WATCH | Live Stats | Game Notes
Staten Island, NY - Coming off a win at Sacred Heart, the Wagner College football team will play host to Merrimack on Saturday, September 23 at 4:00 pm on NECFrontRow. The game not only marks Wagner's home opener, but also serves as the Seahawks' homecoming contest.
Last Time Out
Wagner opened Northeast Conference (NEC) play with a 17-10 victory at Sacred Heart. "This is a different team and the culture is changing," head coach Tom Massella commented after the game. "I believe if you play hard good things will happen and certainly for the second straight week our kids played extremely hard and they came out with a great road win to start off conference play. I tip my hat to all of our players."
Behind three interceptions, the Seahawks jumped out to a 10-0 halftime lead and never looked back to go to 1-0 in conference play.
Saturday's victory marked the first time the Seahawks won their conference-opener since 2019, when Wagner earned a 24-14 win over LIU at Hameline Field.
Wily Leads The Way
Senior captain
Junior Wily was named the NEC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance at Sacred Heart. This marks the second time in his two-year Wagner career that Wily has earned the award.
With 6:01 to play in the first half, Wily returned Wagner's third interception of the half 52 yards for a touchdown to open the scoring and give the Seahawks the lead. The touchdown was Wily's second career score after also returning an interception for six points against LIU in 2022.
Wily finished the contest with five total tackles.
Liszner Leads Solidified Special Teams
Freshman
Ryan Liszner was named the NEC Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts against the Pioneers. In just his third collegiate game, the rookie connected on a 42-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to put the Seahawks up 10-0.
Liszner also made both of his extra point attempts and added two touchbacks while averaging 65 yards on three kickoffs. This marks Liszner's first career weekly honor and first NEC Special Teams Player of the Week honor for a Wagner kicker since Eric Silvester in 2019. On the season, Liszner is 2-2 on field goal attempts and is averaging 63.8 yards per kickoff with four touchbacks in eight attempts.
Apart from Liszner, punter
Bailey Marzola also played a crucial part in Wagner's victory. The Australian first-year Seahawk drew a roughing the kicker penalty on a punt with time winding down in the fourth quarter, allowing the Seahawks to kneel out the clock. Marzola is averaging 39.33 yards per punt, with four punts of 50+ yards in three games.
Offensive Weapons
The Wagner offense is using its weapons. Junior
Trevor Shorter is eighth in the nation and first in the NEC with 22.75 yards per reception. Shorter had two catches for 45 yards against the Pioneers, including a crucial reception with time winding down in the first half to set up a
Ryan Liszner field goal.
Junior
Mark Didio continues to be Wagner's leading receiver with 5.3 catches per game, which ranks first in the conference and 32
nd nationally.
Playing Ahead Of The Chains
The Wagner offense is allowing the fewest tackles for loss in the NEC. The Seahawks allow 4.33 tackles for loss per contest, good for 28th in the country.
Gioia Does It All
Defensive captain
John Gioia continues to be a leader on the Wagner defense. Apart from an interception in Saturday's contest at Sacred Heart, Gioia averages 9.3 tackles per game, which is good for second in the NEC and 35
th in the nation. Gioia has led Wagner in tackles in two out of three games. Gioia was named an NEC Prime Performer for his efforts against Sacred Heart.
Reilly Makes Plays
Senior
Justin Reilly was all over the field against the Pioneers, finishing with 10 total tackles, including a tackle for loss, and an interception. Reilly was named an NEC Prime Performer for his efforts.
The Series
Saturday's game marks the fourth-ever meeting between the Seahawks and Warriors. Wagner will be looking for its first-ever victory over Merrimack. In the last meeting between the two teams on Staten Island in 2021, the Seahawks combined for 367 yards on the ground, but it wasn't enough, as Merrimack earned the 35- 26 victory.
The Magic Formula
Saturday's win over the Pioneers had a lot of parallels to last year's victory over LIU. Both wins featured three interceptions apiece by the Seahawks and a defensive touchdown by
Junior Wily. In both victories, the Seahawks never trailed and won the turnover battle. Both times Wily earned NEC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Streak Snapped
Wagner's win over Sacred Heart marked the Seahawks' first road win since earning a 41-7 victory over Robert Morris on November 17, 2018.
Home Opener
Saturday's contest marks Wagner's home opener. The Seahawks will be looking for their first victory in a home opener since 2018, when Wagner earned a 40-23 victory over Bowie State in the Seahawks' season-opener.
Robb And Lia Trophies Up For Grabs
A Wagner Homecoming tradition will continue on Saturday when two Seahawks are selected to receive special awards for outstanding play. The James Robb Memorial Trophy is annually presented to the outstanding offensive player at Homecoming while the Nick Lia Memorial Trophy is awarded to the Seahawks' outstanding defensive player. Established in 1949, the Robb Trophy was named in memory of James Robb, a Seahawk gridiron star who was killed in action during World War II. It was presented to Wagner's outstanding individual player in the annual homecoming game until 1969. In that season, the Lia Trophy was introduced in honor of another Wagner football player, Nick Lia, who was killed in the Vietnam War. An outstanding defensive player and team captain, the Staten Island native was a graduate of Curtis High School. Today, the Robb Trophy goes to the offensive MVP, with the game's defensive MVP taking home the Lia Trophy.
Head Coach
Tom Masella won the Lia Trophy in 1979. Both trophies will have a first-time winner in 2023. Wide receiver
Naiem Simmons won the Robb Trophy the previous two seasons, while defensive lineman and current NFL star
Titus Leo earned the Lia trophy during the previous two years.
Scouting The Warriors
Merrimack enters Saturday's game with a 1-2 overall record after most recently earning a 44-0 victory over Virginia University of Lynchburg. The Warriors opened the season with losses against nationally ranked Holy Cross and Lehigh. Merrimack is led by Tyvon Edmonds Jr., who is sixth in the country with 170 all-purpose yards per game.
Big Play Hat Makes Headlines
Following three first half turnovers against the Pioneers, Wagner's new big play hat received national headlines on Saturday. Sideline videos of the Seahawks' newest sideline accessory were shared by multiple national news outlets, as Wagner celebrated its big plays.
The Schedule
Following Saturday's contest against the Warriors, Wagner will travel to FBS member Rutgers on September 30.
