Ithaca Celebrates Splash Weekend with 29-17 Win Over Hartwick
ITHACA, N.Y. -- The #30 football team (4-1, 1-0 Empire 8) celebrated Homecoming (now called Splash Weekend) with a win for the 26th time in 29 years, scoring the game’s first 17 points and holding on for a 29-17 win over the visiting Hartwick Hawks (2-2, 0-1 Empire 8). The game was the Empire 8 opener for both teams.
Senior quarterback Rob Zappia (Greece Athena/Rochester) threw four touchdown passes and the Bomber defense recorded five sacks and held the Hawks to zero rushing yards.
Senior wide receiver Dan Ruffrage (Utica Notre Dame/Whitesboro) caught a pair of touchdown passes in the second quarter (covering 20 and 24 yards) and finished with five catches for 100 yards. He’s gained exactly 100 receiving yards in three straight games. Senior tight end Dan Higgins (Greece Athena/Rochester) caught a six-yard touchdown pass that opened the scoring and sophomore wideout Andre Jamison (Carmel/Carmel) scored his first career touchdown on a 43-yard reception that closed out the scoring.
Jamison’s catch stemmed a run of 17 straight Hartwick points. The Hawks had three possessions after cutting Ithaca's lead to 22-17 but turned the ball over all three times – twice on interceptions and once on downs. Sophomore free safety >Josh Liemer (Horace Greeley/Chappaqua) intercepted his second pass of the game to end one drive, Hartwick couldn’t convert a fourth-and-22 – set up when junior cornerback Spence White (Sleepy Hollow/Yonkers) collected his first career sack for a 12-yard loss on third down – and junior cornerback Mike Conti (Daniel Hand/Branford, Conn.) picked off a pass to end the Hawks’ final possession.
White and sophomore linebacker Will Carter (Westlake/Thornwood) led Ithaca’s defense with nine tackles apiece. White also recovered a fumble on a Hartwick kickoff return. Conti made seven tackles, broke up a pass and forced a fumble with a 14-yard sack. Senior end Matt Dibble (Columbia/East Schodack) was in on two sacks; senior tackle Andrew Haim (Douglas MacArthur/Levittown), senior linebacker Morgan Abdelnour (Somers/Somers) and freshman linebacker Jake Santor (Staples/Westport, Conn.), who made his first career start, each contributed one. Abdelnour and Santora both collected their first career sack.
Sophomore Clay Ardoin (Dolgeville/Dolgeville) ran for a career-best 108 yards for Ithaca, leading all rushers. Junior Andrew Rogowski (Canisius/East Amherst) kicked a 30-yard field goal and added a pair of extra points.