By Dante Iafrate
Springfield College’s 2025 football season did not begin the way a championship year usually does. A one-point loss to Western New England in the opener brought more questions than answers and forced the Pride to take a hard look at who they were. Looking back, that moment helped shape everything that came after it.
“That one was obviously tough,” Springfield head coach Mike Cerasuolo said. “Those types of games can go either way, and we were still trying to figure out who we are. Offense, defense, special teams. New faces. Different roles. We were still learning.”
But the real turning point, according to Cerasuolo, came the next week during a rough second quarter on the road against Wisconsin-Platteville. Springfield gave up 28 points in only a few minutes and went into halftime stunned.
“That’s when we really became a team, to be honest with you,” Cerasuolo said. “When you’re facing adversity like that, you have choices. Fight, flight, or freeze. And we had to look at each other and say, ‘Lean in even more.’ We had to decide who we wanted to be.”
Springfield rallied in the second half and carried that mentality forward. It became part of the team identity. The Pride finished 9-3, won the NEWMAC for the fifth straight year, and earned their fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The senior class walked away with 39 career wins, a 27-0 conference record and four NCAA playoff victories.
What shaped Springfield the most this season was its defense, which entered the year with big questions after former defensive coordinator Louis DiRienzo took another job. Many programs struggle with that kind of transition. Springfield got even better.
That credit went to new defensive coordinator Nic Keene, who had already been on staff for years.
“Coach Keene was amazing,” Cerasuolo said. “But he’d be the first to say it was the kids. He and Coach Lou built that thing together for two years, and Nic just continued the work and brought it to another level. The whole defensive staff did. The structure, the belief, the connection. It was all there.”
The national numbers proved it. Springfield ranked second in the country in total defense, giving up only 196.5 yards per game. They ranked seventh nationally in scoring defense at 11.8 points per game, seventh in rushing defense at 54.8 rushing yards allowed, and eighth in team passing efficiency defense with a rating of 96.7. The Pride also placed five defensive players on the First Team All-NEWMAC and five more on the Second Team, showing both talent and depth.
“We don’t talk about stats in our building,” Cerasuolo said. “It’s about standards. It’s about building a team, not a roster. And those guys demanded more from each other than we ever could as coaches. That’s what made them special.”
Throughout the year, Cerasuolo said the culture was the biggest factor in Springfield’s success. He pointed to leadership inside the locker room and how the players stayed connected as the season went on.
“When you surround yourself with the right people, good things can happen,” he said. “I’m so proud of how much this team has grown. They leaned on each other and trusted each other. That’s what carried us.”
Even with all the accomplishments, Cerasuolo said there is still plenty to improve. Springfield evaluates everything at the end of each season, from practice routines to game decisions.
“Every game is a learning opportunity,” he said. “We catalog everything. What we did well. What we need to do better. What we want to keep and what we want to change. And we build the next team from that.”
Photo courtesy of Springfield College Athletics