The Wesleyan football team entered the 2025 season as the defending NESCAC Champions, beating Williams and Trinity in their last two games to claim their first outright title in program history. The 2025 team was shaping up to be much different, as the Red and Black lost eight of their nine All-NESCAC players from last year, including NESCAC Offensive Player of the Year Chase Wilson ’25 and Defensive Player of the Year Ben Carbeau ’25.
Defensive back and Captain Dylan Connors ’26 mentioned how crucial the preseason was in trying to fill the holes in the team.
“[Preseason] was all about coming in and really gluing everything together,” Connors said. “Day one it’s all right, we got a lot of new pieces. We don’t necessarily know how we’re all gonna fully gel together. Obviously, you had a spring together, but it doesn’t necessarily come together until you go to camp. So we saw tons of growth over even just the first few days of camp. And then as [we] kind of progressed, and we had two, three weeks, where we really saw everything come together…it was just great to see overall, just everything, everyone come out of their shell and realize that they’re gonna be in these starting roles and they have to take that responsibility.”
As they did last season, the Cardinals began their season against the Middlebury Panthers. The Red and Black handed the Panthers a 43–8 beatdown last year in Vermont, so they knew they would have to protect home turf against a fired-up Middlebury squad.
After recording a three-and-out on their first two drives, the Cardinals put their first points on the board. It was a 10-play, 65-yard drive that saw only one third-down, which Tyler Flynn ’26 converted easily. The drive was capped off by an 11-yard touchdown reception by Donte Kelly ’29 on a shovel pass.
“We talked about it all practice,” Kelly said. “They all told me it was gonna be a touchdown and I knew they had my back, so once I caught the pass and I saw the hole and running back Matt Diaz [’28] set a great block outside, I was like, ‘Hell yeah, this is it.’”
That would not be the last the crowd heard from Kelly in the first half. With under two minutes remaining and starting in their own territory with the score still 7–3, QB Matt Fitzsimons ’27 delivered a strike to Kelly over the middle. The shifty first-year weaved through defenders all the way to the Panthers’ five-yard line. Although the Cards could not find the end zone, Gage Hammond ’27 was able to knock through a 20-yarder to give them a 10–3 lead heading into the locker room.
After quick three-and-outs from both teams, the Cardinals struck again. Fitzsimons and Kelly connected once more, this time on a third-and-14 for a 31-yard gain with Kelly brought down at the one-yard line. On the next play, Matt Diaz ’28 punched it to double the lead.
The Red and Black held a comfortable two-touchdown lead, but they really broke the game open on the ensuing drive when linebacker A.J. Morris ’26 picked off Panthers QB Brian Morris and took it back 60 yards to the house. The pick-six extended the lead to 24–3 and sent the stadium into a frenzy. Connors spoke on watching his friend capitalize on his opportunity.
“A.J. is a great football player, he’s one of my best friends,” Connors said. “For me, it’s been kind of tough because he’s been behind three to four really good players year after year, so just kind of waiting for him to get an opportunity to go in there. And then [during] his first start as a Will linebacker, [he] goes out there and gets a 60-yard pick-six. So it was just great to see that come together for him…. And he’s just such a great practice player, such a great teammate throughout the week. So it was easy to see that come to fruition during the game.”
The game was all but over after that play. The Panthers cut the lead to 14, but Fitzsimons responded with a six-yard touchdown pass to Keith Capuano ’28. Although the Panthers added a garbage-time score, Week 1 was a resounding success as the Red and Black cruised to a 31–17 victory.
Kelly was sensational, catching seven passes for 118 yards and a touchdown. Kelly’s 118 receiving yards set a program record for a collegiate debut.
“We didn’t necessarily know who [Kelly] was coming in, and then in one-on-one drills [he was] beating everybody and standing out and finding his place within the offense very quickly,” Connors said. “He was able to pick up the offense really well and he’s a very high IQ football player.”
The Cardinals had to move on from the win quickly, as they had a Week 2 date with the Tufts Jumbos under the lights. The Cardinals triumphed last year, but this time they had to travel to Medford, Mass., where they had lost three of their last four meetings.
Both defenses started out hot, as neither team recorded a first down until nine and a half minutes into the game. That’s when Fitzsimons connected with Blake Newcomb ’27 for a 19-yard gain. The Cardinals picked up another 19-yard gain a few plays later, this time on the ground when Tyler Flynn ’26 was brought down inside the one-yard line. One play later, the Cardinals drew first blood as Fitzsimons punched in his first career touchdown run.
The Jumbos struck back immediately. Aided by a 47-yard kickoff return, they tied the game at seven. The Cardinals appeared to be driving in the third quarter after Fitzsimons and Kelly connected for a 20-yard gain. However, on the ensuing play, Chase Vaughan ’27 was intercepted, and the Jumbos returned it for a touchdown to take a 14–7 lead. The Red and Black shook it off, and responded with a nine-play drive that featured four different ball carriers and four different pass catchers, with Newcomb finishing the drive off.
Although the Cardinals’ defense didn’t allow a first down on the ensuing drive, the Jumbos took the lead back with a field goal following a 71-yard kick return. The special teams mistakes continued when, after a three-and-out, Hammond’s punt was blocked, resulting in a safety that gave Tufts a 19–14 lead. The Jumbos extended their advantage with a 13-play, 43-yard drive that culminated in another field goal.
After a quick three-and-out for the Cardinals, things were looking dire—until Morris provided another crucial play, intercepting Tufts’ new starter Justin Keller. Morris’s pick set the Cardinals up at the Tufts 25-yard line. After a couple of clutch third and fourth down conversions, Fitzsimons snuck it in again. With the score at 22–20, the Cardinals had to go for two, but the Jumbos defense held strong, turning away Fitzsimons. After an unsuccessful onside kick and a 42-yard third-down run by the Jumbos, Tufts handed the Cardinals their first loss of the year.
Connors reflected on the special teams struggles and what the team took from the loss.
“You can mess up five times in a football game and that ends up being a five score difference. So for us it’s all about playing the entire game and taking every rep as the same,” Connors said. “We can’t be like, ‘Oh, this play doesn’t matter in second, who cares if they get a first down.’ So obviously it was a tough loss, but it’s early on in the season, and it’s not bad to have one of those losses because it makes you realize that you got to really put everything together, and it’s not just going to be a cake walk for the entire season.”
While the Jumbos and Panthers might have had the Cardinals circled on their schedule, the Dirty Birds had the Bates Bobcats on theirs. In what was the most successful season in program history, a shocking 23–13 loss at home to the Bobcats last year was the only blemish on an otherwise perfect season.
Both teams’ first drives featured failed fourth-down attempts. After a big-time sack by Chris DeMartino ’26 and Declan Welch ’26 gave the ball back to their offense, the Cardinals finally got going. The drive was as methodical as it gets, with the Cardinals recording no plays longer than 10 yards. They converted four third downs, with the last one being a four-yard touchdown run by Flynn to cap off a 16-play, 76-yard drive that spanned over 10 minutes.
On the ensuing drive, two costly 15-yard penalties by the Red and Black defensive captains allowed the Bobcats to score and tie the game. Similar to the Middlebury game, the Cardinals’ offense got the ball back with just under two minutes left in the half looking for points before halftime. It was Kelly who did most of the damage against the Panthers, but this time it was Newcomb’s turn. Fitzsimons and Newcomb hooked up for completions of 12, 35, and 12 yards on the first three plays, and then the junior QB looked for Newcomb again, who drew a pass interference call. On the next play, Angelo LaRose ’27 ran it in from five yards out, giving the Cardinals a 14–7 halftime lead.
The Red and Black’s NESCAC-leading defense was sensational in the second half, holding the Bobcats scoreless. DeMartino recorded 4.5 tackles for loss totaling 21 yards. Vincent Lytle ’28 had an interception in the fourth quarter. Perhaps most importantly, the defense held Bates running back Ryan Lynskey in check. Lynskey burned the Cardinals for 128 yards last year en route to being named first-team All-NESCAC. This time around, Lynskey managed only 51 yards on 17 carries.
Connors spoke on the key to limiting Lynskey.
“Last year, he had maybe 60-something yards in three explosive plays, so for us, it was just about limiting those explosive plays,” Connors said. “Each person had to do their job on defense, because they run a lot of the triple option, so we have to stay disciplined throughout the week, which we did much better this year than we did last year. Overall, it was playing as a unit, rather than just trying to make a play as an individual on defense.”
While the offense didn’t need to score any second-half points for a Cardinals win, they still did. Their lone touchdown came on a 50-yard touchdown from Kelly, and a field goal by Hammond sealed a 23–7 final score. Despite being a true first-year, Kelly is averaging 90 yards per game. He spoke on how the team has helped his growth.
“Coming in as a freshman and playing against seniors, I was nervous a little bit,” Kelly said. “But the guys, the seniors, even the defense, hold me accountable for who I am and reminded me what type of player I could be and what type of player I am, and that’s been the key.”
This weekend, the Cardinals host the Hamilton Continentals (1–2). The Red and Black will then take on the remaining two Maine teams, traveling to Colby before hosting Bowdoin. They will close out their season with a three-game gauntlet that features Homecoming against Amherst, followed by a trip to Williams and the annual finale against Trinity.
According to Kelly, the team’s goal is simple.
“We want to go win it all, show them who is the best team in NESCAC, and bring that trophy back home,” Kelly said.
Sam Weitzman-Kurker can be reached at sweitzmankur@wesleyan.edu.
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