Brockport Football: NCAA Quarterfinal Preview
BROCKPORT, N.Y. – The No. 10 ranked College at Brockport football team advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals this past weekend with a 49-28 victory over No. 13 Wesley College. They'll hit the road this weekend to square off with No. 7 Delaware Valley in the "Elite-8".
DATE – TIME: December 2nd, 2017 – 12 p.m.
LOCATION: Robert A. Lipinski Field – Doylestown, Pa.
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Game Notes
The Golden Eagles have made the quarterfinal round just once before, 15 years ago in the 2002 season when they fell to John Carroll University in a tightly contested 16-10 game. A win over DelVal this weekend would advance them to their first Final Four in program history.
Last weekend's win over Wesley did not come easily, as the teams were tied 21-21 going into halftime. The Brockport defense took over in the second half though, forcing five turnovers, two of which they took to the end zone for touchdowns. That, combined with a pair of offensive touchdowns allowed the Golden Eagles to outscore the Wolverines 28-7 in the half, and hold on for the win.
Joe Germinerio threw for 292 yards in the game, and is now just 127 yards away from breaking the single-season passing yards record set by Joe Scibilia in 2012. Two of his primary receivers are also nearing records in 2017, as DaQuan Hubbard needs just nine yards to break the single-season receiving record, and Joseph Ortiz needs only nine catches to surpass Jake Spalik's 73 receptions in 2012.
Defensively, contributions continue to come from all around the field, as the team still leads the nation in team sacks, and ranks second in rushing defense (31 yards-per-game). Terry McDonald and Austin Dean each got into the end zone for the first time in their careers last weekend, while the linebacking trio of Nathaniel Keith III, Alex West, and Matt Szymanski were the top three tacklers.
Jake O'Connell took a break from picking off opposing quarterbacks last week, but still ranks eighth in the country with interceptions, picking off seven thus far in 2017. Julius Mizro recorded his eighth sack of the season against Wesley, moving him into a tie for seventh in program history in that category. Szymanski, Keith III, West, Dean, McDonald, and Josh Greenwood have all registered at least five sacks as well.
This will be the first time that Brockport and Delaware Valley have squared off on the gridiron, despite both programs being around for over 70 years. They come in as the No. 1 and 2 teams in the region, and match up very evenly, with Brockport holding a slight edge in points-per-game, and DelVal holding that same slight advantage in points allowed. This will be the first time this season that either team has faced a top-ten opponent.
The only common opponent the two teams have played this season is Wesley, with DelVal having matched up with the Wolverines in their season-opener all the way back on August 31st. In that game, the Aggies used a 19-point second quarter before holding off a late comeback try from Wesley to win 24-19.
Should Brockport come out on top Saturday, they would advance to the final four where they'd meet the winner of a game between No. 1 Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas), and No. 4 St. Thomas (Minn.). Location of that game would be determined by the NCAA selection committee on Sunday, December 3rd.