The football team took center stage during Family Weekend and did not disappoint after a thrilling 35-31 comeback win against Delaware State University.
Source: Contributed by Joshua Gee, ’26
A back-and-forth game, SHU scored 17 straight points in the second half with sophomore quarterback Jack Snyder throwing two touchdowns to junior wide receiver Jason Palmieri. The team converted three third downs on the game winning drive to secure the win.
“There’s no better feeling than making the last drive, picking up first downs, and sealing the victory for the home crowd,” said Snyder.
“Our o-line definitely has not got enough love; they played very well and were one of the biggest reasons we won that game,” said Palmieri.
A 14-point deficit in the second quarter marked the Pioneers largest of the game.
“Even when we were down 31–17, the guys believed in each other and trusted that they were good enough to come back,” said head coach Mark Nofri.
“The offense kept plugging away and kept the faith that we would put points on the board. This team truly believes that good things will happen when you believe in each other and keep fighting for each other to the last whistle,” said Snyder.
Delaware State put up 31 points in the first half but was shutout in the second half.
“We made some adjustments with our coaches and defensive schemes. We told the kids to settle down, and we can get back into this game, little by little,” said Nofri. “The message was simple: do your job, pull for one another and stay positive.”
The Pioneers did their job with some big plays on defense; six tackles from sophomore safety Kymari Latney and five tackles for both senior Peter Schanne and junior Glory Stephen-Wangboje.
“We truly take one practice at a time, one game at a time. The coaches tell us not to look too far ahead, and we believe in that,” said Snyder. “If you practice hard every day, game day will take care of itself, and winning streaks will happen. Winning doesn’t only happen on Saturdays. Winning happens because we put in the work during the week.”
On top of a huge Family Weekend win and a three-game winning streak, Snyder was named the New England Football Association Gold Helmet award winner, a weekly award that recognize student-athletes from Division II, Division III, Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) schools in New England.
In an intrastate thriller on Oct. 4, the Pioneers fell to Central Connecticut State University 42-35 in overtime.
The Pioneers’ next game will be at home on Oct. 11 against Howard University.
Athletic Communications contributed to this article.
