Football | 11/12/2022 5:03:00 PM
BRONX, NY – Ithaca quarterback A.J. Wingfield completed 18-of-20 passes for 209 yards and three touchdowns as the Bombers defeated Cortland, 34-17, in the Cortaca Jug rivalry game at Yankee Stadium. Ithaca improved to 10-0 with the win, while Cortland suffered its first loss and is now 9-1.
Despite the setback, Cortland will be one of 32 teams competing in next weekend's NCAA Division III playoffs as the Empire 8 champion. The NCAA tournament pairing will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 13, at 5 p.m. on NCAA.com.
The game's attendance of 40,232 is the second-largest crowd in Division III history, behind only the 45,161 attendance for the 2019 Cortaca Jug game at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Cortland quarterback Zac Boyes (Buffao/Kenmore West) ran for 107 yards and threw one touchdown pass. Jaden Alfanostjohn (Westhampton/Westhampton Beach) ran for 75 yards and a score. Devin McArthur (Saratoga Springs) and Joe Ruggieri (Oceanside) led the Red Dragon defense with eight tackles each, Joshua Cordero (Monroe/Monroe-Woodbury) made seven tackles, and JC Mertz (Wanaque, NJ/Lakewood Regional) finished with two tackles for loss, including a sack, along with a forced fumble among his six tackles.
Ithaca took a 7-0 lead on a 10-yard pass from Wingfield to Jake Williams with 10:31 left in the first quarter, marking the first time Cortland has trailed in a game this season. Cortland tied the game later in the quarter on a 7-yard pass from Boyes to JJ Laap (Stony Brook/Ward Melville).
Ithaca went up 10-7 on a Nicholas Bahamonde 37-yard field goal with five second left in the first and extended the lead to 17-7 on a 12-yard TD pass from Wingfield to Michael Anderson. Matt DeSimpliciis intercepted a pass in the end zone late in the half to keep Cortland off the board, and the Bombers went up 20-7 early in the third on Bahamonde's 24-yard field goal set up by Anthony D'Addetta's 87-yard kickoff return.
Cortland fought back on Alfanostjohn's 1-yard TD run in the third and Mike Baloga's (Cornwall/Marian Catholic (PA)) 29-yard field goal less than two minutes into the fourth to cut Ithaca's lead to 20-17. Ithaca, however, put the game away with a 40-yard scoring pass from Wingfield to Julien Deumaga with 9:28 left and Williams' 43-yard TD run with 6:39 remaining.
Ithaca held a 336-303 advantage in total offense. Kevin Schoch led the Bombers with 12 tackles and Jason Haber and DeSimpliciis each made 10 stops.
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.
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