2022 Fitchburg State Falcons football team

The 2022 Fitchburg State Falcons football team represented Fitchburg State University as a member of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) during the 2022 NCAA Division III football season. The Falcons, were originally led by 2nd-year head coach Scott Sperone before he was fired and replaced by Mark Sullivan, played their home games at Elliot Field in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

2022 Fitchburg State Falcons football
Conference	Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference
Record	1–9 (0–8 MASCAC)
Head coach	Scott Sperone (2nd season; first five games) Mark Sullivan (interim; remainder of season)
Offensive coordinator	Odell Jones
Defensive coordinator	Adam Sherman
Home stadium	Elliot Field
Seasons ← 2021 2023 →

2022 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
UMass Dartmouth $^		8	–	0					9	–	2
Plymouth State		6	–	2					9	–	2
Western Connecticut		6	–	2					7	–	3
Bridgewater State		6	–	2					7	–	4
Framingham State		4	–	4					5	–	5
Massachusetts Maritime		3	–	5					3	–	7
Westfield State		2	–	6					2	–	8
Worcester State		1	–	7					1	–	9
Fitchburg State		0	–	8					1	–	9
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant

Previous season

Main article: 2021 Fitchburg State Falcons football team

The Falcons finished the 2021 season with a record of 0–10 (0–8 in the MASCAC), which finished in last-place.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
September 2	7:00 p.m.	Dean*	Elliot Field Fitchburg, MA	W 33–28	750
September 10	2:00 p.m.	at Castleton*	Dave Wolk Stadium Castleton, VT	L 0–48	4,112
September 17	12:00 p.m.	Worcester State	Elliot Field Fitchburg, MA	L 10–56	1,675
September 24	12:00 p.m.	Massachusetts Maritime	Elliot Field Fitchburg, MA	L 13–38	1,244
October 1	4:00 p.m.	at Bridgewater State	Swenson Field Bridgewater, MA	L 0–82	2,500
October 8	12:00 p.m.	at Framingham State	Bowditch Field Framingham, MA	L 0–47	0
October 15	12:00 p.m.	Plymouth State	Elliot Field Fitchburg, MA	L 7–42	120
October 22	12:00 p.m.	UMass Dartmouth	Elliot Field Fitchburg, MA	L 0–49	0
November 5	12:00 p.m.	at Western Connecticut	The WAC Danbury, CT	L 21–41	600
November 12	12:00 p.m.	at Westfield State	Alumni Field Westfield, MA	L 0–50	1,000
*Non-conference game All times are in Eastern time

^[1]

Game summaries

Dean

See also: Dean Bulldogs football

Game One – Fitchburg State Falcons (0–0) vs Dean Bulldogs (0–0)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Dean	0	7	14	7	28
Fitchburg State	7	7	7	12	33

at Elliot Field • Fitchburg, Massachusetts

• Date: Friday, September 2, 2022
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Temperature: 71 °F (22 °C) • Weather: Mostly clear
• Game attendance: 750
• Referee: Rick Puente

Game information

First quarter (0:00) FIT – Elijah Zaire McKnight 16 Yd Run, Linnea D'Acchille Kick (Fitchburg State 7–0) Second quarter (4:55) DEAN – Will Stafford 4 Yd Run, Nikolai Luksch Kick (Tied 7–7) (4:40) FIT – Elijah Zaire McKnight 73 Yd Pass, Linnea D'Acchille Kick (Fitchburg State 14–7) Third quarter (11:15) DEAN – Will Stafford 3 Yd Run, Nikolai Luksch Kick (Tied 14–14) (2:43) FIT – Frank Sims IV 1 Yd Run, Linnea D'Acchille Kick (Fitchburg State 21–14) (0:49) DEAN – Quintus Reid 23 Yd Pass, Nikolai Luksch Kick (Tied 21–21) Fourth quarter (9:31) FIT – Frank Sims IV 3 Yd Run, PAT Failed (Fitchburg State 27–21) (6:23) DEAN – Mozes Mooney 16 Yd Pass, Nikolai Luksch Kick (Dean 27–28) (2:33) FIT – Tyzohn Poole 14 Yd Fumble Recovery, 2-PT Pass Failed (Fitchburg State 33–28)

Statistics	DEAN	FIT
First downs	20	18
Plays–yards	61	61
Rushes–yards	100	82
Passing yards	206	179
Passing: comp–att–int	13–19–1	15–23–1
Time of possession	27:25	44:01

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Dean	Passing	Nathan Cisco	12/14, 208 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Will Stafford	19 carries, 59 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Jordan Mason	4 receptions, 70 yards
Fitchburg State	Passing	Logan Wilson	14/19, 155 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Frank Sims IV	19 carries, 38 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Elijah Zaire McKnight	5 receptions, 97 yards, 1 TD

At Castleton

See also: Castleton Spartans football

Game Two – Fitchburg State Falcons (1–0) vs Castleton Spartans (0–1)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Fitchburg State	0	0	0	0	0
Castleton	7	21	20	0	48

at Dave Wolk Stadium • Castleton, Vermont

• Date: Saturday, September 10, 2022
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Temperature: 80 °F (27 °C) • Weather: Sunny
• Game attendance: 4,112

Game information

First quarter (9:14) CAS – Chance Fee 6 Yd Pass, Noah Crossman Kick (Castleton 0–7) Second quarter (13:57) CAS – Saijon McIntosh 37 Yd Pass, Noah Crossman Kick (Castleton 0–14) (6:43) CAS – Simon Davis Jr. 2 Yd Run, Noah Crossman Kick (Castleton 0–21) (1:19) CAS – Saijon McIntosh 10 Yd Run, Noah Crossman Kick (Castleton 0–28) Third quarter (10:14) CAS – Caezar Williams 62 Yd Punt Return, Noah Crossman Kick (Castleton 0–35) (7:56) CAS – Saijon McIntosh 34 Yd Pass, Noah Crossman Kick (Castleton 0–42) (3:07) CAS – Jackson Brand 17 Yd Run, PAT Blocked (Castleton 0–48) Fourth quarter No scoring

Statistics	FIT	CAS
First downs	12	23
Plays–yards	63	52
Rushes–yards	67	204
Passing yards	103	248
Passing: comp–att–int	14–25–1	15–20–0
Time of possession	37:16	22:44

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Fitchburg State	Passing	Logan Wilson	14/23, 203 yards
	Rushing	Frank Sims Jr.	7 carries, 16 yards
	Receiving	Sahir Gomez	4 receptions, 37 yards
Castleton	Passing	Evan Smith	14/19, 235 yards, 4 TD
	Rushing	Colin Ellsworth	5 carries, 44 yards
	Receiving	Saijon McIntosh	3 receptions, 81 yards, 3 TD

Worcester State

See also: Worcester State Lancers football

Game Three – Fitchburg State Falcons (1–1) vs Worcester State Lancers (0–2)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Worcester State	14	7	14	21	56
Fitchburg State	0	3	0	10	13

at Elliot Field • Fitchburg, Massachusetts

• Date: Saturday, September 17, 2022
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Temperature: 72 °F (22 °C) • Weather: Mostly sunny / mild
• Game attendance: 1,675
• Referee: Austin Brough

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	WSU	FIT
First downs	29	10
Plays–yards	64	50
Rushes–yards	221	100
Passing yards	199	101
Passing: comp–att–int	15–23–0	9–13–0
Time of possession	28:20	31:40

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Worcester State	Passing	Aaron-Moses Williams	12/18, 192 yards, 4 TD
	Rushing	Amir Mells	18 carries, 108 yards
	Receiving	Ke'Vaughn Davis	4 receptions, 49 yards, 3 TD
Fitchburg State	Passing	Logan Wilson	9/12, 101 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Elijah Zaire McKnight	10 carries, 50 yards
	Receiving	Sahir Gomez	3 receptions, 64 yards, 1 TD

Massachusetts Maritime

See also: Massachusetts Maritime Buccaneers football

Game Four – Fitchburg State Falcons (1–2) vs Massachusetts Maritime Buccaneers (0–2)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Massachusetts Maritime	28	10	0	0	38
Fitchburg State	0	13	0	0	13

at Elliot Field • Fitchburg, Massachusetts

• Date: Saturday, September 24, 2022
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Temperature: 61 °F (16 °C) • Weather: Mostly clear
• Game attendance: 1,244
• Referee: Greg Camara

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	MMA	FIT
First downs	20	9
Plays–yards	62	47
Rushes–yards	122	60
Passing yards	325	92
Passing: comp–att–int	21–26–1	11–17–2
Time of possession	32:25	27:35

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Massachusetts Maritime	Passing	Marc Murphy	20/25, 322 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Ja'iel Johnson	14 carries, 49 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Andrew Brightman	9 receptions, 210 yards, 3 TD
Fitchburg State	Passing	Logan Wilson	10/14, 89 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Elijah Zaire McKnight	16 carries, 75 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Kwasi Boakye	2 receptions, 50 yards

At Bridgewater State

See also: Bridgewater State Bears football

Game Five – Fitchburg State Falcons (1–3) vs Bridgewater State Bears (1–3)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Fitchburg State	0	0	0	0	0
Bridgewater State	28	20	7	27	82

at Swenson Field • Bridgewater, Massachusetts

• Date: Saturday, October 1, 2022
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Temperature: 55 °F (13 °C) • Weather: Rain
• Game attendance: 2,500
• Referee: Gregg Camara

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	FSU	BSU
First downs	8	24
Plays–yards	60	61
Rushes–yards	43	369
Passing yards	65	210
Passing: comp–att–int	6–19–1	12–15–0
Time of possession	33:06	26:54

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Fitchburg State	Passing	Logan Wilson	3/11, 47 yards
	Rushing	Frank Sims IV	15 carries, 40 yards
	Receiving	Elijah Zaire McKnight	3 receptions, 40 yards
Bridgewater State	Passing	James Cahoon	9/12, 199 yards, 6 TD
	Rushing	Adam Couch	12 carries, 119 yards
	Receiving	Daniel Akinsheye	2 receptions, 57 yards, 1 TD

At Framingham State

See also: Framingham State Rams football

Game Six – Fitchburg State Falcons (1–4) vs Framingham State Rams (2–3)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Fitchburg State	0	0	0	0	0
Framingham State	14	26	7	0	47

at Bowditch Field • Framingham, Massachusetts

• Date: Saturday, October 8, 2022
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	FIT	FSU
First downs	7	21
Plays–yards	38	52
Rushes–yards	-22	203
Passing yards	3	384
Passing: comp–att–int	2–12–2	10–19–0
Time of possession	31:33	27:27

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Fitchburg State	Passing	Thomas Farr	1/2, 2 yards
	Rushing	Frank Sims IV	7 carries, 8 yards
	Receiving	Kwasi Boakye	2 receptions, 3 yards
Framingham State	Passing	Terry Smith	10/18, 181 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Devaun Ford	15 carries, 141 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Devaun Ford	3 receptions, 86 yards, 1 TD

Plymouth State

Main article: 2022 Plymouth State Panthers football team

Game Seven – Fitchburg State Falcons (1–5) vs Plymouth State Panthers (4–1)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Plymouth State Panthers	7	28	0	7	42
Fitchburg State	0	0	0	7	7

at Elliot Field • Fitchburg, Massachusetts

• Date: Saturday, October 15, 2022
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Temperature: 67 °F (19 °C) • Weather: Mostly sunny
• Game attendance: 120
• Referee: Dennis Donovan

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	PSU	FIT
First downs	25	9
Plays–yards	56	42
Rushes–yards	385	128
Passing yards	10	80
Passing: comp–att–int	2–3–0	10–16–0
Time of possession	34:25	25:35

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Plymouth State	Passing	Braden Lynn	2/3, 10 yards
	Rushing	Willie Lombard	11 carries, 110 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Kyle Baker	1 reception, 9 yards
Fitchburg State	Passing	Logan Wilson	10/16, 80 yards
	Rushing	Elijah Zaire McKnight	14 carries, 81 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Kwasi Boakye	3 receptions, 30 yards

UMass Dartmouth

Main article: 2022 UMass Dartmouth Corsairs football team

Game Eight – Fitchburg State Falcons (1–6) vs UMass Dartmouth Corsairs (6–1)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
UMass Dartmouth	21	14	14	0	49
Fitchburg State'	0	0	0	0	0

at Elliot Field • Fitchburg, Massachusetts

• Date: Saturday, October 22, 2022
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Weather: Mostly sunny
• Referee: Gregg Camara

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UMD	FIT
First downs	25	5
Plays–yards	68	38
Rushes–yards	362	-19
Passing yards	170	42
Passing: comp–att–int	10–18–0	7–19–2
Time of possession	30:27	29:53

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UMass Dartmouth	Passing	Dante Aviles-Santos	7/14, 141 yards
	Rushing	Jalyn Aponte	6 carries, 117 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Angel Sanchez	7 receptions, 155 yards, 1 TD
Fitchburg State	Passing	Dylan Cosner	3/5, 11 yards
	Rushing	Elijah Zaire McKnight	6 carries, 8 yards
	Receiving	Brandon Cohen	3 receptions, 19 yards

At Western Connecticut

See also: Western Connecticut Wolves football

Game Nine – Fitchburg State Falcons (1–7) vs Western Connecticut Wolves (6–3)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Fitchburg State	0	7	14	0	21
Western Connecticut	14	13	7	7	41

at The WAC • Danbury, Connecticut

• Date: Saturday, November 5, 2022
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Temperature: 72 °F (22 °C) • Weather: Nice
• Game attendance: 600
• Referee: C. Hadden

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	FSU	WCSU
First downs	16	27
Plays–yards	60	57
Rushes–yards	94	219
Passing yards	186	199
Passing: comp–att–int	13–25–1	14–25–2
Time of possession	33:56	26:04

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Fitchburg State	Passing	Logan Wilson	9/14, 137 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Elijah Zaire McKnight	13 carries, 90 yards
	Receiving	Keyshawn McCurdy	5 receptions, 107 yards, 3 TD
Western Connecticut	Passing	Dennis Riordan	13/23, 185 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Chad Blaszky	27 carries, 166 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Riley DeMeo	1 reception, 55 yards

At Westfield State

See also: Westfield State Owls football

Game Ten – Fitchburg State Falcons (1–8) vs Westfield State Owls (1–8)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Fitchburg State	0	0	0	0	0
Westfield State	16	13	14	7	50

at Alumni Field • Westfield, Massachusetts

• Date: Saturday, November 12, 2022
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Temperature: 65 °F (18 °C) • Weather: Clear with gusty winds
• Game attendance: 1,000

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	FIT	WSU
First downs	6	15
Plays–yards	49	62
Rushes–yards	9	159
Passing yards	28	125
Passing: comp–att–int	3–20–2	8–13–0
Time of possession	24:12	35:48

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Fitchburg State	Passing	Dylan Cosner	2/14, 18 yards
	Rushing	Elijah Zaire McKnight	15 carries, 46 yards
	Receiving	Keyshawn McCurdy	2 receptions, 15 yards
Westfield State	Passing	Colby Pires	8/13, 125 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Shane Clark	14 carries, 78 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Michael Foley	1 reception, 40 yards

Personnel

Coaching staff

Name	Position
Mark Sullivan	Interim head coach
Adam Sherman	Defensive coordinator/linebackers
Odell Jones	Offensive coordinator/running backs
Mac Kimball	Special teams/defensive backs
Brandon Barnard	Wide receivers
David Romero	Defensive line
Todd Souliere	Athletic trainer
Rebecca Shersnow	Athletic trainer

Roster

2022 Fitchburg State Falcons Football
Quarterbacks 13 – Leonel Almonte – Freshman 15 – Jacob Bradshaw – Freshman 10 – Thomas Farr – Sophomore 16 – Mark Osorio – Freshman 27 – Xiry Thibeaux – Sophomore 2 – Logan Wilson – Junior Running backs 23 – Matthew Aguirre – Junior 3 – Elijah Zaire McKnight – Junior 33 – Jorge Merino – Sophomore 28 – Dylan Mosley – Freshman 4 – Frank Sims IV – Senior Wide receivers 14 – Kwasi Boakye – Freshman 19 – Brandon Cohen – Freshman 7 – Dylan Cosner – Sophomore 11 – Sahir Gomez – Freshman 84 – Keyshawn McCurdy – Freshman 38 – John McGarry – Sophomore 21 – Jayelinn Miller – Freshman 18 – Jonathan Ponce – Sophomore		Tight ends 80 – Marvin Jean Baptiste – Senior 47 – John Minghetti – Sophomore Offensive linemen 61 – Christopher Emslie – Sophomore 74 – Mcklein Henry – Sophomore 70 – Amzie Hinkley – Junior 51 – Jamesohn LaValley – Freshman 68 – Jakob Lufkin – Junior 57 – Ryan McDonald – Sophomore 73 – Nicholas Notenboom – Sophomore 60 – Frank Opoku – Junior		Defensive linemen 56 – Ivanildo DaMoura – Senior 97 – Cameron Monette – Sophomore 99 – Logan Perez – Junior 95 – Preston Roberts – Freshman Linebackers 8 – Sebastian Burmester – Sophomore 48 – Emmanuel Cano – Freshman 44 – Austin Croteau – Sophomore 45 – Galvin Guillaume – Sophomore 20 – Camren Topkin – Freshman 17 – Zachary Whitcomb – Freshman 34 – Robert Williams Jr. – Freshman 24 – Luke Noyes – Senior		Defensive backs 32 – Jordan Cummings – Sophomore 22 – Devin Current – Junior 30 – Malachi Grandberry – Sophomore 35 – Adolfo Juarez – Sophomore 5 – Marcus Moss – Junior 6 – Nicholas Polanco – Freshman 12 – Adam Rayan – Sophohomore 26 – Jan Valls – Freshman 9 – Giancarlo Marazzo-Henry – Junior Placekickers 43 – Linnea D'Acchille – Senior 36 – Dillon Mangus – Freshman Punter 86 – Carson Russell – Freshman
Source and player details, 2022 Fitchburg State Falcons (4/11/2023):^[2]

References

1. "2022 Fitchburg State Football Schedule". fitchburgfalcons.com. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
2. "2022 Fitchburg State Football Roster". fitchburgfalcons.com. Retrieved April 11, 2023.