Philadelphia, Pa. - (9/4/2015) – It was a little less than a year ago that Chestnut Hill College introduced the Griffins' first Head Sprint Football Coach. Since then Mike Pearson has been tirelessly working to establish the ninth member of the Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL), "The building of anything of quality takes a lot of hard work and team work. We want to enjoy this process, but we are working every day to become legitimate in all things we do, on and off the field."
 
As the ninth team to join the historic CSFL, Chestnut Hill College finds itself in the elite company of Ivy League institutions like Cornell University, Princeton University, and the University of Pennsylvania and prestigious service schools like West Point and the Naval Academy. A lesser-known brand of football organized prior to World War II, sprint football is a full-contact, intercollegiate, non-NCAA varsity sport, with rules equivalent to traditional NCAA collegiate football. The only difference restricts members to a 65-man roster and players to a 172-pound weight limit.
 
In its inaugural season the Chestnut Hill College roster will feature a blend of transfer students, incoming freshmen, and returning Griffins looking to reclaim high school careers or begin collegiate ones. Navigating the Griffins first journey on the battle field will be a trio of freshmen quarterbacks in Reginald Robinson (Germantown, Md./ Capital Christian Academy), Marquis Watson (Brooklyn, N.Y./ National), and Theophilus McBurnette (Ketchikan, AK/ Ketchikan). Under the tutelage of Offensive Coordinator Kevin Brady, the Griffins will look to their play-caller to serve as a leader on and off the field. Coach Gio Thomas (Running Backs, Wide Receivers & Tight Ends) will groom the offensive skill positions with current men's tennis senior Kevin Taylor (Burlington, N.J.) temporarily leaving the court for a backfield that also includes freshmen Billy Boone Costa (Jersey Shore, PA /Jersey Shore), Jonathan Baldwin (Charlotte, NC /Alvirne), and Dasantae Callis (Folsom, PA /Ridley). Roaming the flat, daring to cross the middle, and going deep down the sidelines are former Easton Area High School standout, sophomore Kadeem Pankey (Easton Area/Northampton CCC), fellow sophomores Domoree Hill (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom/Northampton CCC), Josean Perez (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic/Northampton CCC), and freshmen Raevon Floyd-Bennett (Union City, N.J.), and Kyle Johnson-Hackett (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan).
 
Defensively, Coach Pearson will oversee with the assistance of Line Backer Coach Mike Jones. Coach Jones' unit includes freshmen Jonathan Baldwin (Charlotte, N.C./Alvirne), Kevin Clancy (Havertown, PA/Haverford), and James Peterman (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan). Behind them, Coach Pearson will train a defensive back core that includes senior Nickolas Fratto (Island Heights, N.J./Monsignor Donovan) and junior David Dorsey (Philadelphia, Pa./Mastery Charter Shoemaker Campus) along with freshmen Kevin Martinez (Voorhees, N.J./Eastern), McBurnette, and Costa.
 
In the trenches, Coach Darrin Kenney (Offensive) and Coach Kurt Vollherbst (Defensive) respectively head the linemen who will pave the way for the Griffins' gridiron success. Headlining those groups are Clancy, Peterman, and fellow freshmen Shane Pitts (Hawley, Pa./Wallenpaupack Area), James Graziano (Manahawkin, N.J./Southern Regional), Elliot Bense Jenkintown, Pa./Jenkintown), Kevin Meredith (Germantown, Md./Our Lady of Good), and Brian Layden (Springfield, Pa./Springfield). A jack of all trades, sophomore Scott Ashton (Melbourne, Australia/Karingal Park Secondary College/Front Range CCC) will see time on the line while also serving as the Griffins' primary foot in the kicking game.
 
Aiming to make the Griffins' first sprint football season a winning one, the Griffins will focus on improving every day, maturing in all phases of play, and enjoying the hard work it takes to become the best team they can be. The first test will come at high-noon (12:00 p.m.) on Saturday, September 19, when the Griffins welcome Princeton University to the Plymouth Whitemarsh High School Football Stadium for the College's inaugural sprint football home game.