UTICA, NY - Two years ago, Utica football engineered a historic season, debuting in the NCAA Division III Tournament and reaching the 2nd round. Last season, the Pioneers had another stellar season, picking up a bowl win against Hobart to end another successful campaign. In 2024, the Pioneers are out to prove that their recent dominance is only the beginning. With lots of talent and momentum returning from this past season, paired with lots of opportunities for signature wins on the 2024 slate, Utica football is primed for another historic run. Here's what you need to know before the 2024 season gets underway on Friday.
 
Thruway Throwdown: The Pioneer's season-long gauntlet begins this Friday, September 6th under the lights at Gaetano Stadium vs Union College at 7:00 PM. Union presents an exciting opening challenge for Utica. The Garnet Chargers received 59 votes in D3football.com preseason top-25 poll after a 2023 season that saw them reach the 10 win mark, advancing to the 2nd round of the NCAA Division III Tournament before falling to Johns Hopkins. The Garnet Chargers, much like Utica, are looking to cement themselves as a premier Division III football program in the state of New York and will bring a lot of momentum with them when they travel down the Thruway to Gaetano Stadium on Friday. Friday's game will be Utica's first on the brand new artificial turf surface at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium. The new surface, now named ABM Field at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium, represents the third artificial turf installation on that site. It replaces a turf field that had been in service since Fall 2011. The first Pioneer football home game on the previous field was also a night game, and the opponent for that evening was also Union. The Pioneers won 28-27.This showdown will also be the Mastrovito Hyundai Believe Bowl and will have lots of extra festivities occurring before and during the game which you can find further below. 
 
How to Watch: Follow along live with this Friday's action by visiting the "Watch" tab on our athletics website, or by following the link below to the all-new Empire 8 Network page; the new home of all Utica Pioneers athletics streams! You can also download the Empire 8 network app on your mobile device to follow along on the go!
Visit the newly opened Empire 8 Network here: https://www.empire8network.com/utica/
 
Live Statistics: Get live statistics updates for every Football matchup by following the link below to our new live stats page, or by selecting the "live stats" tab under each matchup on our 2024 football schedule page.
Follow along with Live Statistics here: https://uticapioneers.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
 
Stacking up Success: Pioneer football had an excellent 2023 campaign, achieving a record of 9-2 and picking up wins against tough opponents including Rochester, Morrisville, and St. John Fisher. Their only road bumps came against Brockport and 2023 National Champion Cortland, two teams that the Pioneers will absolutely have circled on their 2024 schedule. The 2023 season culminated in an ECAC Clayton Chapman Bowl victory over Hobart by a score of 10-6. The squad also placed 13 players on All-Conference teams with many other players receiving numerous weekly Empire 8 accolades. 6 of those 13 players will be back in orange this season, more on those impactful returners below.
 
At the Helm: Blaise Faggiano enters his 17th season as the Head Coach of the Pioneers. Over his 16 previous seasons, Faggiano has led Utica to 85 wins which include the 2018 ECAC Scotty Whitelaw Bowl victory, 2023 ECAC Clayton Chapman Bowl victory, and a 2022 NCAA Tournament First Round win. He has coached 90 All-Conference honorees, six Empire 8 Players of the Year, two Empire 8 Rookies of the Year, and six All-Americans. Throughout his time at Utica, his coaching tree has grown to a substantial size. You can view some of the connections by visiting the "Faggiano Coaching Tree" tab on the football website or also by following the link below.
Faggiano Coaching Tree: https://uticapioneers.com/documents/2024/7/9/Coaching_Tree__1_.pdf
 
Key Coaching Moves: Pioneer fans will see some familiar faces in new roles on the sidelines this season. Michael Kreuter takes over as the tight ends coach after serving as an assistant offensive line coach this past season. Joey Lipani will also serve in a new role, taking over as the safeties coordinator as well as the special teams coordinator for this upcoming season. Braeden Zenelovic is back as well and will oversee recruiting operations as the recruiting coordinator as well as the strength and conditioning coordinator. 
 
Non-Conference Challengers: The Pioneers will face a couple familiar foes in addition to the aforementioned Union Garnet Chargers to complete their non-conference slate. Utica will travel to Moravian in week 2 for a matchup with the greyhounds on September 14th, before welcoming Lycoming to Gaetano the following weekend for a bout against the Warriors on September 21st. Utica defeated both Moravian and Lycoming in back-to-back weeks last year by scores of 35-20 and 38-35 respectively. The Pioneers last played Union in 2022, defeating them by a score of 31-24. 
 
Non-Conference Schedule:
 
Friday, September 6th - Utica vs Union | 7:00 PM - Mastrovito Hyundai Believe Bowl
 
Saturday, September 14th - Utica @ Moravian | 1:00 PM
 
Saturday, September 21st- Utica vs Lycoming | 12:00 PM - First Source Federal Credit Union Teacher Appreciation Game/Coach to Cure MD Game
 
Empire 8 Action: Conference play will kick off on October 5th, when the Pioneers travel south to Hartwick. On October 12th, Utica will welcome the 2023 National Champions, Cortland, for a long-anticipated matchup on Mohawk Valley Challengers Day. After that, the team travels to Morrisville on October 19th before returning home for their final two home games of the regular season. On October 26th, Alfred University visits the Gaet' for the GKG Sullivan Contracting Strategic Breast Cancer Awareness Game. That game will also take place on Homecoming weekend. The Pioneer's final home game will be against Brockport on November 2nd in the GPO Federal Credit Union Veterans Day Game. The Pioneer seniors will also be honored on November 2nd. Utica will hit the road for the final 2 games of the regular season on November 9th and November 16th against Hilbert and St. John Fisher respectively. 
 
Empire 8 Schedule:
 
Saturday, October 5th - Utica @ Hartwick | 1:00 PM
 
Saturday, October 12th - Utica vs Cortland | 1:00 PM - Mohawk Valley Challengers Day
 
Saturday, October 19th - Utica @ Morrisville | 12:00 PM 
 
Saturday, October 26th - Utica vs Alfred University | 1:00 PM - GKG Sullivan Contracting Strategic Breast Cancer Awareness Game / Homecoming
 
Saturday, November 2nd - Utica vs Brockport | 12:00 PM - GPO Federal Credit Union Veterans Day Game / Senior Day
 
Saturday, November 9th - Utica @ Hilbert | 2:00 PM
 
Saturday, November 16th - Utica @ St. John Fisher | 1:00 PM
 
Oh Captain…: The Pioneers will have 5 captains leading the charge this season, here is some info about each of them. Matt Brantley (Rochester, NY/Eastridge) is back in the backfield after receiving a 3rd team all-conference nod in 2023. The experienced running back has also been given some recognition to begin the 2024 season, with Empire-8 naming him one of their "players to watch" in the upcoming year. Darius Johnson (Webster, NY/Webster) will be a captain this season, with the graduate student headlining an awesome lineup of graduate talent that the Pioneers will take advantage of. Norman Booth (Schenectady, NY/Schenectady) will join Johnson both as a signal caller on defense, as well as in the captain's line. James Lanier (Syracuse, NY/Corcoran) brings experience to the captain's huddle, with the 5th-year defensive linemen returning as a captain. Lanier is just a year removed from a spectacular 2023 effort that saw him record 36 total tackles in 10 games. He also earned an Empire 8 Special Teams Player of the Week in 2023 to boot. Rounding out the Pioneer captains is the head man for the Utica offensive line this year, Cameron Lizardi (West Babylon, NY/West Babylon). Lizardi, Lanier, Booth, Johnson, and Brantley will have the task of guiding the Pioneers to glory in 2024.
 
Under Center: Brett Fuller (Port Jervis, NY/Port Jervis) returns at quarterback for the Pioneers after a sophomore campaign that saw him accrue 1,777 yards passing along with 10 touchdowns. The now-junior will look to make a big upperclassmen jump and improve upon his already solid 65.72 completion percentage. With a solid ground game and offensive line to aid in his efforts, Fuller will provide a steady air attack and round out a balanced Pioneer offense. Joining Fuller in the QB room this year are Matthew Pallouras (Rochelle Park, NJ/Hackensack), Naz Smith (Newark, NJ/Malcolm X Shabazz), and Nick Amandola (East Northport, NY/Commack).
 
XYZ: Fuller and the other signal callers will have a solid group of wideouts to work with during the 2024 season. Peyton Ausfeld (Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam) returns after a stellar outing in 2023 that saw him catch 44 passes for 433 yards and 2 scores. Ausfeld, a graduate student, brings a level of experience and know-how that will be evident from the opening kickoff of Friday's opener. The Healthcare Administration major received all-conference honors last season, being named to the 2nd team as both a wide receiver and return specialist. Joining Ausfeld on the wings is another impact player from 2023 in Antonio Cianfarani (Scotia, NY/Scotia Glenville). Cianfarani ended last season as the second-leading receiver for Utica, compiling 322 yards on 27 receptions while scoring 3 touchdowns. Ausfeld and Cianfarani will also work with fellow Pioneer mainstays Logan Kraft (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford), and Tyshawn Taylor (Syracuse, NY/Institute of Technology), along with tight end Tyler Kolenda (Harwinton, CT/Lewis S. Mills). 
 
By Land: Matt Brantley (Rochester, NY/Eastridge) will capture a majority of the Pioneer carries in 2024, fresh off of receiving a 3rd team all-conference selection at running back. A season ago, Brantley rushed for 672 yards and 2 touchdowns, while gaining an average of 5.1 yards per carry. Should Brantley keep up that yards per carry average, the Pioneers will be in excellent shape on offense. Sharing the backfield with Brantley will be Utica returners James Salles (West Babylon, NY/West Babylon) and Jimmy Polito (Hull, MA/Hull). Salles gained 350 yards last season on the ground, scoring 2 touchdowns and achieving a yards per carry average of 4.2, while Polito gained 154 yards on a 5.9 yards per carry average. 
 
Gadget Magic: Sam Florio (Port Jefferson, NY/Port Jefferson) is back in orange following his eventful 2023 season that saw him take up many offensive roles for the Pioneers. The jack of all trades took home a 2nd team all-purpose award from the Empire 8 this past season, and showcased many skills by widening the Utica playbook thanks to his adaptable playstyle. Florio, who is listed as a quarterback, was the Pioneers' third-leading rusher this past season, gaining 209 yards and breaking the plane very often to the tune of 9 touchdowns, far and away the most scores on the Pioneer offense excluding quarterback passing. 
 
In the Trenches: The Pioneers saw a lot of wear and tear hit the offensive line last season, but will look for a more consistent wall in 2024. They've already taken some productive steps to ensure this, namely selecting Cameron Lizardi (West Babylon, NY/West Babylon) as one of their 5 captains. Lizardi was a workhorse last season, appearing in 9 games for Utica. On the defensive line, the Pioneers had their most shocking development of the off-season, with 2023 all-American and all-region player John Stroughn (Baldwin, NY/Holy Trinity) making the decision to return for another season. Stroughn was a monster in 2023, recording 62 total tackles to go along with 2 forced fumbles and 8 sacks. Stroughn will certainly be a problem this year and is 7 sacks away from overtaking Utica great Nick Woodman at the top of the career sacks leaderboards in the Pioneer record books. Stroughn has 23 career sacks, while Woodman totaled 29.5 over the course of his illustrious career.
 
Defensive Generals: The Pioneers will boast a wealth of experience at the linebacker position, headlined by Doug Simmons (White Plains, NY/Archbishop Stepinac) and a pair of captains in Darius Johnson (Webster, NY/Webster) and Norman Booth (Schenectady, NY/Schenectady). Simmons had a solid year this past season, logging 43 total tackles, with 8 of those tackles going as sacks. Simmons also recorded an interception in 2023 and received 3rd team all-Empire 8 honors as a defensive lineman. 
 
Got Your Back: Eli Douglas (Ausable Forks, NY/Ausable Valley) is back to terrorize opposing quarterbacks, with the junior defensive back coming back to the Pioneers after getting 66 tackles, 4 sacks, 6 pass breakups, and 2 interceptions in 2023. 
 
Special Squads: Experienced Pioneer punter Freddie Callo (Milton, NY/Marlboro Central) returns after being named a 2nd team all-conference punter in 2023. The Business major with a boot held an average of 37.8 yards per punt this past season, landing 16 punts inside the 20. Other Utica boots include Devin Taylor (New Port Richey, FL/Wendell Krinn Technical) and Gavin Fisher (Tioga, NY/Tioga Central). On the returning front - Peyton Ausfeld (Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam) will look to earn another Empire-8 all-conference nod as a return specialist after recording 208 returning yards in 2023. 
 
Who Are The Garnet Chargers?: Union returns some heavy hitters from last year's team, especially in the rushing game where the Garnet Chargers' dynamic duo of Michael Fiore and Jonathan Anderson are both back for another run. Due in large part to the contributions of Fiore and Anderson, Union is exceptionally well-versed in the art of smashmouth football, out-gaining opponents on the ground by nearly 200 yards per game. Union finished 2023 with 3,040 rushing yards and allowed 1,125 total rushing yards against their opponents. Despite Union's supreme control of the ground game last season, Matt Brantley (Rochester, NY/Eastridge) and a polished Pioneer offensive line will be up for the challenge. It will be a war for ground supremacy come Friday. 
 
Other Points of Emphasis: The Pioneers will need to break through on 3rd down this Friday. Union allowed only 25% of all 3rd down conversions to be converted last season, while Utica converted 3rd downs at a rate of 36%. Brantley, Fuller, and the rest of the Pioneer offense will look to get solid gains consistently on 1st and 2nd down in order to make their job on 3rd down easier. This same scenario will apply to the redzone, where Union only allowed 19 scores on 64 total red zone attempts by opponents last season. The Pioneers will need to make the most of their redzone opportunities. 
 
Gameday Festivities: Friday's home-opener will be an Orange-out in addition to it being the 2024 Mastrovito Hyundai Believe Bowl. There will also be lots of other events happening around Gaetano Stadium, with a 50-50 raffle, jersey sale, Yankee ticket raffle, and PINZ extra point & field goal promotion on the list of festivities for Friday.
 
Honorary Captains for Friday: 
 
Ehser Kanyaw - Utica Fire Department.
 
Ehser was hired on April 2nd, 2018. He became a paramedic on July 22nd, 2019. He was honored as the Utica Post 229 Firefighter of the Year in 2019 and 2022 for his heroic efforts, work ethics, and always going above and beyond. His true heroism shines bright in his fight against cancer. Ehser continues to perform his job with the Utica Fire Department while courageously battling his liver cancer diagnosis.
 
Colin Isom - Sylvan Beach Fire Department
 
Colin has been in a battle over the past six months, visiting health care facilities across the northeast. Colin has been limited in his duties not only at Sylvan Beach, but also in his other position at the Norwich Fire Department. Currently, Colin is being treated for Ataxia, a neurological disorder that affects his speech, writing, and walking. In the face of this challenging disorder, Colin has continued to be a beacon of hope and strength. 
 
Come support your Pioneer football team this weekend! Make sure to wear ORANGE!!!