DOYLESTOWN (Pa.) – The ninth ranked Delaware Valley University football team will head to Bridgewater College for the first round of the 2019 NCAA Division III Football Playoffs on Saturday, November 23 at 12 p.m.

You can watch the game from Bridgewater's live stream here: https://team1sports.com/Bridgewater/.

Listen to DelVal's play-by-play analyst Gordon Mann here: https://www.youtube.com/user/gmannji92/live

Can't listen or watch? Follow Bridgewater's live stats: https://www.bridgewatereagles.com/sports/fball/2019-20/boxscores/20191123_5pb3.xml

The Aggies finished the regular season 9-1 with a perfect 8-0 mark in the Middle Atlantic Conference to lock up its third straight conference championship and NCAA playoff berth. It is the 16^th straight postseason appearance and the ninth NCAA playoff appearance for the Aggies since 2002.

DelVal is 9-8 overall in NCAA tournament games, but will playing just its third playoff game on the road and in search of its first win away from home.

It will be just the second time ever that the Aggies and the Eagles have met on the gridiron. The only other time they met was in 1963 when Delaware Valley earned a 13-8 victory. The winner of this game will play the winner of the Framingham State University at Wesley College game in the second round.
 
SCOUTING THE AGGIES
DelVal enters the playoffs ranked ninth in Division III by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and D3Football.com, and it finished third in the final NCAA East Region rankings. Head coach Duke Greco owns a 57-9 overall record in six years at the helm and has six postseason appearances including four NCAA berths, and two Centennial-MAC Bowl Series championships. He recently earned his third MAC Coach of the Year honor.

His team is 9-1 this year with its lone loss coming in a 24-18 four-overtime nail biter at home against the Wesley Wolverines in week two. The Wolverines entered the tournament ranked second in the final East Region rankings.

Last week, DelVal defeated Widener University at home, 28-21, to secure the outright MAC championship and clinch its fifth straight win in the annual Keystone Cup rivalry game.

The Aggies have been powered by one of the nation's best defenses all year long. Among all teams in the country, the unit ranks second in total defense with just 182.5 yards per game allowed and fourth in scoring with 10.3 points per game permitted. They are ranked inside the top-25 in nine other categories:
            Rushing Defense           2nd – 45.9 yds/gm          
            Team Sacks                  6th – 39 sacks                
            Team Tackles For Loss T-7th – 9.1/gm.   
            Interceptions                 T-7th – 18                      
            Passing Defense            8th – 136.6 yds/gm         
            4th Down Defense         8th – 23.1%                 
            3rd Down Defense        11th – 26.4%               
            Defensive Touchdowns T-9th – 4 TDs              
            Red Zone Defense         19th – 57.1%               
 
Returning All-American defensive end Michael Nobile (Brick, Nj./Brick Memorial) lead the country in tackles for loss throughout the entire regular season and currently sits at 26.5 while his 10 sacks also ranks inside the top-20. He has recorded a team-high 61 tackles this season, and needs just a one more sack to move into second place on the program's all-time list. Last game against the Pride, he led the squad with seven tackles including 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack, and three quarterback hurries. He was recently named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Michael's twin brother Anthony Nobile (Brick, Nj./Brick Memorial) returned to the defensive line after missing six games with an injury, and he has 10 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, one pass break up and one fumble recovery for a touchdown in the last two weeks. Senior Kenyonn Jones (Burlington, Nj./Glassboro) and sophomore Yusuf Aladinov (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./William Tennent) are also featured up front. Jones has 45 tackles, nine TFL, and six sacks this year, while Aladinov has 6.5 TFL including 5.5 sacks, a forced fumble and one fumble recovery for a touchdown.  

Sophomore safety Blaine Netterman (Brick, Nj./Brick Memorial) has four interceptions in the last five games and has recorded 30 tackles this year including two TFL and a sack. He is joined in the defensive backfield by Justin Harris (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter), Dontae Mason (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt), and Jamir Prevard (Galloway, Nj./Atlantic City) who have combined for eight interceptions, 15 pass breakups and 91 tackles. Last week, Harris took an interception 59 yards for his second touchdown of the year. Seniors Rashiek Harvard (Edison, Nj./John P. Stevens) and Anthony Thomas (Phiadelphia, Pa./Prep Charter) will also see time in the rotation and they have three interceptions and five break-ups combined.

Junior Anthony Tedesco (Ocean, Nj./Ocean Twp.) is second on the team with 53 tackles to go with nine tackles for loss and a sack as he leads a linebacking corps that boasts three seniors in team captain Vincent DiLeo (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt), Billy Walsh (Brick, Nj./Brick Memorial), and Ryan Barrett (Willow Grove, Pa./Archbishop Wood).  Walsh has 51 tackles this year to go with eight TFL, three sacks and an interception while DiLeo has been a force in the backfield all year long. He has 31 tackles, 10 behind the line of scrimmage, five sacks, and eight quarterback hurries. Barrett chips in with 39 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and four passes defended.

Offensively, The Aggies are finished atop the MAC in scoring with 37.2 points per game and 52 touchdowns. They average 394.8 yards per game with 241.9 yards through the air and 152.9 on the ground. DelVal has a surplus of weapons as evident by its 15 different offensive players with a touchdown this season.

Senior quarterback Anthony Fontana (Brick, Nj./Brick Memorial) has completed 64.4% (132-210) of his passes for 2,081 yards with 23 touchdowns. He has hit 10 different receivers for scores and has thrown just four interceptions. On the ground he has run the ball 78 times for 177 yards and six scores.

Returning All-American tight-end Dan Allen (Philadelphia, Pa./Penn Wood) and senior wide out Aaron Nelson (Hampstead, Md./North Carroll) pace the team with 31 and 28 receptions, respectively. Allen was a first team all-MAC honoree this year and has 510 yards and six touchdowns. Nelson has 608 yards and five scores and is averaging 21.7 yards per catch. Fellow senior Juwan Manigo (Windsor Mill, Md./Perry Hall) has hauled in 23 passes for 414 yards and four touchdowns.

Two running backs have toted the ball over 80 times for nearly 400 yards in seniors Mario Nigro (South River, Nj./South River) and Donte Simmons (Bristol, Pa./Bristol). Simmons is going for 5.2 yard per carry and four scores while Nigro averages 4.9 per carry and also has found pay dirt four times.  

The special teams have been a key contributor for DelVal this season led by return men Jamir Prevard and freshman Tahmir Barksdale (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Wood). Barksdale is seventh in the country with 16.5 yards per punt and has three touchdowns. Prevard is 15^th in the nation at 27.8 yards per return and he has taken one to the house this year.

Senior kicker Nick Restaino (Bloomfield, Nj./Bloomfield) became the program's all-time leader in extra points made and points by a kicker this season. He has converted 48-of-51 attempts but is just 1-for-6 on field goals.
 
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Bridgewater entered the 2019 NCAA Playoffs by way of the automatic qualifier as champions of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. The Eagles finished the regular season a perfect 10-0 with non-conference wins over Gettysburg and Stevenson. In the latest D3Football.com national rankings they are ranked 21^st, and in the final regional rankings they came in at third in the South Region with a strength of schedule of .514.

Bridgewater has dominated its schedule this season with an average margin of victory 27.5 points. Its closest contest was a 28-21 home win over Randolph Macon when it held a 21-0 halftime lead and never led by less than eight points.

Head coach Mike Clark is in his 25^th season and has a 154-100-1 record including a 143-63 mark since 200 that includes 16 NCAA Playoff games, two final four appearances, and one trip to the Stagg Bowl where it fell to Mount Union, 30-27, in 2001.

This year's squad is averaging 39.2 points per game and 413.3 yards per contest. The passing game is going for 241.2 yards per clip while the rushing attack earns 172.1 yards per game.

Senior quarterback Jay Scroggins has completed 172-of-258 passes (66.7%) for 2,171 yards with 25 touchdowns to just one interception. With his legs, Scroggins has gained 144 yards on 50 carries and two scores.

Junior tailback Demetreus Jalepes has carried the ball 125 times for 724 yards, an average of 5.8 yards per carry, and nine touchdowns. He has also caught 18 passes for 268 yards and two scores. Albert Mensah has 79 carries out of the backfield and has five touchdowns with an average of 3.8 yards per carry and one fumble.

Nine different receivers have 10 or more receptions led by senior wide out Trey Stephens who averages 3.6 catches and 47 yards per game with five touchdown receptions this year. Sophomore Devonte Smith follows with 25 catches for 424 yards and four scores. He is averaging 17 yards per catch. Matt DeMasi is another tailback, but has more catches than rush attempts. He's caught 20 passes for 236 yards and one touchdown.

Defensively, Re'Shaun Myers is the middle linebacker and the biggest threat on the field. He has 84 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, six sacks, and three forced fumbles. Fellow senior linebacker Gary Ramey, Jr. has 74 tackles, 10 TFL, and five sacks to go with a forced fumble. Defensive end Da'Sean Davis is another player to watch. He has for sacks and an interception.

Junior cornerback Chase Rosenthal has five of the team's 12 interceptions this year and has 36 solo tackles to go with 12 pass break-ups. Senior defensive back Matt Dang, a transfer from Mount Union, has 28 tackles, 2.5 TFL, two fumble recoveries, an interception, and three blocked kicks.     

On special teams, the Eagles average 25.9 yards per kick return and 10.6 yards per punt return. Six different players have returned punts and only one has gone for a touchdown. Senior Logan Weis handles the kicking duties and his 44-for-49 on extra points and 7-fo-10 on field goals with a long of 43 yards.

The 2019 NCAA Division III Football playoff first round game will kick off at 12 p.m. at Jopson Athletic Complex in Bridgewater, Va.