TROY, NY - Triumph in Troy!
Pioneer Football improved to 2-0 on Saturday afternoon, traveling to ECAV Stadium and earning a convincing 38-14 victory over a strong RPI side. The Pioneers used a dominant passing attack, timely defensive takeaways, and a shutout second-half defensive effort to pull away from the Engineers. To cap it all off, head coach
Blaise Faggiano secured his 100th career win as head honcho of the Pioneers.
The Pioneers opened the scoring with 9:05 remaining in the first quarter, as
Nico Duarte (Kearny, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) connected on a 23-yard field goal to give Utica an early 3-0 lead. RPI answered with a five-yard touchdown run from Kayden White, but the Pioneer offense responded immediately as
Tyler Szalkowski (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute) found
Tyshawn Taylor (Syracuse, NY/Syracuse Institute of Technology) for a 69-yard touchdown strike with 3:14 left in the opening quarter.
Gabriel Zawolo (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit) added a four-yard touchdown reception early in the second quarter, and Duarte later connected on another 23-yard field goal to send Utica into halftime with a 20-14 advantage.
The Pioneers took control in the second half, scoring 18 unanswered points.
Eze Frazier (Garnerville, NY/North Rockland) punched in a one-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, with
Logan Frederick (Little Falls, NY/Little Falls) converting the two-point try on a pass from Szalkowski. Duarte added a 27-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter before Frazier scored again from six yards out to cap the scoring and secure the 38-14 victory.
A big key in the crucial win was the turnover battle. The Pioneers managed to score 38 points without suffering a single giveaway, while the orange and blue secondary picked off the Engineers on three occasions and also scooped up a fumble to give the team a +4 margin. Turnovers turned the close matchup into a lopsided affair during the second half, with the Pioneers' potent passing game proving to be too much for the Engineers.
Saturday Spotlight: Before even speaking about the stars of the matchup, it has to be mentioned that this was the 100th career head coaching win for
Blaise Faggiano, who will remain the longest-tenured college head coach in New York State for the foreseeable future. Coach Faggiano has posted a 100-82 all-time record with the Pioneers and has had the program surging in the past decade, recording five ECAC Bowl appearances, two ECAC Bowl victories, and the team's magical 2022 run to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. His defensive game plan helped hold the Engineer offense to 0 points in the second half, cementing #100.
On the field, the Pioneer passing game was outstanding from start to finish, led by the dynamic connection between
Tyler Szalkowski (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute),
Tyshawn Taylor (Syracuse, NY/Syracuse Institute of Technology), and
Gabriel Zawolo (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit). Szalkowski had an extremely efficient afternoon as he completed 29-of-38 passes for 402 yards and two touchdowns.
However, it was Taylor and Zawolo who were the main focus of Szalkowski's attention, with each receiver torching the RPI secondary and falling just short of single-game program records.
Taylor was the game's leading receiver, and potentially the leading receiver in all of Division III on Saturday afternoon, hauling in eight passes for a career-best 244 yards and one touchdown. His 69-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter provided an early spark and helped Utica regain the lead after RPI's opening touchdown. Taylor's 244 receiving yards ranked second all-time in single-game program history, coming up just a few yards short of Anthony Acevedo's 252-yard outing in 2013. Taylor was massive in the deep game, tallying 30.5 yards per reception in the contest.
Zawolo was equally effective, catching 13 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. His 13 receptions established a strong rhythm for the Pioneer offense, aiding the team in converting numerous third-down opportunities. His four-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter also helped Utica build its halftime advantage. Zawolo also fell just one reception short of tying the single-game receptions program record, which is still held by Jerred Beniquez in 2016.
Together, Taylor and Zawolo combined for a mind-boggling 21 receptions, 348 yards, and two touchdowns.
The Pioneer defense also produced an extremely strong performance, forcing four RPI turnovers and turning those takeaways into 18 points.
Luke Sheldon (Lake George, NY/Lake George),
Joseph Gentile (Utica, NY/Thomas R. Proctor), and
Nathan Hernandez (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville) each recorded an interception, while Sheldon added 11 tackles and Gentile finished with seven tackles.
Isaiah Thomas (Kingston, NY/Kingston) led the Pioneer defense with 12 tackles, including a half-sack and one tackle for loss.
Scoring Summary:
1st Quarter
9:05 | 3-0 UTC | Nico Duarte (Kearny, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) – 23-yard field goal – 12 plays, 58 yards (5:49)
4:41 | 3-7 RPI | Kayden White – 5-yard rush (Kevin Lukash kick) – 11 plays, 70 yards (4:17)
3:14 | 10-7 UTC | Tyshawn Taylor (Syracuse, NY/Syracuse Institute of Technology) – 69-yard pass from Tyler Szalkowski (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute) (Nico Duarte (Kearny, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) kick) – 3 plays, 80 yards (1:21)
2nd Quarter
12:31 | 17-7 UTC | Gabriel Zawolo (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit) – 4-yard pass from Tyler Szalkowski (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute) (Nico Duarte (Kearny, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) kick) – 6 plays, 80 yards (3:14)
9:46 | 17-14 RPI | Nate Ehui – 16-yard pass from Micah Balzarini (Kevin Lukash kick) – 6 plays, 75 yards (2:45)
4:54 | 20-14 UTC | Nico Duarte (Kearny, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) – 23-yard field goal – 5 plays, 6 yards (1:06)
3rd Quarter
1:40 | 28-14 UTC | Eze Frazier (Garnerville, NY/North Rockland) – 1-yard rush (Logan Frederick (Little Falls, NY/Little Falls) pass from Tyler Szalkowski (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute)) – 9 plays, 40 yards (4:29)
4th Quarter
7:37 | 31-14 UTC | Nico Duarte (Kearny, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) – 27-yard field goal – 13 plays, 63 yards (7:23)
6:30 | 38-14 UTC | Eze Frazier (Garnerville, NY/North Rockland) – 6-yard rush (Nico Duarte (Kearny, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) kick) – 2 plays, 44 yards (0:30)
Offensive Highlights: The Pioneers finished the afternoon with 436 total yards, including 402 through the air. The visitors also recorded 20 first downs and held the ball for 34:05, winning the possession battle for the second straight week to open the season. Additionally, the team kept drives alive at extremely crucial moments, going 3-for-3 on their fourth-down attempts. This week, the team cashed in on all six of its red zone opportunities, showing massive improvement near the end zone from last week's matchup.
Szalkowski's wonderful passing performance was capped off with zero interceptions despite routinely utilizing the deep ball.
The Pioneers also had zero turnovers in the rushing game, with
Eze Frazier (Garnerville, NY/North Rockland) leading the Pioneer ground game. The senior back was efficient near the goal line, rushing for 37 yards and two touchdowns.
Drevariis Yeomas (Victor, NY/Victor) added 19 yards on four carries, while
Tyler Hall (Holbrook, NY/Sachem North) finished with five yards on two attempts.
Defensive Highlights: The Pioneer defense locked in after halftime, shutting out the Engineers for the final 30 minutes of the contest. The orange and blue blockade also held opposing running back Kayden White under 100 yards for the second straight year, and kept up their streak of not allowing 200 opposing passing yards, marking the 12th straight game where an opponent failed to surpass the 200-yard threshold through the air.
The aforementioned
Isaiah Thomas (Kingston, NY/Kingston) led the defense with 12 tackles, one-half sack, one tackle for loss, and a pass breakup, stuffing the stat sheet for the second straight week. Sheldon also had a breakout game, stepping up with a spot open at linebacker as he added 11 tackles, one tackle for loss, and an interception. Gentile started to settle into his role at safety, displaying a very
Eli Douglas (Ausable Forks, NY/Ausable Valley)-like performance as he finished with seven tackles, two tackles for loss, an interception, and a quarterback hurry.
Andrew Lake (Johnstown, NY/Johnstown) also got involved, rounding out the top-four tacklers for the orange and blue as he recorded six tackles, one-half sack, and one-half tackle for loss.
Darrien Insogna (Ballston Spa, NY/Ballston Spa) made a massive impact once again, as the D-line depth piece contributed a half-sack, a half-tackle for loss, and a fumble recovery.
The Specialists: Nico Duarte (Kearny, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) remained perfect of the season, following up his Empire 8 Special Teams Player of the Week performance by finishing 3-for-3 on field-goal attempts and 3-for-3 on PATs. The senior connected from 23, 23, and 27 yards, helping the team build and maintain a big advantage.
Gabriel Zawolo (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit) added 25 kickoff-return yards, while the Pioneers finished the day with 44 kickoff-return yards.
Up Next: The Pioneers will return home next Saturday for the annual Mohawk Valley Challengers Day game, welcoming Hobart College with a chance to avenge one of their two regular-season losses from last season. The team's week three throwdown will kick off at 1:00 PM from ABM Field at Gaetano Stadium.
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