Football | 11/23/2025 12:59:00 AM
UTICA, NY - The Utica University football team welcomed NJAC powerhouse Rowan to Gaetano Stadium on Saturday afternoon, hoping to notch a big win in the program's first-ever home postseason contest. After falling behind early, the Pioneers used a few momentum-grabbing plays to sneak back in, making it a one-score game late but ultimately stalling out on a potential game-winning drive as they were bested in a 26-20 decision by the Profs.
The Pioneers trailed 19-7 entering the halftime break, and even saw themselves facing a 26-7 deficit just a few minutes into the third quarter. However, they scrapped and clawed their way back into the matchup, scoring touchdowns in both of the final two quarters to give themselves a chance at an epic game-winning touchdown. Trailing 26-20 on their final chance, and nearing the Rowan redzone, a few incompletions and a couple penalties would end the Pioneers' comeback bid as they failed to convert a 4th and long with seconds remaining in the game.
Saturday Spotlight: Many Pioneer seniors played their heart out in what would be the final game of their collegiate football careers. They went out in a big way, as veterans stepped up all over the field in Saturday's showdown.
Eli Douglas and Mason Payton led a superb secondary which allowed the Profs to pass for just 176 yards, also only allowing four passing first downs in the game. The pair of defensive backs also slotted in as the game's leading tacklers, with Douglas grabbing a team-high 12 (three solo) and Payton wrapping up 10 total tackles (four solo). The secondary provided a big boost, forcing Rowan to run the ball and helping the orange and blue adapt to the Profs' playset late in the game. Alongside Douglas and Payton was Jah-Kobiah Cancer, who completed a terrific trio of secondary members, getting eight tackles (one solo) and a breakup.
Senior linebacker Ceejay Newton also got in on the action, engaging numerous Profs players in the open field as he grabbed nine tackles (five solo)
On the offensive side of the ball, senior quarterback Tyler Szalkowski and a trio of senior skill players gave it all they had in the comeback effort. Szalkowski completed 36 passes in the game, second only in single game program history to Andrew Benkwitt's 38 completions back during a matchup in 2012. The current Pioneer quarterback also gathered 357 passing yards and three touchdown passes. Because of his stellar numbers, Szalkowski officially clinched the triple crown of single-season quarterback records, setting new program bests with 285 completions, 3,638 yards, and 33 passing touchdowns. He also narrowly edged out the previous completion percentage record, setting that new mark with a 67.7% completion rate in 2025.
On the other end of Szalkowski's superb passing were Antonio Cianfarani, Logan Frederick, and Bryce Palmer, as the three senior targets compiled a combined 30 catches for 289 yards and two touchdowns.
Cianfarani led the three wideouts with 123 receiving yards, hauling in nine catches, including a few key conversions and chunk plays.
Frederick caught 10 passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns. The surefire top tight end in Division III finished with the third-most single-season receiving touchdowns in program history, leading the squad with 12 scores.
Finally, Palmer completed the group effort with 11 catches for 58 yards, setting the new Empire 8 and Utica Football single-season receptions record with 91 catches. He also surpassed the 1,000 receiving yards mark, recording 1,026 receiving yards to rank third in single-season program history.
The senior offensive lineman kept their quarterback from being sacked for the sixth consecutive game to end the season. Seniors Carson Tessitore and Michael Malzahn helped to secure that stat, keeping Rowan away from the pocket despite many different blitz packages presented by the New Jersey team. Tons of seniors got in on the action, capping off their careers with a memorable bowl performance as they left it all out there to end season #25.
Scoring Summary:
1st Quarter
10:56 | 3-0 ROW | Greg Casimir - 40-yard field goal - 10 plays, 41 yards (3:57)
3:44 | 7-3 UTC | Logan Frederick - 16-yard pass from Tyler Szalkowski (Nico Duarte XP) - 13 plays, 71 yards (7:06)
2nd Quarter
12:42 | 7-6 UTC | Greg Casimir - 44-yard field goal - 12 plays, 51 yards (5:55)
8:38 | 12-7 ROW | Nunes Bukula IV - 1-yard rush - 5 plays, 59 yards (2:41)
0:09 | 19-7 ROW | Tyshawn Bookman - 3-yard rush (Greg Casimir XP) - 12 plays, 99 yards (3:43)
3rd Quarter
12:56 | 26-7 ROW | Shane Martin - 75-yard pass from Matt Welsey - 1 play, 75 yards (0:13)
7:56 | 26-13 ROW | Logan Frederick - 16-yard pass from Tyler Szalkowski - 11 plays, 65 yards (4:53)
4th Quarter
7:59 | 26-20 ROW | Lorenzo Velez - 13-yard pass from Tyler Szalkowski - 6 plays, 74 yards (1:35)
Offensive Highlights: Much like last weekend's outing against Brockport, the Pioneers struggled to get the chains moving early on. However, much like last weekend, the Pioneers came out on fire in the second half, racking up 306 of their 398 yards in the latter 30 minutes.
The team gained 24 first downs in the matchup, outpossessing the Profs as they held the ball for just under 31 minutes during the big Bowl battle. The Pioneers struggled on third down in the game, going just 6 for 17. Although, they did better on fourth down and in the redzone, going 3 for 5 in both categories.
Defensive Highlights: After allowing a massive amount of yards in the first half, the Pioneers, save for Rowan's first play of the second half, allowed just 67 yards to Profs during the final two frames. The team routinely made their way to the opposing backfield, with defensive end Nicholas DeForrest even notching two sacks in the win.
Isaiah Thomas held it down in the heart of the defence alongside Newton, with the sophomore grabbing seven tackles (five solo). He also managed to log a gigantic field goal block to set the Pioneers up with a chance to win the game on a last-minute drive.
The Specialists: Nico Duarte hit two extra points, and also recovered a shock onside kick a-la-Sean Payton. His stellar boot produced a few scoring opportunities, both directly and indirectly. All-Empire 8 First Team punter Devin Taylor was also awesome in the game, averaging 45 yards on his three boots, while also pinning the Profs on their own one-yard line with one of his second-quarter kicks. The Pioneers have two timely blocks in the action, with Thomas blocking the aforementioned field goal and Austin DeGroat shutting down an onside kick.
Conclusion of Season 25: The conclusion of Saturday's bowl game brought the Pioneers' 25th anniversary season to an end. However, an 8-3 record and earning the rights to host the program's first home postseason game will surely make this a milestone season to never forget. Thank you for supporting Pioneer football, and we hope to see you back in 2026!