Troy, NY --- RPI QB Jake Kazanowsky (Toms River, NJ) threw for four touchdowns and his defense held WPI to just 203 yards of offense, including only 61 in the first half, as the Engineers of Troy bested the Worcester Engineers 51-7 on Friday night in the annual Transit Trophy game. RPI improves to 2-1, while WPI suffers its first loss, also going to 2-1.
RPI has now captured four straight in the annual event and eight of the last 10. Overall, they improved their record against WPI to 64-48-5 overall, and 30-13-1 since the trophy game between the schools was designated in 1980.
Kazanowsky finished the game going 15-for-18 for 246 yards and four touchdown passes, all in the first half. Hayden Faraday (Anaheim Hills, CA) was his top target, catching five balls for 105 yards and two scores, while RJ Encarnacion (Bronx, NY) had two catches for 80 yards and a score. Kayden White (Pottstown, PA) was the top rusher for the Troy Engineers, carrying the ball 11 times for 85 yards with one touchdown.
Defensively for RPI, Jon Connelly (South Salem, NY) and Anthony D'Agostino (Hewlett, NY) each had five tackles. Ethan Johnson (Springfield, PA) notched a sack, while Jon Borkowski (Fort Salonga, NY) and Thomas Mulvaney (Norton, MA) each had two pass breakups.
For WPI, Mike Ingraffia (Kings Park, NY) was 20-for-43 for 181 yards and a passing touchdown, while rushing for a team-high 23 yards. Aaron Skaling (Bedford, NH) had five catches for 48 yards, while Ty Csencsits (Hellertown, MA) grabbed the first touchdown pass of his career, finishing with two catches for 34 yards and the score.
Michael Doherty (Woburn, MA) led the WPI defense with 10 tackles, while Gavin Chieff (Bernardsville, N.J.) had eight and Rashad Stepney (Yorktown, VA) notched seven.
RPI scored early and often, putting up six first-half touchdowns to lead 41-0 at the break White powered through WPI's defense for a 3-yard rushing touchdown on a 10-play, 75-yard drive to open the scoring. Kazanowsky then took over, throwing four touchdown passes, starting with a 15-yard strike to Faraday late in the first quarter to cap off a 97-yard drive.
Kazanowsky continued his hot streak into the second quarter, connecting with Paisley Nickelson (Las Vegas, NV) for a 10-yard score, and finding Faraday again, this time for a 64-yard bomb. RPI's defense set up the next score, a short 32-yard drive that ended with Dameon Ming (Crofton, MD) punching in a 1-yard rushing touchdown. Just before halftime, Kazanowsky threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game, an 8-yard toss to Kevin Hughes (Lakeville, MA), to cap off a dominant first half.
RPI's production slowed in the third, but early in the quarter, backup QB Anthony DeMatteo (Caramel, NY) threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to Encarnacion. The score finished a 10-play, 97-yard drive to make it 48-0.
In the fourth, Aleksandar Maric (Munster, IN) added a 25-yard field goal for RPI to push it to 51-0. WPI got on the board a few minutes later, putting together a 13-play, 76-yard drive for their first score of the game. A key third-down conversion saw a 20-yard pass from Ingraffia to Josh Castro (Pittsburgh, PA) keep the drive going before Csencsits caught a 19-yard pass for paydirt to make it 51-7.
Both teams are back in action on Saturday, September 28 at noon. WPI begins NEWMAC play by hosting Norwich, while RPI closes out its non-conference slate at Endicott.