Utica at RPI | 9/12/26 - Football Highlights

TROY, NY - Triumph in Troy! Pioneer Football improved to 2-0 on Saturday afternoon, traveling to ECAV Stadium and earning a convincing 38-14 victory over a strong RPI side. The Pioneers used a dominant passing attack, timely defensive takeaways, and a shutout second-half defensive effort to pull away from the Engineers. To cap it all off, head coach Blaise Faggiano secured his 100th career win as head honcho of the Pioneers. The Pioneers opened the scoring with 9:05 remaining in the first quarter, as Nico Duarte (Kearny, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) connected on a 23-yard field goal to give Utica an early 3-0 lead. RPI answered with a five-yard touchdown run from Kayden White, but the Pioneer offense responded immediately as Tyler Szalkowski (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute) found Tyshawn Taylor (Syracuse, NY/Syracuse Institute of Technology) for a 69-yard touchdown strike with 3:14 left in the opening quarter. Gabriel Zawolo (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit) added a four-yard touchdown reception early in the second quarter, and Duarte later connected on another 23-yard field goal to send Utica into halftime with a 20-14 advantage. The Pioneers took control in the second half, scoring 18 unanswered points. Eze Frazier (Garnerville, NY/North Rockland) punched in a one-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, with Logan Frederick (Little Falls, NY/Little Falls) converting the two-point try on a pass from Szalkowski. Duarte added a 27-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter before Frazier scored again from six yards out to cap the scoring and secure the 38-14 victory. A big key in the crucial win was the turnover battle. The Pioneers managed to score 38 points without suffering a single giveaway, while the orange and blue secondary picked off the Engineers on three occasions and also scooped up a fumble to give the team a +4 margin. Turnovers turned the close matchup into a lopsided affair during the second half, with the Pioneers' potent passing game proving to be too much for the Engineers. Saturday Spotlight: Before even speaking about the stars of the matchup, it has to be mentioned that this was the 100th career head coaching win for Blaise Faggiano, who will remain the longest-tenured college head coach in New York State for the foreseeable future. Coach Faggiano has posted a 100-82 all-time record with the Pioneers and has had the program surging in the past decade, recording five ECAC Bowl appearances, two ECAC Bowl victories, and the team's magical 2022 run to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. His defensive game plan helped hold the Engineer offense to 0 points in the second half, cementing #100. On the field, the Pioneer passing game was outstanding from start to finish, led by the dynamic connection between Tyler Szalkowski (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute), Tyshawn Taylor (Syracuse, NY/Syracuse Institute of Technology), and Gabriel Zawolo (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit). Szalkowski had an extremely efficient afternoon as he completed 29-of-38 passes for 402 yards and two touchdowns. However, it was Taylor and Zawolo who were the main focus of Szalkowski's attention, with each receiver torching the RPI secondary and falling just short of single-game program records. Taylor was the game's leading receiver, and potentially the leading receiver in all of Division III on Saturday afternoon, hauling in eight passes for a career-best 244 yards and one touchdown. His 69-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter provided an early spark and helped Utica regain the lead after RPI's opening touchdown. Taylor's 244 receiving yards ranked second all-time in single-game program history, coming up just a few yards short of Anthony Acevedo's 252-yard outing in 2013. Taylor was massive in the deep game, tallying 30.5 yards per reception in the contest. Zawolo was equally effective, catching 13 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. His 13 receptions established a strong rhythm for the Pioneer offense, aiding the team in converting numerous third-down opportunities. His four-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter also helped Utica build its halftime advantage. Zawolo also fell just one reception short of tying the single-game receptions program record, which is still held by Jerred Beniquez in 2016. Together, Taylor and Zawolo combined for a mind-boggling 21 receptions, 348 yards, and two touchdowns. The Pioneer defense also produced an extremely strong performance, forcing four RPI turnovers and turning those takeaways into 18 points. Luke Sheldon (Lake George, NY/Lake George), Joseph Gentile (Utica, NY/Thomas R. Proctor), and Nathan Hernandez (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville) each recorded an interception, while Sheldon added 11 tackles and Gentile finished with seven tackles. Isaiah Thomas (Kingston, NY/Kingston) led the Pioneer defense with 12 tackles, including a half-sack and one tackle for loss.