HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. -- Hampden-Sydney College opens the 2023 college football campaign at home against Wabash (IN) College in The Gentlemen's Classic on Saturday afternoon, September 2, at 1 p.m. on Fulton Field at Lewis C. Everett Stadium. The host Tigers and the visiting Little Giants are two of the remaining three all-male, four-year schools in the country—Hampden-Sydney is the oldest. H-SC and Wabash have met just three times previously and the Little Giants have won each game, including a 52-48 shootout last Sept. 3 in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The game can be heard locally on WVHL Radio, Kickin' Country 92.9 FM, and will also be available worldwide on the Internet at wvhl.net or via the TuneIn Radio App, while available to watch as well on the Tiger Sports Network live video stream at hscathletics.com, pregame airing at 12:30 p.m.

Hampden-Sydney vs. Wabash (The Gentlemen's Classic) | Stats | Audio | Video | Game Notes (PDF)
Location: Fulton Field at Lewis C. Everett Stadium | Hampden-Sydney, VA
Date: Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023
Time: 1 p.m.
Radio: Frank Shanaberger (play-by-play), Richard LeSueur (analyst)

H-SC completed 2022 with a final record of 5-5 overall, including 4-3 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) for fourth place, and have been picked fifth in this year's preseason poll. Wabash finished with a final record of 7-3 overall, including 6-3 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) for fourth place, and have been picked second in the preseason this year. H-SC is competing in its 129th season of football, and the Tigers are enjoying their 48th year as a charter member of the ODAC.

Favret Coaching Final Season
H-SC head coach Marty Favret, the all-time winningest coach in program history, announced on August 20 that 2023 will be his final season of coaching. In 23 seasons at the College, he has attained 145 victories (145-86) and led the Tigers to 15 winning seasons with five ODAC Championships (2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014) and six NCAA Division III Football Championship appearances (2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014). Favret is currently the longest-tenured collegiate football head coach in Virginia.

The Series
Wabash leads The Gentlemen's Classic, 3-0. The Little Giants won the inaugural meeting by a score of 34-21 on September 6, 2014 in Crawfordsville, Indiana, before taking the second meeting by a score of 35-3 on Sept. 5, 2015 at Hampden-Sydney. Wabash won the third meeting in the renewal of the Classic last season by a score of 52-48 on Sept. 3, 2022 in the Hoosier state.

Scouting The Tigers
Senior safety Will Pickren (Mount Pleasant, SC) returns for his fourth-year as a starter and leader of the defense. Last season, Will was a First Team AP Division III All-American, a Second Team AFCA Division III Coaches' All-American, D3football.com First Team All-Region 3 and First Team All-ODAC (for the third time). He started all 10 games and had team-high 123 total tackles, including 48 solo and 75 assisted, 5.0 tackles for loss, two interceptions, three pass breakups, one forced fumble, one quarterback hurry and one blocked PAT kick—leading the ODAC in total tackles and tackles per game, and tied for sixth in interceptions—ranking third in NCAA Division III in total tackles and tackles per game. Will begins the campaign with 267 career tackles and needs just 78 to equal and 79 to surpass and become the school's all-time leader in tackles.

Also returning to the secondary are senior safety James-Ryan Salvi (Troutville), senior cornerback Tobias Lafayette (Charleston, SC), junior safety Joseph Pierre (Mobile, AL), along with sophomore cornerback James Townsend (Hardeeville, SC). Salvi was a Second Team All-ODAC selection a year ago, starting all 10 games with 98 total tackles, including 39 solo and 59 assists, 0.5 tackles for loss, eight pass breakups and one fumble recovery—ranking third in the ODAC in total tackles and tackles per game, and tied for fourth in pass breakups. Lafayette started four of five games—missing five games due to injury—and had 13 total tackles, including eight solo and five assists, one interception and two pass breakups. Tobias was a Second Team All-ODAC choice in 2021. Pierre started all nine games he played with 29 total tackles, including 17 solo and 12 assists, 0.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups and two quarterback hurries. Townsend started seven of 10 games with 36 total tackles, including 25 solo and 11 assists, 1.5 tackles for loss, one interception, four pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

The returning defensive line starters include senior defensive tackle Kevin Gholson (Montpelier), senior defensive end Tramell Thompson (Queens, NY) and junior defensive end Brendan Wallace (Virginia Beach). Gholson started the first game as a junior before suffering a season-ending injury. Kevin was a Third Team All-ODAC selection as a sophomore when he had 39 total tackles, including 19 solo and 20 assists, eight tackles for loss, four sacks and two forced fumbles. Thompson started all 10 games with 39 total tackles, including eight solo and 31 assists, three tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble and one quarterback hurry—tying for 10th in the ODAC in forced fumbles. Wallace started eight of 10 games and had 36 total tackles, including nine solo and 27 assists, five tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, one pass breakup and two quarterback hurries.

Senior linebackers Dorian Green (Martinsville) and Jaylin Jones (Rustburg) return after starting for the Tigers. Green started all nine games as a junior and had 70 total tackles, including 24 solo and 46 assists, 7.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions, two pass breakups and three quarterback hurries—ranking sixth in the ODAC in tackles per game (7.8), tied for sixth in sacks and interceptions, and tied for eighth in total tackles. Jones started all 10 games with 60 total tackles, including 23 solo and 37 assists, 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one fumble recovery, one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry.

Offense
H-SC has tremendous experience and depth up front, anchored by senior left tackle TJ Minter (Chester). He was named to the 2022 D3football.com All-Region 3 Third Team and started all 10 games as the Tigers accounted for 4,275 yards of total offense (427.5), including 1,139 yards rushing (113.9) and 3,136 yards passing (313.6) with 44 touchdowns. TJ is a two-time First Team All-ODAC selection. Also returning after starting on the o-line are senior right tackle John Mill (Chesterfield), senior left guard Jason Southern (Culpeper), junior center Logan Cohn (Henrico) and sophomore right guard Tanner Palmore (Powhatan). Mill, Southern and Cohn each started all 10 games, while Palmore started the final seven games a year ago.

Senior running back Melik Frost (Hardeeville, SC) returns to lead the Tigers at this position in 2023. Melik was a Third Team D3football.com All-Region 3 and First Team All-ODAC selection after starting all 10 games as a junior and rushing for 943 yards on 201 carries, including a long run of 67 yards, with team-high 12 rushing touchdowns. He added 26 receptions for 236 yards, including a long reception of 47 yards, and one receiving touchdown. Frost led the ODAC in rushing yards and rushing yards per game (94.3), and ranked second in all-purpose yards (1,179), all-purpose yards per game (117.9), rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns (13).

The Garnet & Grey will have a new starter at quarterback, and it is expected to be either senior Andrew Puccinelli (Glen Allen) or sophomore Carter Sido (Dallas, TX). Puccinelli started two of three games as a junior and completed 66-94 passes (70.2%) for 646 yards and six touchdowns, adding one rushing touchdown for 625 yards of total offense. Sido played in six games as a freshman and completed 3-3 passes (100%) for four yards, adding 56 yards rushing and one rushing touchdown for 60 yards of total offense.

The receiver position(s) is another with strong experience and depth this fall. Returning starters include senior wide receiver Braeden Bowling (Cary, NC), senior wide receiver Jamahdia Whitby (Williamsburg), junior wide receiver Austin Fernandez (Warrenton) and sophomore slot receiver Mason Cunningham (Arlington)—the quartet combining for 2,119 yards receiving on 173 receptions with 19 touchdowns. Bowling was limited by an injury and started three of five games as a junior and had 25 receptions for 319 yards, including a long reception of 47 yards. Whitby started nine of 10 games and had 29 receptions for 365 yards, including a long reception of 72 yards, and seven touchdowns—ranking third in the ODAC in receiving touchdowns. Fernandez was a Second Team All-ODAC selection after starting all 10 games a year ago with 60 receptions for 775 yards, including a long reception of 74 yards, and six touchdowns—leading the ODAC in receptions and receptions per game (6.0), was third in receiving yards and receiving yards per game (77.5), and tied for fourth in receiving touchdowns. Cunningham made an immediate impact as a freshman when he was voted the ODAC Rookie of the Year and Second Team All-ODAC ... starting seven of 10 games and had 59 receptions for 660 receiving yards, including a long reception of 42 yards, and six touchdowns—ranking second in the ODAC in receptions and receptions per game (5.9), tied for fourth in receiving touchdowns, and tied for fifth in receiving yards and receiving yards per game (66.0).

Kicking/Return Specialists
Senior punter George Langhammer (Roanoke) and sophomore placekicker Elijah Swett (Matthews, NC) return to handle the two duties, respectively. Langhammer, who is left-footed, was limited by injury last season and played in six games—averaging 41.9 yards on 15 punts with three punts over 50 yards, including a long of 62 yards, and four downed inside the 20 with seven fair caught. Swett played in all 10 games as a freshman and was 17-19 on PATs (89%), and 4-4 on field goals (100%) with a long of 45 yards. Senior cornerback Brice Wilson (Charlottesville) and Mason Cunningham are back as return specialists on kicks and punts. Wilson had 12 kick returns for 282 yards (23.5) last season, including a long return of 34 yards—ranking third in the ODAC in kick return average. Cunningham had eight punt returns for 43 yards (5.4), including a long return of 10 yards.

Scouting Wabash
Wabash averaged 535.5 yards of total offense and 42.5 points per game last year, and is expected to be led offensively by five standout seniors: quarterback Liam Thompson, wide receivers Derek Allen, Jr. and Cooper Sullivan, tight end Penn Stoller, along with running back Donovan Snyder. Thompson is one of 30 collegiate quarterbacks nationwide selected to the Manning Award preseason watch list, and one of only two non-FBS players on the list—he was the NCAC Offensive Player of the Year (for the second-straight season) and First Team All-NCAC in 2022 after passing for 3,588 yards (252-350) and 34 touchdowns with seven interceptions, adding 349 yards rushing on 83 attempts (4.2) with seven TDs. Allen, First Team All-NCAC, had 913 yards receiving on 57 receptions with eight TDs. Sullivan, Second Team All-NCAC, had 788 yards receiving on 54 receptions with five TDs. Stoller, Second Team D3football.com All-America and First Team All-NCAC, had 691 yards receiving on 41 receptions with nine TDs. Snyder, Third Team All-NCAC, rushed for 669 yards on 167 attempts (4.0) with 11 TDs, adding 172 yards receiving on 21 receptions with three TDs. Sophomore linebacker Gavin Ruppert and senior linebacker Joe Rios return on defense for the Little Giants. Ruppert had 96 tackles, including 41 solo, with 4.5 tackles for loss. Rios had 63 tackles, including 29 solo, with 3.5 tackles for loss. Wabash has to replace graduated placekicker/punter Brigham Anderson. Cooper Sullivan is the most experienced return specialist after averaging 14.4 yards on seven kick returns.

Last Year: @Wabash 52 - H-SC 48
H-SC led 14-3 after one quarter, 28-17 at halftime, and 35-30 after three quarters, before the Little Giants rallied with 22 points in the fourth quarter for their home win. Tanner Bernard passed for 346 yards (28-41) and four touchdowns with one late interception, adding a touchdown on the ground, as well, for H-SC. Melik Frost rushed for 101 yards—his first career 100-yard game—on 17 attempts and two touchdown, adding eight yards receiving on one catch. David Byler had a career-high 94 yards receiving on a career-best eight receptions and two touchdowns. James-Ryan Salvi finished with a game-high 15 tackles to lead the Tigers on defense. Jaylin Jones added eight tackles, including one tackle for loss, while Dorian Green had seven tackles. Liam Thompson passed for a game-high 380 yards (23-37) and four touchdowns with no interceptions, adding a game-high 102 yards rushing on 15 carries and two touchdowns for Wabash. Donovan Snyder had 61 yards rushing on 18 attempts and one touchdown. Derek Allen, Jr. had a game-high 160 yards receiving on seven receptions and three touchdowns. Mike Holsclaw, Joe Rios and Steven Thomas each finished with eight tackles for the Little Giants.

200/100-Yard Rushing Games
Melik Frost rushed for a career-high 211 yards on 21 carries (10.0) and four touchdowns last season vs. Greensboro (9/17/22). It's the sixth-best single-game rushing effort in program history. He had four 100-yard rushing games in 2022, including 101 yards on 17 carries (5.9) and two touchdowns at Wabash (9/3), 105 yards on 18 carries (5.8) and one touchdown at Ferrum (10/8) and 125 yards on 30 carries (4.2) and three touchdowns vs. Guilford (10/29).

100-Yard Receiving Games
Austin Fernandez had three 100-yard receiving games in 2022, including 134 yards on five receptions (26.8) and one touchdown vs. Widener (9/10), 124 yards on seven receptions (19.1) and one touchdown at Bridgewater (10/1) and a career-high 165 yards on eight receptions (20.6) and one touchdown vs. Averett (10/15).

100-Yard Receiving Games
Mason Cunningham had three 100-yard receiving games in 2022, including 116 yards on nine receptions (12.9) and one touchdown vs. Greensboro (9/17), a career-high 163 yards on a career-high 13 receptions (12.5) and a career-high three touchdowns at Ferrum (10/8) and 130 yards on nine receptions (14.4) and two touchdowns vs. Averett (10/15).

Team Captains
Leading the Tigers are senior offensive tackle TJ Minter, senior safety Will Pickren, senior safety James-Ryan Salvi and senior defensive end Tramell Thompson. Minter becomes a two-time team captain after serving in the leadership role last season, as well, while Pickren, Salvi and Thompson are each first-time team captains. TJ is the son of the late Tony Minter and Catherine Minter. Will is the son of Wilson and Renee Pickren. James-Ryan is the son of Ryan and Denise Salvi. Tramell is the son of Chelsea Thompson.

Hampden-Sydney Football
H-SC has a 128-year history of football, amassing 572 wins since beginning in 1892. The Tigers have experienced great success over the years, including nine ODAC Championships, nine Mason-Dixon Conference Championships, seven NCAA Division III Championship appearances, 86 All-Americans, 16 Academic All-America selections and 214 First Team All-ODAC honorees. H-SC also played in the 1970 and 1971 Knute Rockne Bowls (NCAA College Division East Regional Championship).

Complete game notes are available via the linked PDF above.