This Week for Football
Siena Heights (1-0) vs. Saint Xavier (0-2)
Sept. 17 | noon CDT | Deaton Field | Chicago, Ill.
ADRIAN, Mich. -- The Siena Heights football team will look to improve to 2-0 with a road game against MSFA Midwest opponent Saint Xavier this Saturday. The game is scheduled for a noon CDT kickoff.
SERIES HISTORY
This is the fifth meeting between Saint Xavier and Siena Heights University in football. The Cougars currently hold a 3-1 advantage in the series that includes last season's matchup in Adrian when SXU pulled out a 20-13 win.
The only time these two teams met in Chicago was in 2015. Saint Xavier was the ninth-ranked team in the NAIA and won that contest by one score, 38-31. The lone victory for the Saints was the 30-29 win in 2016 when the Cougars entered the game ranked 17th in the NAIA.
ON THE FIELD
Siena Heights
The Saints running game generated 155 yards in the win over Olivet Nazarene in the season's first game. Andre Chenault led the way on the ground with eight carries for 78 yards (9.8 avg.). William Alexander also ran well in that game with six carries for 46 yards (7.7 avg.) and a touchdown. The offense also averaged 4.7 yards per play and 5.3 yards per rush. Eric Williams II was the leading pass catcher with three grabs for 31 yards and a touchdown.
The Saint defense played well against the run as the unit held the Tigers to 56 yards rushing and were disruptive in the passing game with six sacks and a pick. Zach Keyser led SHU with 11 tackles. All-American Kole Murlin had ten stops and a tackle for loss. Antonio Simley led the defensive line with two sacks and three tackles for loss. Simley also forced a fumble.
Anthony Secchi completed all four of his extra-point attempts. Andrew Bookman had an average of 35.2 yards per punt. Williams II returned five kickoffs for 303, an average of 22.2 per return. In the first quarter, Vincent Walker scooped a blocked punt for a three-yard touchdown.
Saint Xavier
The Cougar offense has struggled on third down through the first two games of the season, converting on 11% of attempts. However, Stuart Ross has completed 63.5% of his passes for 404 yards and a touchdown. Justin Pringle has been Ross's favorite target with 14 receptions, 190 yards, and a touchdown.
Joey Markasovic leads the defense with 19 tackles. He has registered two tackles for loss and had the team's only interception in 2022. Ron Carroll is second on the team in tackles out of the defensive backfield with 17. Peyton Nigro has 13 stops and a team-high one sack.
Peyton Benes made his only field-goal attempt of the year. He is also perfect in extra-point tries. Joe Polselli averages 42.2 yards per punt to lead in that category. Pringle has five kick returns for 116 yards and a 23.2-yard average.
WATCH & LISTEN
Fans can follow the action via live stats and video. The game will also be broadcasted on 96.5 FM The Cave live or online Saturday afternoon.
Follow the Saints: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
