This Week for Football
Siena Heights (2-3, 1-1) vs. Madonna (1-5, 0-2)
October 16 | noon | O'Laughlin Stadium | Adrian, Mich.
The Siena Heights football team faces Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Mideast opponent Madonna this Saturday, October 16, for the 2021 Homecoming Contest. Last week, the Saints look to bounce back from a 20-10 defeat to #5 Concordia (Mich.). The Crusaders come into the game with a 1-4 record in 2021. They suffered a 68-0 defeat at St. Francis (Ind.) this past Saturday
SERIES HISTORY
Siena Heights won the inaugural meeting between the two teams last Spring in a 65-0 win at home. The Saints scored on 10 of their 14 drives in the game last season, and the defense held Madonna scoreless.
ON THE FIELD
Siena Heights
Freshman quarterback Ryan Minor is completing 68.1% of his pass attempts (47-69) this season. His favorite target, Eric Williams II, has 25 catches for 346 yards and three touchdowns. On the ground, Siena Heights splits carries between juniors Jared Jordan (61 for 266 yds.) and Kaleb Jefferson (52 for 190 yds.). Jefferson is a threat in the passing game as well as he is second on the team with 11 receptions. He scored the team's only touchdown last week with a six-yard catch.
The Saints' defense is among the top-25 teams in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) for yards per game (269.8, 10th), rushing yards per game (78.2, 11th), and points per game (17.0, t-16th). Junior linebacker Kole Murlin is second in the NAIA in tackles per game with 13.0. He leads the Saints' defense with 65 tackles for 2021. Senior Andrew Loria leads the pass rush with 3.5 sacks. He is just one sack short of tying his 2019 total of 4.5 sacks. Danielle Lowe Jr. and Vincent Walker lead the unit with 3.5 tackles for loss. Trenton Morrow, Gabe Callery, and Antonio Simley each have forced two fumbles. Callery also leads the team with two interceptions.
Junior kicker Anthony Secchi has completed five of his eight field-goal attempts (80%), with his season-long being 44 yards. Secchi has yet to miss an extra-point attempt in 2021 (8-8) and is the leading scorer for the Saints with 32 points. Junior Caleb Meister continues to be a massive weapon for the Saints in the field-position battle. Meister has pinned opponents behind their 20-yard line nine times in four games and averages 38.7 yards per punt. Williams II has amassed 377 yards on 13 kick returns to lead in that category. Mich Howell has all eight punt returns for SHU for a total of 60 yards. With his receiving and kick return numbers, Williams II leads Siena Heights with 734 all-purpose yards.
Madonna
The Crusaders have played four quarterbacks in at least two games this season. Luke Pfromm has seen action in four games so far in 2021. He leads the Madonna passing attack with 41 completions (46.6%) for 511 yards and two touchdowns. Christian Gaiera has 107 yards rushing to lead the ground game for the Crusaders. Two receivers have ten or more receptions through five games. D'Vonta Garrett leads the way with 19 grabs for 279 yards. Novell Chestnut is second on the team with 15 catches for 109 yards.
Inside linebacker Mike Gaiera leads the defensive unit with 36 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and a sack. Safety Dalen Cobb is just behind Gaiera with 33 tackles and two pass breakups. Mitch Nguyen and Jarrett Railing each have 25 tackles for the defense.
Kicker Moritz Preuss is the team's leading scorer with 12 points. He is a perfect 2-2 in field goals with a long of 48 yards and has made all six of his extra-point tries. Darren Francis has 34 punts to his stat line this year for a total of 1,067 yards. He has a long boot of 51 and has pinned opponents inside the 20 six times. Novell Chestnut has 17 kick returns on the season for 346 yards. Between that total and his receiving numbers, he is the team leader for all-purpose yards with 455.
WATCH & LISTEN
The game will begin at noon EST. Fans can follow the action via live stats and video. Fans can also tune into 96.5 FM The Cave live or online to listen to the live game broadcast on Saturday afternoon.
