WALTHAM, Mass. – The Bentley football team departs Waltham Friday morning for Pennsylvania, where the Falcons take on nationally-ranked No. 3 Kutztown in the first round of the NCAA DII Championship. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22.
A special achievement
This weekend marks the Bentley program's fourth appearance in the NCAA DII Championship. The Falcons earned the automatic bid by winning the 2025 Northeast 10 title. Bentley is still seeking its first-ever NCAA Championship win. The previous NCAA Championship appearances were in 2021 (vs. New Haven), 2004 (vs. Edinboro), and 2003 (vs. Grand Valley State).
Conference Champions
Bentley captured the program's sixth NE10 title when it beat Assumption, 20-17, in Waltham two weeks ago (Nov. 8). It is the Falcons' first conference title since 2019.
Isaiah Decias totaled 157 receiving yards on six catches against Assumption, coming up just four yards shy of matching his career-high - which he achieved at Saint Anselm (Nov. 1).
Pat Damon had a season-high 94 yards on seven catches in the title win, and
Luke Warnock completed 18 of 33 passes for 245 yards. He didn't turn the ball over, was sacked only once, and accounted for two of Bentley's three touchdowns.
Henry Schouten led the defensive efforts by totaling 15 tackles, and he recovered a fumble in the first quarter. It was one of two takeaways by the Bentley defense.
Oh and three hundred years ago
Bentley's 0-3 start to the 2025 season seems like it was long, long ago. The Falcons started the season with a home loss against West Chester, a road loss at Bryant (FCS), and a home loss against Franklin Pierce. Since those three games, however, Bentley has won seven straight.
All-that in the NE10
Thirteen Falcons earned All-NE10 honors, the conference announced Thursday.
Isaiah Decias was named the NE10 Offensive Player of the Year, and
Luke Warnock was named the NE10 Rookie of the Year. Click
HERE to learn more about Bentley's All-NE10 selections.
The decisive Decias
Isaiah Decias missed the first three games of the games, but his return to the gridiron made an immediate impact for the Falcons. His season-debut resulted in 69 receiving yards and two touchdown catches in a conference win over American International (Sept. 27). Decias had a career-high 157 receiving yards during Bentley's thrilling comeback win at Saint Anselm (Nov. 1), and he followed that up with a 153 receiving yards when Bentley beat Assumption to claim the NE10 title (Nov. 8).
From lukewarm to Luke hot
Luke Warnock is Bentley's first sophomore starting quarterback since 2018. His first three games of the season presented a strong learning curve, but Warnock quickly found his footing. Warnock didn't throw a touchdown pass in his first three games, and his passing total was under 100 yards in two of those three games. In the ensuing six games, however, Warnock totaled 18 touchdowns (4 rushing), while averaging 211.7 passing yards per game. He threw only four interceptions during that six-game stretch. By the end of the regular season, Warnock ranked second in the NE10 for passing touchdowns (18), and third for totaling passing yards (1,809).
You make me wanna Schout
Senior linebacker
Henry Schouten earned his second consecutive All-NE10 First Team honor this year. He ranks third in NCAA DII for tackles per game (12.6), and he was named NE10 Defensive Player of the Week three times this season.
A lasting legacy
Graduate tight end
Pat Damon entered the Bentley football program in 2020, and he will leave a lasting legacy. In addition to being an NE10 Champion, Damon is a two-time All-NE10 First Team honoree, and he was named a Don Hansen All-American in 2024.
In Scarp we trust
Bentley head coach CJ Sarpa '17 led the Falcons to NE10 glory in just his first season at the helm of the program. The former Falcon quarterback was Bentley's offensive coordinator in 2023 and 2024, helping to lead the program to a combined record of 14-6. Since graduating from Bentley in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science degree in management, Scarpa played at Merrimack College for one season as a graduate student. Scarpa has amassed significant coaching experience at all levels. He was a football operations intern for the New England Patriots, an assistant quarterbacks coach at Harvard University, a tight ends coach at Austin Peay State University, special assistant to the head coach at Arkansas State, and quarterbacks coach at Williams College before returning to Waltham in 2023.
Scouting Kutztown (11-0)
The undefeated Golden Bears are the top seed in Super Region 1, and the squad is ranked No. 3 nationally by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). Eighteen members of the team earned All-PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) honors this season. Jim Clements was named the PSAC Coach of the Year, and quarterback Judd Novak earned PSAC Offensive Athlete of the Year. Novak has thrown 19 touchdown passes this season without an interception, and he has totaled 2,296 passing yards. Linebacker Brandon Hile was named the PSAC Defensive Athlete of the Year. The Golden Bears have two common opponents with Bentley: Assumption and West Chester. Kutztown beat Assumption by a score of 51-14 (Sept. 4), and it was victorious over West Chester by a score of 41-7 (Oct. 25).
