WEST CALDWELL, N.J.- Caldwell University sprint football senior Frank DeMaio (Nutley, N.J.) combined for 223 yards and tossed for two scores as the Cougars defeated Mansfield University 33-17 in the 2022 season opener.
 
The Cougars open their season at 1-0 and 1-0 in the North Division, while the Mountaineers fall to 0-1 and 0-1 in division play.
 
After a scoreless first quarter, sophomore Michael Casalino (Clark, N.J.) capped a nine-play, 37-yard drive with a 36-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead early in the second quarter. Later in the quarter, DeMaio tossed a 28-yard scoring strike to junior Zaheir Mitchell (Wallington, N.J.) to put the Cougars ahead 10-0 at halftime.
 
On the first Mansfield offensive play of the second half, sophomore Amajuwan Murray (Rahway, N.J.) intercepted a Mountaineer pass and took it 33 yards to the end zone to put the Cougars ahead 16-0.
 
Mansfield rallied back with a field goal and a passing touchdown to close the gap to 16-10. Casalino extended the Cougars advantage with a 25-yard field late in the third quarter for a 19-10 lead heading to the final quarter.
 
The Mountaineers pulled to within two points early in the fourth quarter with a touchdown to trim the score to 19-17.
 
Caldwell pulled away late with a pair of touchdowns in the final eight minutes of the game. DeMaio and Mitchell connected on their second aerial touchdown of the game, this time it was a 19-yard scoring strike to push the lead to 26-17 at the 8:22 mark. The Cougars added a late score as freshman Devon Turner (Bergenfield, N.J.) capped a 10-play, 65-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown on the ground to account for the final score.
 
DeMaio led the way with 181 yards passing and adding 42 rushing yards in the win. Turner topped the rushing attack with 22 carries for 69 yards. Mitchell hauled in two catches for 47 yards and two scores, while junior Jared Montoya (Union City, N.J.) finished with four receptions for 46 yards.
 
Sophomore Andrew Conklin (Long Branch, N.J.) led the Caldwell defense with eight total tackles, while junior Tyquil Anderson (Trenton, N.J.) added six tackles. Junior Bradley Smith (Parlin, N.J.) recorded five tackles, including two sacks on the day.
 
The Cougars return to action as they travel to Alderson Broaddus University for a cross-division game on Saturday, September 24 at 1 pm.