Football | 8/30/2021 9:18:26 AM
SUNY Brockport is vying for its fourth straight Empire 8 Championship, as the 2021 season begins the weekend of Sept. 3-4, with six of the seven squads in action. The regular season Empire 8 Champion will receive an automatic berth into the 2021 NCAA Division III Football Championship. All seven teams are hungry to get back onto the gridiron after the 2020 fall season was wiped out due to COVID-19.
Fans can watch the action all season long, free of charge on the
Empire 8 Network.
Players to Watch (Sorted Alphabetically by Player)
Raylens Boutin, Brockport, Jr., DB, Nyack, NY/Nyack – Boutin enters this season as a D3football.com Third Team Preseason All-American. Boutin was the 2019 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year after intercepting four passes and adding 16 pass breakups.
Tim Dahl, Alfred, Sr., DE, Cobleskill, NY/Cobleskill-Richmondville – Dahl will wear Alfred’s prestigious No. 32 this year in honor of Trooper Nicholas F. Clark ’11. Dahl will be expected to be a leader on Alfred’s front seven.
Touré Hall, Morrisville, Sr., WR, Stratford, CT/Stratford – Hall recording 1,581 all-purpose yards, including 861 of those yards on 75 catches and added 10 total touchdowns in 2019.
Davien Kuinlan, Hartwick, Sr., QB, Bethpage, NY/Plainedge – Kuinlan was Hartwick’s leading rusher in 2019, gaining 463 yards on the ground, while finishing among the leaders in the Empire 8 with seven touchdowns.
Maki Medici, Utica, Gr., K/P, Watervliet, NY/Shaker – Medici was named a D3football.com Preseason All-American for the second straight year in 2021. He was an honorable mention All-American and the Empire 8 Special Teams Player of the Year in 2019.
Devin Smith, Cortland, Sr., DL, Utica, NY/Utica Notre Dame – Smith was an All-Empire 8 first team selection in 2019 after recording 53 tackles, 19 quarterback hurries, seven sacks and three forced fumbles.
Hunter Walsh, St. John Fisher, Jr., QB, Rochester, NY/McQuaid – Walsh returns for his second season as St. John Fisher’s starting quarterback after 2,713 yards and 17 touchdowns as a first-year standout in 2019.
Team Capsules (sorted by 2019 Standings)
Brockport
The Golden Eagles are looking for their fourth straight Empire 8 Championship and return 60 players and 17 starters from the 2019 squad that won nine games and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship Tournament. The Golden Eagles enter the season ranked No. 22 in the D3football.com national poll. Brockport returns two D3football.com Preseason All-Americans in first team offensive lineman Luke Lodini and defensive back Raylens Boutin, a third team pick. Boutin was the 2019 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year. Senior defensive end Josh Greenwood and senior linebacker Lawrence Jenkins return as two-time All-Empire 8 selections. Senior running back Jala Coad is back after rushing for 1,040 yards and scoring 19 total touchdowns in 2019. He was an All-Empire 8 second team pick. Andrew Covais, Imhotep Cromer, Jordan Harris, Kenny Hernandez and Demetri Swann are also back after earning All-E8 plaudits in 2019. Overall, Brockport led all of Division III in 2019, allowing just 35.1 rushing yards per game and led the nation by allowing its opponents to convert just 22.6 percent of its third down opportunities. The Golden Eagles defense allowed 236 yards per game, sixth best in Division III.
Cortland
The Red Dragons return 74 letter-winners from the roster in 2020 and nine starters from the 2019 team that earned a share of the Empire 8 Championship, won eight games and advanced to the New York State Bowl. Head Coach Curt Fitzpatrick begins his first full season as head coach after taking over for the legendary Dan MacNeill, who won 155 games in 23 seasons at Cortland. Senior Devin Smith was an All-Empire 8 first team selection in 2019 after 53 tackles, 19 quarterback hurries, seven sacks and three forced fumbles. Senior linebacker Dylan Dubuque, an All-Empire 8 honorable mention selection in 2019 is back to form a strong 1-2 duo with Smith. Senior Paul Imperiale will also lead the linebacker unit. In addition, Justin Wheeler, who starred at St. John Fisher and had 178 tackles in 2018 and 2019 will join the defense as a graduate student transfer. Senior center Michael Bailey is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-America selection and will serve as one of Cortland’s four captains, along with Smith, Imperiale and quarterback Brees Segala.
Morrisville
Morrisville returns 63 players from the 2019 squad that won six games and advanced to the ECAC Clayton Chapman Bowl. Senior running back/wide receiver Touré Hall, Jr. returns after compiling 1,581 all-purpose yards, including 861 on 75 catches and 10 total touchdowns in 2019. In addition, senior offensive linemen Tyler Elmore and Rudy Pablo are back, along with senior defensive back Deondrade Wells and junior linebackers Ernesto Mitchell and Joe Miller-LaBar, who will lead the defensive unit. The Mustangs will have a new look in 2021, with new head coach Ed Raby, Jr., who was previously defensive coordinator from 2017-2019. Morrisville looks to replace 2019 Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year, quarterback Bill Flatow, along with fellow All-Empire 8 first team selections in offensive lineman Zach Hutchinson and wide receiver Jermaine Cooper.
Utica
Utica has 30 seniors and graduate students on the 2021 roster, including special teams standout Maki Medici, a 2021 D3football.com Preseason Second Team All-American. Medici was named the 2019 Empire 8 Special Teams Player of the Year and was an honorable mention All-American after an incredible season serving as both Utica’s punter and place kicker. Two-time All-Empire 8 second team selection, graduate student linebacker Kwasi Addo will serve as defensive captain for the Pioneers in 2021, while senior running back Tim Hogan and junior wide receiver Nate Palmer are the offensive captains. Linebackers Josh Bennett and Jimmie Warren, along with defensive back Joey Lipani will look to also provide leadership.
St. John Fisher
St. John Fisher celebrates its 50th season of football this fall. The Cardinals are looking to get back into the top of the Empire 8 standings in 2021. Fisher won 124 games over a 14-year span from 2003 to 2016, with five NCAA Tournament appearances. St. John Fisher returns several letter winners and starters from 2019 with captains Max Bates, Vince DiMonte, Emmett Hayes and Jonathan Letta leading the way on and off the field. Junior quarterback Hunter Walsh was a finalist for 2019 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year honors after throwing for 2,713 yards and 17 touchdowns. Walsh will have speedy playmakers Tysean Sizer and Dahmir Pross back on the offensive side, while senior Jason Rodriguez, a 2019 All-Empire 8 second team selection, will lead Fisher’s secondary.
Alfred
The Saxons will look to make it back to the NCAA Tournament in 2021. In the Saxons’ 121st season, senior defensive lineman and co-captain Tim Dahl will wear No. 32 this year in honor of Trooper Nicholas F. Clark ’11 after Nick Milgate wore that jersey in 2019. Senior offensive lineman Ethan Stewart is back after earning 2019 All-Empire 8 second team accolades. Defensive lineman Rodney Bailey, running back Kevin Bragaglia, offensive lineman Bobby Felder and linebacker Jeremiah Young will be counted on to help lead the Saxons in 2021. Overall, Alfred returns 65 players and 13 starters. A host of newcomers, including Darviae Gray, Max Freeman, Zuke Smith and Sam Wakman will look to crack the lineup right away.
Hartwick
The Hawks return 41 players from 2019, including senior quarterback Davien Kuinlan, who will serve as a dual threat passer/runner. Kuinlan led the Hawks in rushing with 463 yards and seven touchdowns in 2019. Hartwick’s traditionally high-powered offense scored at least 20 points six times in 2019. Offensive lineman Tyler White and defensive back Nelon Priest will also serve as team leaders. Newcomers Stephano Hadoulis, Gamble French and Jack Del Debbio will also look to make an immediate impact.
Final 2019 Empire 8 Men’s Football Standings *
SUNY Brockport (9-3, 5-1 E8) – League Co-Champions (Empire 8 NCAA Championship Automatic Qualifier)
SUNY Cortland (8-3, 5-1 E8) – League Co-Champions
Morrisville State (6-5, 4-2 E8)
Utica (5-5, 3-3 E8)
St. John Fisher (5-5, 2-4 E8)
Alfred (5-5, 2-4 E8)
Hartwick (1-9, 0-6 E8)
* 2020 season canceled due to the COVID-19 virus
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com and
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