve as the Chargers’ first unofficial NEC matchup, even if the conference standings won’t reflect it. We’re excited about the prospect of seeing the Chargers this early in the season against a future conference foe. Mercyhurst will be coming off of a tilt against Youngstown State that’ll kick off the 2025 season for all NEC teams.
From there, the schedule stays challenging. On September 13, the Chargers head to Albany, one of the games that was predicted for us by Crosby when we spoke to him. Then on September 20, they return to “The Blue” for their home opener against Saginaw Valley State, a Division II school located in Michigan.
They’ll follow that with a trip to Pittsburgh to take on Duquesne on September 27—another unofficial NEC contest, and one that could prove a valuable measuring stick. Duquesne has long been one of the conference’s standard-bearers, and this year should be no different. Nevertheless, Mercyhurst played the Dukes well in 2024 and Stonehill entered the NEC and beat the Dukes in their first two seasons in the league. The Dukes will be up for this game- there’s too much recent history for them not to be on their toes- but it still could prove to be an intriguing matchup.
October offers a solid mix of regional flavor and home dates. New Haven hosts Pace on October 4, then Western Connecticut State on October 11. Western Connecticut is D3, which should provide a solid opportunity for New Haven to get a win. Notably absent on the calendar this season is Southern Connecticut State. The in-state rivals couldn’t come to terms for 2025, and it looks like the 16 game win streak enjoyed by the Chargers is safe through this calendar year.
The Chargers wrap up unofficial NEC play on October 25 at LIU, then visit Sacred Heart on November 1 for an in-state matchup. They’ll close the season at home on November 8 against Merrimack, which was another game that Crosby gave us a heads-up about.
Four home games is a pretty solid showing for a scheduling process that we know only took weeks to put together. They were able to secure three unofficial NEC tilts, all on the road.
There’s still uncertainty around the roster. Several players hit the portal amid the realignment chaos, but with the path forward now clear, some could return. Others have already committed elsewhere, including to FBS programs.
But the pieces are coming together, and with the three NEC games on the calendar, we won’t have to wait long at all to see how the Chargers could fare as they step up to the big leagues.
New Haven Scheduling Update
NEC Blitz spoke with New Haven AD Devin Crosby yesterday about everything happening in New Haven’s transition to Division I. As you’d anticipate, the topic of scheduling came up as New Haven will be rebuilding their slate from scratch.
We can confirm that they are losing the NE10 schedule and Slippery Rock, their non-conference opener.
To replace them, New Haven will be adding Grand Valley State, Albany, Merrimack, and Stonehill. Conversations continue with an in-state opponent for a Thursday night game and with an Ivy League school, alongside continuing to speak with other schools on the west coast and in the south. It does appear New Haven should have no issues compiling a schedule despite the short time frame they’ll have to do it.
Mr. Crosby additionally shared that Michigan, UConn, and Penn State are all in the works to appear on their basketball schedule, so stay tuned for more information as New Haven transitions to Division I.
Update 3:42 pm: Stonehill will not appear on New Haven’s schedule. We anticipate this was an error.
New Haven Parts Ways With Head Coach Chris Pincince
After more than a decade at the helm, New Haven has officially moved on from head coach Chris Pincince, ending a tenure marked by consistent success, five playoff appearances, and two straight NE10 titles. The timing and reasoning behind the decision remain unclear at this time, but the move represents a significant turning point for what was one of the Northeast’s most stable Division II programs, now transitioning to Division I and the Northeast Conference.
Pincince took over in New Haven in 2014 and quickly returned the Chargers to prominence, posting six or more wins in every full season since. His teams were perennial playoff contenders, culminating in dominant NE10 runs from 2021 through 2024. Under his leadership, the Chargers notched three straight conference titles and maintained a reputation for some of the best football in the Northeast.
While postseason exits have recently been in the first round, New Haven was a fixture in the national picture—going 8–3 in each of the last three seasons and routinely finishing atop the NE10 standings. In 2021, they posted a perfect 8–0 conference record, 10-2 overall, only to fall in the second round of the NCAA playoffs. That year also marked their highest national finish under Pincince at #14.
The Chargers’ consistent success made them a recruiting destination in the region, and Pincince oversaw not just wins, but a culture of development that prepared players for the next level. They sent a player to the Cleveland Browns this offseason and routinely developed overlooked players or transfers into excellent players. While it’s true that scheduling uncertainties had caused players at New Haven to enter the transfer portal, there have been only positive messages regarding Pincince and his staff in transfer announcements.
There’s no word yet on a successor or on what Pincince plans to do next—but whoever takes over in New Haven inherits a program with lots of recent success, and transitioning to the next level. They’ll have the opportunity to put their own stamp on a program entering a new era.
We wish Coach the best of luck as he continues his career.
Update 7:37 PM: Per New Haven’s official release, they will initiate a coaching search at the conclusion of this season. The interim head coach will be defensive coordinator Mark Powell.
This is a developing story that will be updated as further details emerge.
“Scheduling Uncertainties”: Explaining New Haven’s Transfer Portal Buzzword
Change is here for New Haven—and it's happening fast.
As the Chargers prepare to join the NEC, their longtime home in the NE10 for football appears to be in the rearview. The initial release from the school and the NEC described a longer timeframe for the transition to football. That all makes sense- schedules were already completed and announced for both the league and New Haven, and getting games together would pose a serious challenge for the Chargers.
Despite that release, however, sources indicate that they’re expected to be removed from NE10 competition and schedules this fall in football. That includes their long-standing rivalry game against Southern Connecticut State, a series they’ve owned with 16 straight wins. After winning back-to-back conference titles, the program has long since overcome the challenge of winning games. Accordingly, New Haven is now facing a very different challenge: actually finding games to win.
There’s been a noticeable uptick in New Haven players entering the transfer portal, with many of those players citing scheduling uncertainty. With the confirmation that the Chargers aren’t expected to compete against their NE10 foes, that reasoning tracks. Without NE10 matchups and the possibility that D2 opponent Slippery Rock might be rethinking their games against the transitioning Chargers, New Haven’s 2025 slate might be wide open. If you’re a player, you want to compete. If you see a future for yourself in football, you want to get yourself on film, and you can’t do that without games. This is the rare moment where transferring has nothing to do with the school, program, or roster- those are all looking just fine for many of the players. It’s about having games, and in today’s college football landscape, sometimes there’s just not enough spots out there for student athletes to wait. That’s the grim reality.
I should note here that I do expect New Haven to find games to play, just as Mercyhurst did last year. At the same time, I completely understand feeling as though you can’t wait to see what’ll happen with new roster size limits in effect.
In any case, there’s no point in dwelling on what you can’t control. So for the Chargers, what now?
New Haven will likely need to turn toward FCS programs in need of additional games. LIU, Saint Francis, Duquesne, and former NEC member Merrimack all currently have 11-game schedules, leaving some potential openings. There may also be room with other programs—schools looking to round out a home-heavy calendar or plug a late dropout. Mercyhurst added schools like Buffalo State to their slate last season to fill out their schedule. But opportunities are limited this late in the cycle, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see New Haven play a heavy road slate, much like Mercyhurst did last season in their similar transition phase.
It’s an uncertain stretch, but not an insurmountable one. The path forward is clear: secure games, keep developing the roster, and prepare to make an impact in the NEC.
Despite the transfer portal entries, New Haven has an established record of success and a coaching staff that knows how to build a roster. Give the athletic department time to see what they can put together. Transition years are never easy- that’s why we give them their own label.
Get to Know the 2024 New Haven Chargers
With New Haven set to join the NEC, it’s worth reviewing how the Chargers fared in 2024 to gauge how they might stack up in 2025. Although they won’t begin official NEC football play this fall, we’ll be tracking them closely. If they’re not permitted to maintain an NE10 schedule, expect them to fill open dates by facing several NEC opponents.
In 2024, New Haven captured its second straight Northeast-10 championship—a result that surprised no one. The Chargers were picked to finish first in the preseason poll, and with their loaded backfield, they lived up to the billing.
Anyone questioning whether it’s time for New Haven to move up only needs to look at their dominance over crosstown rival Southern Connecticut State. The Chargers have now won 16 straight in that series, including a shutout win in 2024. Against the rest of the NE10, they posted a 7-1 record and finished 8-3 overall, with two of those losses coming at the hands of Slippery Rock—one in the regular season, the other in the Division II playoffs.
Christopher Ais led the ground attack, racking up 1,045 rushing yards over 11 games, including a standout 238-yard performance against Bentley in a shootout. He wasn’t the only Ais making noise for New Haven. Christian Ais, his twin, was a standout safety with 5 pass breakups on the year who has signed with Cleveland for their rookie minicamp. Both Christian and Christopher are moving on, but Christopher isn’t leaving the backfield cabinet empty.
Zaon Laney, the Chargers' “other” back, tallied 186 yards in that same Bentley game and finished the season with 757 yards and five touchdowns. Laney enters 2025 as one of the top returning running backs among NEC programs.
The lone conference loss came at Assumption, in a 19-14 game where the offense never quite found its rhythm. Still, the defense turned in a strong performance—highlighted by holding the opposing quarterback to just 81 passing yards.
New Haven’s season ended with a narrow 14-7 playoff loss at D2 power Slippery Rock, closing out another championship campaign for New Haven.
The line between top-tier Division II and FCS football is thinner than many realize. Depth and small margins separate the two levels. New Haven appears poised to compete right away. Their roster has traditionally drawn from in-state and regional talent, but with the NEC transition, they’ll have at least one season to adjust and upgrade—if needed—before entering full conference play.
New Haven to Join the NEC
There’s a logo at the bottom of this page that we’ve never used before, but we’re thrilled to be able to use it.
At NEC Blitz, we couldn’t be more excited to welcome the University of New Haven to the Northeast Conference. This is a football program that’s proven it can win at the D2 level. Now, they’ll be transitioning to the big leagues, but the Chargers have certainly shown the potential to make waves up here.
New Haven arrives fresh off an 8-3 season and a Northeast-10 championship. This isn’t anything too new for the Chargers. They’ve won six conference titles since 2009 and have been competitive in the D2 playoffs, including a near upset over powerhouse Slippery Rock last season. They’re also well-equipped from a branding perspective. We’re very familiar and excited to cover the distinctive blue field at DellaCamera Stadium. It’s where some of the best football in the Northeast has been played- and now, will continue to be played. We fully expect New Haven to continue its tradition of success and challenge for titles.
There’s also plenty of intrigue on the horizon. An in-state rivalry with Central Connecticut State is all but inevitable, and it’s one we’re already circling on the calendar. Connecticut fans have every reason to get hyped—this matchup has the potential to become a staple of the regional college football scene. With high school football on the rise in Connecticut, this is one that local fans are going to pay attention to, and bragging rights will carry lots of cache on the recruiting trail.
Frankly, this move is a win for everyone involved. The NEC gains a member that aligns with its academic and athletic priorities, and the Chargers join a conference that knows how to elevate rising programs. We think they’ll be able to be competitive quickly in their new home.
From our vantage point, New Haven is ready for this moment. We can’t wait to see what they do with it.