Football | 9/1/2025 5:00:00 PM

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -  The Bloomsburg football opens the 2025 season on the road as the Huskies head to Fairmont State on Thursday, September 4 for a 7:00 p.m. game in Fairmont, W. Va. It is the third-straight season the Huskies and Falcons will square off for Bloomsburg's season-opener. 
 
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GAME NOTES PDF (37 pages)

THE GAME
The Huskies and Falcons meet the third-straight year on Thursday night to open the season for Bloomsburg. The Huskies are coming off a 6-5 year in 2025 while Fairmont State opened the year with a close 24-21 win over Seton Hill last Thursday.
 
THE SERIES
The Huskies and Falcons meet for just the fourth time in program history and for the third-straight time to open the season on Thursday night. The Huskies lead the all-time series 2-1 after a 35-7 win in Bloomsburg last season. The lone Fairmont State win came in 2023 when the Huskies traveled to the Falcons and Fairmont came back for a 34-30 win. The Huskies won the first matchup between the two schools on Saturday, September 3, 2005, 33-0.
 
SCOUTING FAIRMONT STATE
Fairmont State opened the 2025 season with a 24-21 road win at Seton Hill after building a 17-point lead and holding off a late rally by the Griffins. The Falcons struck first with an Emmanuel Richardson field goal before Tristen Williams came up with an interception to set up the first touchdown—a 32-yard catch-and-run by Leonard Farrow. Farrow then broke loose for a 62-yard score late in the second quarter, giving FSU a 17-0 advantage. Seton Hill responded with a quick touchdown to cut the deficit to 17-7 at halftime.
 
Farrow opened the second half with another 62-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 24-7, but turnovers in the fourth quarter allowed the Griffins to climb back within three. With just over a minute remaining, the Falcon defense delivered when Saumir Deshields recorded a sack on the first play of Seton Hill's final drive, leading to a turnover on downs that sealed the win.
 
Farrow was the difference-maker, finishing with 274 rushing yards and two long touchdowns on the ground while also catching a 32-yard touchdown pass. Quarterback Nino Marzullo went 14-of-24 for 134 yards and the one passing score. Overall, Fairmont State ran for 321 yards on 44 attempts. Defensively, Montel Sims paced the unit with 10 tackles and two tackles for loss, while Tyrees Smith added nine stops.
 
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
After being picked to finish eighth in the PSAC East last year, the Huskies exceeded expectations with a 6-5 record and a third-place finish. This season, they look to build on that success and return standout All-PSAC East performer Jerry Griffen-Batchler (Norristown, Pa./Germantown Academy) to lead the offense.
 
Bloomsburg returns All-PSAC East wideout Jerry Griffen-Batchler (Norristown, Pa./Germantown Academy) for his senior season. Griffen-Batchler earned his first All-Conference honor as he was named a PSAC East First Team wide receiver. Griffen-Batchler put together a career year with 48 receptions for 854 yards. He averaged 4.36 catches per game and 17.79 yards per catch. Griffen-Batchler had eight receiving touchdowns and averaged 77.64 yards per game. He had four games with two touchdown catches and three games of 100+ receiving yards. Griffen-Batchler posted six catches for 209 yards and two touchdowns in the Huskies' 35-27 win over Millersville on six catches. His 209 receiving yards were the most by a Husky since 2003. 68 yards came on one touchdown catch for the junior. Griffen-Batchler also returned kickoffs and punts for the Huskies. He had 11 punt returns for 88 yards and had 324 kickoff return yards on the year. Griffen-Batchler had a conference-best 254 all-purpose yards in the Huskies' win over Millersville. For the year, Griffen-Batchler posted 1,259 all-purpose yards and averaged 114.45 yards per game. He finished second in the conference in receiving touchdowns and fifth in receiving yards and yards per game.
 
Multi-threat quarterback KJ Riley (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) is back as the Huskies' signal caller. Riley finished the season with 2,034 passing yards behind a 124-for-206 season. He threw 17 touchdowns and a had a long TD pass of 93 yards against Shippensburg. Riley led the team in rushing with 304 yards on 86 carries and had four touchdowns. He also did all of the punting for Bloomsburg, averaging 37.53 yard per punt and had 11 fair catches, placed 16 inside the 20-yard line and had three of 50 or more yards. Riley was 2-for-6 on field goals with a long of 38 and was 15-for-17 on extra-point kicks. Riley averaged 54.3 yards per kickoff and had two touchbacks for the year.
 
Defensively, the Huskies return one of the top tacklers in the PSAC in Brady Thompson (Green Lane, Pa./Upper Perkiomen). Thompson played in and started all 11 games for the Huskies this season and was second on the team with 85 total tackles. He had a career-best and team-leading 9.0 tackles for loss (32 yards) and 2.5 sacks for 16 yards. Thompson forced one fumble and broke up a pair of passes. Thompson finished the season with four quarterback hurries as well.
 
ON THIS DAY – SEPTEMBER 4
 
Bloomsburg Athletics History, September 4, 2018
Women's Volleyball Sweeps Chestnut Hill In Program's First Home Match
The Bloomsburg University women's volleyball hosted the program's first-ever home match on Tuesday night at the Nelson Field House and the Huskies did not disappoint the loud and boisterous crowd in attendance as Bloomsburg swept Chestnut Hill, 3-0, to improve to 2-3 on the young season.
 
Bloomsburg shook off some early nerves to earn a hard-fought 25-22 victory in the opening set and then got stronger as the match went on, winning by the finals of 25-17 and 25-12 in the final two sets to close out the match. The Griffins dropped to 1-2 on the season.
 
Nearly 600 fans were treated to free t-shirts, sponsored by Wagner's Trophies, mini volleyballs, and a post-match autograph session with the members of the inaugural team on the historic night. The Bloomsburg University cheerleaders and marching band were also in attendance to provide some additional fanfare on the evening.
 
History, September 4, 1972
American swimmer Mark Spitz won his seventh gold medal during the Munich Olympic Games, the first person ever to do so in a single Olympics.
 
QUICK RECAP – 2024 HUSKIES
The Huskies exceeded all expectations by the league's coaches and finished the 2024 season 6-5 and 4-3 in PSAC East action. After being picked to finish last in the East, the Huskies finished third in the conference. Bloomsburg opened the season with a dominant 35-7 win over Fairmont State at home before dropping a heartbreaker to Seton Hill, 15-14, on a last-second touchdown. The Huskies responded with a 32-27 comeback win over Edinboro and went on to defeat West Chester 23-21 at home to finish out the month of September. After three-straight losses to Kutztown, East Stroudsburg, and Lock Haven, Bloomsburg righted ship with a 20-10 win over Shippensburg University to end October. The Huskies went down to Shepherd and came home with a 27-21 double overtime win over the Rams before defeating Millersville 35-27 on Senior Day. The Huskies ended the year with a 27-7 loss to Slippery Rock on the road.
 
QUICK RECAP – 2024 FALCONS
The Falcons went 7-4 overall and 6-3 in MEC play during the 2024 season. After a 56-24 win over Seton Hill to open the year, the Falcons fell to Bloomsburg 35-7 in their first ever trip to Bloomsburg. Pa. Fairmont suffered a 17-14 loss to Glenville State to open MEC action before defeating Wheeling 52-49. The Falcons fell to West Virginia State 45-34 on Homecoming. Fairmont won two-straight against West Virginia Wesleyan and UNC Pembroke before dropping a high-scoring affair to #11/14 University of Charleston. The Falcons ended the year with three straight wins against Concord University, West Liberty University, and Frostburg State University.
 
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
For the first time since his tenure began in 2019, head coach Frank Sheptock went into spring ball and then the regular season with the same coaching staff in 2025. Coach Sheptock added depth to the staff with several student and volunteer assistants, but his coordinators and main position group coaches remained the same. Tim Landis is back for year two as offensive coordinator and the quarterbacks coach. Chris Sprague continues to coach the offensive lines and tight ends. Zach Martin is back at the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach while Johnathan Pruden returns to coach the secondary. Greg Kahn is leading the defensive line once again and Tony Ianerio is in charge of the running backs and specialists. Josh Bernocco is in his second season as the special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach. Coach Sheptock added Chase Higgins, Peyton Persing, Loughlin Smith, and Nick Troutman as volunteer and student assistant coaches.
 
KEY LOSSES
The Huskies have several key positions to fill for the 2025 season. Bloomsburg will be without three key All-PSAC East athletes on defense with the departure of Ryan D'Ambra (Southampton, Pa./Archbishop Wood), Giovanni Cancro (Pequannock, N.J./Pequannock Township), and Charles Crews III (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport Area). The Huskies also lose two of their top receivers to graduation as Owen Anderson (Cogan Station, Pa./Jersey Shore Area) and Matthew Bowes (Somerton, Pa./La Salle College HS) finished their careers in 2024.
 
RETURNING ALL-PSAC ATHLETES
Bloomsburg returns All-PSAC East wideout Jerry Griffen-Batchler (Norristown, Pa./Germantown Academy) (Norristown, Pa./Germantown Academy) for his senior season. Griffen-Batchler earned his first All-Conference honor as he was named a PSAC East First Team wide receiver. Griffen-Batchler put together a career year with 48 receptions for 854 yards. He averaged 4.36 catches per game and 17.79 yards per catch. Griffen-Batchler had eight receiving touchdowns and averaged 77.64 yards per game. He had four games with two touchdown catches and three games of 100+ receiving yards. Griffen-Batchler posted six catches for 209 yards and two touchdowns in the Huskies' 35-27 win over Millersville on six catches. His 209 receiving yards were the most by a Husky since 2003. 68 yards came on one touchdown catch for the junior. Griffen-Batchler also returned kickoffs and punts for the Huskies. He had 11 punt returns for 88 yards and had 324 kickoff return yards on the year. Griffen-Batchler had a conference-best 254 all-purpose yards in the Huskies' win over Millersville. For the year, Griffen-Batchler posted 1,259 all-purpose yards and averaged 114.45 yards per game. He finished second in the conference in receiving touchdowns and fifth in receiving yards and yards per game.
 
WELCOME TO BLOOM
Bloomsburg added 36 newcomers to the program on National Signing Day including six wide receivers/slots, seven cornerbacks/secondary, a defensive end, five defensive linemen, one kicker, seven linebackers, two quarterbacks, three running backs, and two tight ends.
 
PROTECTING THE QB
Once again the Huskies offensive line was one of the best in the PSAC protecting its quarterback. The Huskies allowed the fifth-fewest sacks between both the East and the West and second fewest on the East. Quarterback KJ Riley (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) helped himself as well as the Huskies allowed the third-fewest yards on sacks.
 
PLAYING A CLEAN GAME
The Huskies were least penalized team in the PSAC with just 60 penalties for 469 yards, 42.6 per game. The most penalized team in the PSAC last year was West Chester with 73 penalties for 783 yards, 78.3 yards per game. The Huskies first two PSAC crossover opponents, Edinboro and Seton Hill, were the ninth and 12th, respectively, penalized teams in 2024.
 
LOCKER ROOM TALK
Head coach Frank Sheptock has found the secret to success in his locker room talks as Bloomsburg has found a way to score in bunches in the first and third quarters and keep their opponents off the board. The Huskies outscored opponents 48-45 in the first quarter and 82-39 in the third quarter. The third quarter scoring has come extremely efficiently as the Huskies have averaged just 5:53 minutes of possession in the third. 
 
LOTS OF OPTIONS
Junior quarterback will have a full stable of receivers to rely on this season, including two of his top receivers from last season. Leading the pack is Jerry Griffen-Batchler (Norristown, Pa./Germantown Academy) who had a breakout junior season. JGB finished the year with a career-best 854 receiving yards and 48 catches. He averaged 17.79 yards per catch and 77.64 yards per game. Griffen-Batchler led the team with eight touchdown receptions and had a career-long 68-yard catch.
 
Gabe Brower (Alexandria, Pa./Juniata Valley) returns after his 2024 season ended early due to an injury. Brower looks to pick up where he left off after averaging 16.4 yards per catch and 51.25 yards per game last year. He finished his season with 410 yards on 25 catches in eight games and two touchdowns.
 
Justin Wolfe (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg Area) began last season sidelined by an injury but ended the year with 113 yards on 11 catches in five games. He average 10.27 yards per catch and 22.60 yards per game.
 
Second on the depth chart for Riley to open the season are three familiar faces that have worked hard to get their chance. Sean Mackinder (Archbald, Pa./Valley View), Alex Achenbach (Tower City, Pa./Williams Valley), and Xavier Diaz (Mount Carmel, Pa./Mount Carmel) are all sophomores who saw limited time in 2024 but look to expand their role in 2025.
 
THE RILEY FILE
Multi-threat quarterback KJ Riley (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) is back as the Huskies' signal caller. Riley finished the season with 2,034 passing yards behind a 124-for-206 season. He threw 17 touchdowns and a had a long TD pass of 93 yards against Shippensburg. Riley led the team in rushing with 304 yards on 86 carries and had four touchdowns. He also did all of the punting for Bloomsburg, averaging 37.53 yard per punt and had 11 fair catches, placed 16 inside the 20-yard line and had three of 50 or more yards. Riley was 2-for-6 on field goals with a long of 38 and was 15-for-17 on extra-point kicks. Riley averaged 54.3 yards per kickoff and had two touchbacks for the year.
 
LBU
The Huskies' linebackers have been a force to be reckoned with since the Frank Sheptock days, and the 2025 group is no different. Though the Huskies will be without two of the best to wear maroon and gold over the last few seasons with Ryan D'Ambra (Southampton, Pa./Archbishop Wood) and Tom Goetz (Wenonah, N.J./Gateway Regional) graduating, Brady Thompson (Green Lane, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) looks to cement his name in Husky history. Thompson played in and started all 11 games for the Huskies this season and was second on the team with 85 total tackles. He had a career-best and team-leading 9.0 tackles for loss (32 yards) and 2.5 sacks for 16 yards. Thompson forced one fumble and broke up a pair of passes. Thompson finished the season with four quarterback hurries as well. After making a strong case for All-PSAC East accolades last year, Thompson looks to dominate PSAC offensive players once again this year.
 
Luke Williams (Myerstown, Pa./ELCO), Garrett Garcia (Catawissa, Pa./Southern Columbia), and Izzy Dobbins (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic) earned the three other starting spots at the coveted linebacker spot. Williams finished 2024 with 10 games played and seven total tackles. He had 1.0 TFL (2 yards) in a deep LB room. Garcia was limited in action to preserve a redshirt as he played in three games for the Huskies and had one tackle. Dobbins is new to the Huskies after transferring from Lock Haven.
 
In the group of returners on the depth chart at linebacker, only one, Nahzier Booker (Pottstown, Pa./Pottstown), saw time as he played in four games and made one tackle. Brady Ronan (Tyrone,Pa./Tyrone Area) and Connor Richabaugh look to make their Bloomsburg debut this season.
 
Joining Dobbins as newcomers to Bloomsburg who earned a spot on the opening week depth chart is Dylan Clair (Harleysville, Pa./La Salle College HS),
 
The Huskies brought in nine new linebackers in their 2025 recruiting class to continue the tradition – Izzy Dobbins (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic), Dom Fetterolf (Catawissa, Pa./Southern Columbia), Ryan Connotillo (Mooresville, N.C./Community School of Davidson), Dylan Clair (Harleysville, Pa./La Salle College HS), Owen Tucker (Hummelstown, Pa./Lower Dauphin), Tyler Flanders (Exeter Township, Pa./Exeter Township), Patrick McGonnell (Colts Neck, N.J./Red Bank Catholic), Caiden Berardi (Scranton, Pa./West Scranton), and TJ McLain (Bangor, Pa./Bangor Area).
 
PSAC CELEBRATES 75 YEARS
The PSAC celebrates its 75th Anniversary this season as they highlight four groups of student-athletes, administrators, and important figures from its 17 current member institutions and former members, Cheyney and Mercyhurst. The PSAC will celebrate:
 
Made in the PSAC – Released September 3, 2025
Recognizing former student-athletes that have gone on to influential careers after graduation (which could be in the sports industry, but not as a professional athlete.)
 
75 Greatest Female Athletes – Released September 10, 2025
Recognizing former female student-athletes that had exceptional athletic careers during or after their participation in the PSAC.
 
75 Greatest Male Athletes – Released September 17, 2025
Recognizing former male student-athletes that had exceptional athletic careers during or after their participation in the PSAC.
 
Distinguished Keystones – Released September 24, 2025
Individuals that have been historically influential in the PSAC, whether it be staff, coaches, or administrators.
 
SHEPTOCK ERA
Sheptock was named the 28th head football coach in Bloomsburg University as he returns to his alma mater to take over the Huskies' program. Sheptock was at Division III Wilkes University as the defensive coordinator from 1990-95 and then took over the Colonels' program and served as head coach from 1996-2014. While at Wilkes, Sheptock went 107-81 overall and established the program record for most wins in a season (11) and career (107) while leading the Colonels to nine postseason appearances.
 
A member of the NCAA Division II Team of the Quarter Century (1973-97), Sheptock played linebacker for head coach George Landis and holds the school records for tackles in a career (537), single-season (159), and single-game (23), as well as career fumble recoveries (12). His program record for tackles in a single game, in fact, occurred during the national semifinal contest at North Alabama.
 
HOME OPENER AND SPECIAL EVENTS
The Huskies return to Redman Stadium for their home opener on Saturday, September 20, against Edinboro at 2:00 p.m. During halftime, Bloomsburg Athletics will recognize all student-athletes, coaches, and teams who earned honors during the 2024-25 winter and spring seasons.
 
On Saturday, September 27, Bloomsburg hits the road again to face Shippensburg in its PSAC East opener.
 
The team returns home on October 4 to take on Lock Haven at 2:00 p.m. This game will serve as both the Husky Legacy Club Game and the annual Think Pink game. During the event, Bloomsburg will honor the championship teams from 1985 (40th anniversary), 1995 (30th), 2000 (25th), 2005 (20th), and 2010 (15th). Additional details about the alumni celebration will be announced in the coming weeks.
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HUDDLE WITH THE HUSKIES
For the second-straight year during the 2025 season, Huddle with the Huskies will take place at the West End Ale Haus on Main Street in Bloomsburg.
 
The two Huddle with the Huskies evenings will be September 18 and October 16. The September 16 date will preview the home opener for the Huskies against Edinboro on September 20 and recap the first two weeks on the road while the Thursday, October 16 date serves as the midseason review and preview for the Huskies Homecoming match-up with Shepherd on October 18.
 
The events are open to the public, and appetizers are available as supplies last, beginning at 6:00 p.m. with a short program to follow. During the program, Coach Sheptock will speak about the season, preview the upcoming game(s), and introduce members of the coaching staff and players from this year's roster.
 
Those joining the team for Huddle with the Huskies are encouraged to stay following the formal programming to enjoy a delicious dinner and drinks at the West End Ale Haus.
 
43rd ANNUAL HALL OF FAME CELEBRATION
The members of the 2025 Hall of Fame Class are Tim Baer (Football – 2000), Vicki Davis (Women's Cross Country/Track & Field – 2013/14M), Dr. Louis Mingrone (Men's Soccer – Coach), Sharla Partlon (Field Hockey – 2005), and Carl Poff (Wrestling – 1979). The induction brunch and ceremony will occur on Sunday October 19, at the Kehr Union Ballroom. Doors open at noon for cocktail hour. Lunch service begins at 12:45 pm, followed by the induction ceremony at 1:30 pm. The five will bring the enshrined number to 218.
 
2025 PSAC PRESEASON POLL
The Bloomsburg football team was selected to finish fifth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division by the league's head coaches in the annual preseason poll on Thursday.
 
For the second consecutive year, the Kutztown Golden Bears were selected No. 1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference's Eastern Division Football Preseason Poll, as voted on by the conference's head coaches. In 2025, Kutztown earned the maximum seven first-place votes and are the two-time defending PSAC champions.
 
East Stroudsburg was voted No. 2 in the East, and the No. 3 team in the poll is West Chester. Shepherd earns the No. 4 spot in this year's poll after finishing with a 6-5 overall record in 2024. Bloomsburg was voted No. 5 in the 2025 poll after improving to a 6-5 overall record last fall. The Huskies will feature a pair of returning offensive standouts in WR Jerry Griffen-Batchler (Norristown, Pa./Germantown Academy) (Norristown, Pa./Germantown Academy) and QB KJ Riley (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) (Danville, Pa./Danville Area), while LB Brady Thompson (Green Lane, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) (Green Lane, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) (85 tackles, 9.0 TFL, 2.5 sacks) is back to help lead the defense.
 
Lock Haven is ranked No. 6 and Shippensburg comes in at No. 7 in this year's poll. Millersville rounds out the East and is ranked No. 8.
 
On the West, PSAC runner's up, Slippery Rock claimed the top spot with four first-place votes while IUP claimed three top votes to take second in the poll. California (Pa.) is third while Gannon is fourth heading into the 2025 season. Seton Hill claimed the No. 5 spot and Edinboro came in at No. 6 in the preseason poll. Clarion rounded out the West in the No. 7 spot.
 
Bloomsburg finished the season 6-5, their first winning season since 2018, and 4-3 in PSAC East play to finish third in the conference.