Like wine, football gets better with age. That’s why week 9 of Division III college football in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) was even more jam-packed with action than week 8. There was an upset and almost another huge upset this week so let’s roll the tape.
Christopher Newport Escapes Date with Montclair State
Al Pacino’s line from the movie “Any Given Sunday” goes “on any given Sunday, you’re gonna win or you’re gonna lose. The point is, can you win or lose like a man?” Despite coming into Saturday’s tilt with No. 14 Christopher Newport (8-0) with a 3-4 record, the Montclair State Red Hawks led by head coach Mike Palazzo lost like men, scoring 42 points against a defense that has surrendered only 18.1 points per game in NJAC play this season.
The visitors led 35-28 in the third quarter, but CNU stormed back with 21 unanswered points to take a 49-35 lead. Montclair State found paydirt once more in the fourth quarter thanks to a Diante Wilson rushing touchdown but were unable to overcome the deficit and lost 49-42 on the road in Virginia.
The difference in the game was when the game was tied at 35 late in the third quarter, MSU QB Luke Henrich threw an interception on each of his next three drives including one that was returned 50 yards for a touchdown by CNU defensive back Eddie Henderson. While Henrich threw for 100 more yards than CNU QB Connor Barry, the latter was far more efficient and effective, completing 15-of-19 passes and throwing four touchdown passes to Henrich’s one. On the bright side for Montclair State, the two-headed running game of junior RBs, Diante Wilson and Chris Arnold combined for 156 yards and four touchdowns.
Things are looking up for Montclair State who scored over 40 points for the second straight game. Palazzo’s men will return home to Sprague field where they will host TCNJ (6-2) next Saturday, while the Captains will host No. 4 Salisbury (8-0) in what will be a battle of the NJAC’s only remaining undefeated teams.
Cougars edge Castleton in Old School Grinder
On November 1, the Kean University Cougars Football team (2-6) edged Vermont State Castleton (2-6) 14-9. This was an old-school, low-scoring football game and neither team scored until seconds before halftime when Castleton QB Jhai Vellon completed a 12-yard touchdown pass to Braden Lankarge. Then, three minutes inside the third quarter, Castleton’s stalwart linebacker Deacon Schneider earned his team a safety, giving the visitors a 9-0 lead.
But Kean stormed back with 14 unanswered points. That would be all Kean would need as their defense would limit Castleton to just 192 yards of total offense and hold on for the 14-9 win.
Kean QB Rocco Pellegrini may have rushed for the only two touchdowns his team would score on the afternoon but he wouldn’t have been in that position if not for the work of his running backs. Aly Marzouk and Derrick Hammond rushed for 79 and 78 yards (a game-high), respectively and that put the Cougars in position to make those two scores.
Kean will travel to Wayne to face William Paterson (2-6) next weekend and Castleton will head on down to Glassboro to face Rowan (5-2-1).
Salisbury Stay Undefeated with Dominant Win over Willy P
On their Senior Day, the No. 5 Salisbury University Sea Gulls Football team defeated the William Paterson Pioneers 51-7 at Sea Gull Stadium.
Just 11 seconds into the game, Salisbury’s Isaiah Hill returned the kickoff 70 yards for paydirt. Jadyn Thomas rushed for a touchdown four minutes later and the Sea Gulls never looked back. Salisbury would rattle off 51 unanswered points before William Paterson’s backup quarterback Christiano Pittman completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Hassan Moore to save face for the visitors.
Let’s take you inside the numbers on this game. The hosts amassed 543 yards of total offense and ran for 348 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, the visitors only produced 203 yards of total offense. The top performers for this game were Salisbury’s Jadyn Thomas who had only two carries but made both of them rushing scores and Abdul Ouattara who had five tackles, one for a loss and one sack.
Salisbury continued its dominant form to start the season by tallying over 50 points in a game for the fifth time this season. William Paterson lost its fourth straight game after going on a two-game winning streak from September 27 to October 4.
TCNJ Battle Back, Fall Short against Rowan
In the game of the week, the TCNJ Lions football team hosted a Rowan profs football team Saturday whose only two losses came against the two remaining undefeated teams in the conference: CNU and Salisbury. The Lions put up a valiant fight but went down swinging 44-30 in Ewing.
The Profs started with the ball and put together a 70-yard touchdown drive that ended with a Nunes Bukula IV run into the endzone in just five plays. However, the Lions stormed back with a rushing touchdown from senior Joe Visaggio closing the first quarter strong and tying the game at 7-7.
Right before halftime, the Profs executed a lateral play where QB Nate Maiers threw a pass to Michael Zarfati. Zarfati then lateraled the ball to Luke Hoke who ran the ball in past a surprised Lions defense to make it 24-7 Rowan. When the second half commenced, the Lions clawed back with a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Albert D’Alessandro III.
In the second and third quarters it was all Rowan, as the Profs jumped out to a 38-14 lead, but the Lions responded with 16 unanswered points. First on the backs of another Visaggio rushing score followed by a two-point conversion and then with a trick play of their own. It started with a defensive stop, when TCNJ end Jameson Sessa sacked Maiers and forced Rowan to punt. On the ensuing TCNJ drive, it got to 4th-and-11 down, and with TCNJ staring down a double-digit defeat, QB Dean Licari completed a pass to junior WR Alex Dille. On the same play, Dille then handed the ball off to Erik Gary who ran the ball into the endzone. That was followed by another successful two-point try and Rowan’s lead had been cut to eight.
Sadly for all those rooting for the comeback, TCNJ couldn’t get a stop on the ensuing Rowan drive and the Profs put together a nine-play, 71-yard drive that ended with a rushing touchdown with less than two minutes remaining which sealed a 44-30 victory.
Despite playing poorly in the second and third quarters, TCNJ had 504 yards of total offense to Rowan’s 217 and took two penalties while Rowan took eight. As for the top performers, Bukula IV had a game high three total touchdowns (two rushing and one receiving) while Visaggio rushed for two touchdowns as well, bringing his season total to a team high nine. Maiers threw for 238 yards and two passing touchdowns but did have the one interception that was picked off by Justin Kurc, who finished with a game-high 10 tackles, as well.
With the win, Rowan improves to a 3-2 conference record while TCNJ fall to a 3-2 conference record.
Standout Performances
DEFENSE
ROWAN- Giaini Derameaux: nine tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery
TCNJ- Justin Kurc: 10 tackles, one interception
TCNJ- Jameson Sessa: seven tackles, three for a loss, two sacks
OFFENSE
QB- CNU- Connor Barry: 15/19, 209 yards, 34 rushing yards, four touchdowns, one interception
RB- MSU- Diante Wilson: 16 carries, 86 yards, two touchdowns
WR- SAL- Micah Brubaker: two receptions, 68 yards, one touchdown (long 55 yards)
Looking Ahead to Week 10
Week 9’s game of the week did not disappoint as the TCNJ Lions fought back but came up short against the Rowan Profs, who look strong heading into a week 10 tilt against Castleton. The game to watch for Week 10 will undoubtedly be No. 13 Christopher Newport hosting No. 7 Salisbury. Its a battle of two gaudy offenses, stout defenses and the only two teams who are still undefeated in the NJAC. Circle the date, November 8, 2025 in Newport News, Virginia. Meanwhile, a potential upset on the horizon will be Montclair State hosting TCNJ at Sprague Field in Montclair, New Jersey. The Red Hawks have scored 40 points in two straight contests while TCNJ gave up 44 points in their most recent game, so that’s another matchup to keep an eye on.
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