Sprint football routed in Annapolis

In its season opener Friday night, the sprint football team (0-1) was sunk by Navy (1-0), 77-16. The loss extended the Tigers' losing streak to 30 games, dating back to 1999.

The Midshipmen scored early and often and relinquished neither their barrage nor the lead, which they first held after only two minutes, 55 seconds. The Tigers' only touchdowns came in the fourth quarter, when the game was already far out of reach.

Junior running back Frank Langston scored on a four-yard rush, while senior wide receiver Matt Wolf found his way into the end zone courtesy of an eight-yard touchdown pass at the end of the game from senior quarterback Dennis Bakke. Sophomore kicker Neil Swami also connected on a 32-yard field goal.

Two Tiger miscues in the first quarter led to 14 quick points for the Midshipmen. On Princeton's first possession, Navy blocked a punt, giving them a short field. An Amir Shareef five-yard run gave the Midshipmen their first lead. On the Tigers' next possession, a Bakke interception led to a Bret Abbamonte 25-yard interception return. The Midshipmen led 14-0 only 4:11 into the game.

Despite Swami's field goal halfway through the first quarter, Navy continued its onslaught, scoring two more touchdowns on a 33-yard pass play and a 13-yard run, before time expired in the first quarter.

Five Midshipman second-half touchdowns extended Navy's lead to 63-3 at the half.

Navy opened the scoring in the second quarter with a 73-yard touchdown completion, the longest play of the game, to wide out Kevin Laughery. Navy running back Amir Shareef added two more touchdowns in the quarter. The Midshipmen ended the scoring in the second quarter with the longest run of the day, a Jake Owens 71-yard touchdown run.

Navy's offense slowed in the second half as they only added two more scores, but it was enough to put the Tigers away for good, ending any hope of a miraculous comeback.

The Tigers did however, score twice in the fourth quarter. Langston scored on a four-yard touchdown run after a 10-play, 81-yard drive. Swami converted the extra point.

With 3:44 remaining in the game, Princeton took control of the ball for its last possession.

After driving 41 yards in 10 plays, the Tigers faced a fourth-and-eight. On the game's last play, Bakke scrambled and eventually found Wolf in the back of the end zone for the score.

"We felt pretty good heading into the game," Wolf said. "We knew that a lot of guys had played Navy before so they knew that we were in for a tough battle. We proved at the end that we will stay around next time we play them."

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Bakke completed 8-of-26 passes for 65 yards and two interceptions. Senior running back Matt Worley, the team's leading rusher, ran the ball 12 times for 76 yards.

Navy, on the other hand, scored 11 touchdowns in the rout. The Midshipmen totaled 395 rushing yards.