GAMEDAY CENTRAL: Football Hosts Pace for Kickoff Weekend - Stonehill

Tickets (Available at ticket book at 5 PM):
$10.00 Adults
$5.00 (students & senior citizens)
12 and under are free
Stonehill students are admitted free with their HillCard

Coach's Corner: Week Three

Nick Chiocco Interview

The Game: Stonehill College, among teams receiving votes in this week's American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II poll, has its much anticipated home opener as it hosts Pace University for a Northeast-10 Conference clash at Timothy J. Coughlin (COG-lin) '80 Memorial Field at W.B. Mason Stadium tonight. The Skyhawks are off to a 2-0 start for the first time in five years after a 24-20 comeback win at Merrimack last Friday night. The Setters have split their first two games, dropping their NE-10 opener to Saint Anselm, 31-14, on Saturday.

Media Info: Live video of tonight's game is available on a pay-per-view basis ($6.99) via stonehillskyhawks.tv. Charlie Bergeron, the voice of the Skyhawks, returns for his 18th season of broadcasting the action powered by Pack Network.

Skyhawks Kickoff Weekend & NE-10 Presidents' Cup Celebration: Stonehill football's home opener marks the unofficial start of the Skyhawks athletics calendar tonight. In addition to the football team, the volleyball program hosts Queens on Friday night and Saint Anselm this afternoon (3 PM) at Merkert Gym. At halftime of tonight's game, Northeast-10 Commissioner Julie Ruppert will formally present Stonehill's 2015-16 Presidents' Cup trophy to Rev. John Denning, CSC, Presidents of Stonehill, and the College's student-athletes. Stonehill captured its fifth NE-10 Presidents' Cup in 2014-15 in wire-to-wire fashion as it led the standings following the fall, winter and spring seasons, accumulating 207.5 points to win the Cup by a dominant 18.5 points over two-time defending champions Adelphi.

Chiocco Named to Allstate/AFCA Good Works Team®: Stonehill senior defensive lineman Nick Chiocco (Mansfield, Mass.) has been named to the 2015 Allstate, American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team®, the most esteemed off-the-field honor in college football. The 22 student-athletes selected for this honor have made a positive impact on others and their communities. Chiocco, the first Stonehill football student-athlete named to the Good Works Team®, is one of 11 out of the 22 honorees recognized from NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Division II, Division III and NAIA out of a record 197 nominees from across all levels of college football. He was the lone Northeast-10 Conference student-athlete nominated and one of just three NCAA Division II student-athletes to earn a spot on the Good Works Team®. Chiocco, who has appeared in 14 career games over his three year career, has an impressive list of charitable and community service endeavors to his credit. He hosted his third annual Home Run Derby to benefit the Hearts for Hope Foundation in memory of Fallon Finnegan, a classmate at Mansfield High School, who passed away from cystic fibrosis in 2010 at the age of 16. Chiocco's Home Run Derby has raised $10,000 over the first three years. Chiocco also helped plan, execute and host a charity benefit concert for Sabrina Kelly, the daughter of Stonehill criminology instructor Pamela Kelly, which raised $3,000 for medical expenses and was held just days before Sabrina's passing from cystic fibrosis in April. Chiocco is now eligible to be voted by fans as the 2015 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® Captain at ESPN.com/Allstate through November 25, 2015. The Team Captain and his fellow award recipients will be invited to New Orleans to participate in a community project before the 2016 Allstate® Sugar Bowl®.

Offensive Player of the Week: Sophomore quarterback Matt Foltz (Mount Joy, Pa.) was named the Northeast-10 Conference's Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts in Friday night's 24-20 win at Merrimack. Foltz, who earns NE-10 Offensive Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career, engineered his first career fourth quarter comeback win as Stonehill erased a ten point deficit in the win. He completed 10-of-15 passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including 6-of-7 passes for 55 yards on the game winning drive that led to a 20-yard touchdown pass with 3:08 to play. Foltz finished with 256 total yards as he completed 22-of-36 passes (61.1%) for 231 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions, while adding 11 carries for another 25 yards. He connected with senior Gordon McLeod (Weymouth, Mass.) for a 50-yard touchdown pass that gave the Skyhawks their first lead in the second quarter.

Rookie of the Week: Freshman tight end Kaleb Lutton (Middletown, Conn.) earned Northeast-10 Conference Rookie of the Week honors for his efforts in Friday night's 24-20 comeback win at Merrimack. Lutton was on the receiving end of Foltz's two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, collecting the first three receptions of his career (all in the fourth quarter) for 35 yards and the two touchdowns. His nine-yard touchdown catch three minutes into the fourth quarter drew Stonehill within three points (20-17) and then his 20-yard touchdown reception put the Skyhawks in front for good with 3:08 remaining. Lutton also caught a six yard pass on the second play of the game winning drive. In addition to the NE-10 honors, he also collected USA College Football Offensive Rookie of the Week accolades.

Votes of Confidence: Stonehill remains among teams receiving votes in this week's American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II poll. It marks the second straight week the Skyhawks have earned votes in the national poll after returning after week one for the first time since receiving votes six weeks, including a string of five-straight weeks, during the 2013 NE-10 Championship season.

Hot Starts: Stonehill has won its first two games for the first time since a 2-0 start to the 2010 season with wins at Curry (20-14) and home against Pace (41-33). The Skyhawks seek their first 3-0 start since head coach Robert Talley's first season at the helm in 2007. Stonehill opened with a win at Assumption (20-14), before a home win against Pace (23-0) and then a 12-7 triumph at LIU Post.

DE-FENCE!: The Stonehill defense has picked up right where it left off in 2014 when it boasted the top defense in the Northeast-10 (#6 nationally). The Skyhawks lead the NE-10 through two weeks for scoring defense (15.0 ppg) and rushing defense (51.5 ypg), while ranking second for total defense (226.0 ypg) and passing defense (174.5 ypg). Stonehill ranks sixth nationally in Division II for rushing defense, 14th in total defense and 28th in scoring defense.

A Team Possessed: Stonehill leads the Northeast-10 and ranks fifth nationally in Division II in time of possession, holding on to the ball for 36:11 per game. The Skyhawks had the ball for 36:22 in their week one upset win at No. 11 Bloomsburg and then had possession for 36:00 at Merrimack last weekend.

On The Mark: Senior kicker Steve Grzywacz (Manchester, N.H.) holds the program record for career field goals with 31 over his career. He surpassed the previous record of 20 made field goals set by Joe Crowley, '04, last fall and has converted 31 of 46 field goal attempts over his Stonehill career, beaking Crowley's all-time record of 39 field goal attempts as well. Grzywacz's 88 career PAT kicks broke the previous record of 87 by Pat Matthews, '95 with his three extra points at Merrimack last week.

Mr. Efficiency: Sophomore quarterback Matt Foltz (Mount Joy, Pa.) leads the Northeast-10 (22nd nationally) with his five touchdown passes through the first two weeks. Foltz has attempted 55 passes this season without throwing an interception, a streak of 62 pass attempts without an interception dating back to last season. He ranks second in the NE-10 (35th nationally) with his 155.64 pass efficiency rating and third for completion percentage (63.6%).

Get Off The Field: Stonehill leads the NE-10 and ranks fourth nationally for third down percentage defense, limiting its first to opponents to 20-percent conversion percentage (5-for-25) on third down.

New Home of Stonehill Athletics and Recreation: As the football team was returning to preseason training camp, Stonehill unveiled its 50,000-square foot Rev. Mark T. Cregan, CSC, Athletic and Fitness Center as part of the renovated Sally Blair Ames Sports Complex adjacent to W.B. Mason Stadium. The new Sports Complex includes:

• Locker rooms for 12 teams, as well as visiting intercollegiate athletic teams
• Additional group exercise and dance rooms
• Weight and fitness rooms for community members and varsity student-athletes
• Enhanced space for athletic training and equipment
• Program offices for recreational sports, athletics and football as well as team meeting rooms
• A multipurpose room that can serve a variety of campus groups
• The Lou Gorman '53 Pavilion

Getting Social: Fans and media members of Stonehill athletics now have two social media outlets to get updates on all 20 varsity programs. The department's Facebook page is www.facebook.com/stonehillskyhawks, and you can also follow @SkyhawkTalk on Twitter! Stonehill football also has its own Facebook and Twitter accounts: @SCskyhawksFB.

On Deck: Stonehill heads back out on the road next Saturday when it battles LIU Post, also among teams receiving votes nationally, for a big early season Northeast-10 clash at 1 p.m. The Skyhawks are back here at W.B. Mason Stadum in two weeks when it hosts Southern Connecticut State University for its Purple & White Game on Saturday, October 3, at 6 p.m.