Nationally Ranked SUNY Cortland Looks to Repeat as Empire 8 Football Champion in 2022

Football | 8/30/2022 9:27:21 AM

Nationally-ranked SUNY Cortland will look to repeat as Empire 8 Champions, as the 2022 season begins the weekend of Sept. 2-3, with all seven teams in action. League play starts on Oct. 1. The regular season Empire 8 Champion will receive an automatic berth into the 2022 NCAA Division III Football Championship.
 
Fans can watch the action all season long, free of charge on the Empire 8 Network.
   
Raylens Boutin, Brockport, Jr., DB, Nyack, NY/Nyack – Boutin enters this season as a D3football.com Second Team Preseason All-American. Boutin was the 2019 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year and in 2021, intercepted six passes and added nine pass breakups.
 
Joe Copp, Alfred, Jr., LB, Minoa, NY/East Syracuse-Minoa – Copp earned All-Empire 8 third team accolades last season after making 98 tackles (53 solo, 45 assisted) to go along with 8.5 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks and a pair of interceptions.
 
Joe Howard, St. John Fisher, Sr., OL, Utica, NY/Utica Notre Dame – Howard earned All-Empire 8 third team honors in 2021 and will serve as the leader on the St. John Fisher offensive line this season.
 
Nick Lardaro, Cortland, So., DL, Smithtown, NY/Smithtown East – Lardaro, the 2021 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, was also an All-Empire 8 first team selection and D3football.com All-Region 2 second team pick after recording 51 tackles, a conference-best 18 tackles for a loss and 32 quarterback hurries, in addition to 5.5 sacks.
 
Justin LoBasso, Hartwick, Sr., TE, Honesdale, PA/Honesdale – LoBasso was an All-Empire 8 first team pick in 2021 after catching 40 passes for 410 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
 
Ernesto Mitchell, Morrisville, Sr., LB, Wheatley Heights, NY/Half Hollow Hills East – Mitchell earned All-Empire 8 third team accolades in 2021 after finishing near the top of the league leaderboard with 98 tackles.
 
Jimmie Warren, Utica, Sr., DL, Suffern, NY/Suffern – Warren earned 2021 All-Empire 8 first team accolades after leading the league with seven sacks. He was also fourth with 12.5 tackles for loss and compiled 60 total tackles.
   
Cortland
The Red Dragons enjoyed a tremendous 2021 season, winning the Empire 8 Championship, while advancing to the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. Cortland finished the season 11-1, while earning a national ranking as high as 12th. Cortland was well rounded in all facets of the game last season, ranked 22nd overall in points per game (40.9), while in the top-five nationally in points allowed per game (10.5), passing yards allowed (127.1 per game) and total yards allowed per game (213.8). This season, the Red Dragons open the season ranked No. 16 in the D3football.com Preseason Poll and will finish the regular season at Yankee Stadium versus Ithaca for the annual Cortaca Jug on Nov. 12. Sophomore defensive end Nick Lardaro, the 2021 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, was also an All-Empire 8 first team selection and D3football.com All-Region 2 second team pick after recording 51 tackles, a conference-best 18 tackles for a loss and 32 quarterback hurries, in addition to 5.5 sacks.
Quarterback Zac Boyes, offensive lineman Connor Hill, linebacker Zack Thuesen and defensive backs Joshua Cordero and Christian Legagneur will serve as team captains for the Red Dragons this season. Seven all-Empire 8 members return for Cortland, including running back Jaden Alfanostjohn, offensive lineman Connor Hill, Lardaro, Cordero, Legagneur, defensive back Mark Noel and kicker Patrick Luby.
 
Brockport
Brockport celebrates its 75th anniversary of football in 2022 and will look to get back to the top of the Empire 8 standings after finishing 8-3 in 2021. The Golden Eagles captured the ECAC Clayton Chapman Bowl. Head Coach Jason Mangone enters his 10th season at Brockport and guided the Golden Eagles to a 43-8 record since the start of 2017. The Golden Eagles defense is one of the fiercest in Division III and last season was no exception, as they led the nation with 27 interceptions.  Brockport’s rushing defense finished third in the country, allowing an average of 42.3 yards rushing per game and also ranked third in the country in total defense allowing an average of 200.4 yards per game. Brockport returns D3football.com Preseason All-American, defensive back Raylens Boutin, a third team pick. Boutin enters this season as a D3football.com Second Team Preseason All-American. Boutin was the 2019 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year and in 2021, intercepted six passes and added nine pass breakups. Eight All-Empire 8 selections from 2021 return, including offensive linemen Scott Oschner and Nicholas Kalke, tight end James Altenburger, kicker Nate Wigent, punter Dan Giangrasso, defensive lineman Jordan Harris, linebacker Ben Damiani and defensive back Ben Marshall.
 
Alfred
The Saxons will look to improve off their third place finish in the E8 standings last season, as 50 players and 15 starters return. Graduate student defensive lineman and co-captain Tim Dahl will wear No. 32 this year in honor of Trooper Nicholas F. Clark ’11 for the second straight season. Junior linebacker Joe Copp earned All-Empire 8 third team accolades last season after making 98 tackles (53 solo, 45 assisted) to go along with 8.5 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks and a pair of interceptions. Overall, eight All-Conference selections return, including quarterback Zuke Smith, running back Max Freeman IV, fullback/tight end Seth Walden, wide receiver Darviae Gray and offensive lineman Bobby Felder on the offensive side and defensive standouts Danny Quinones and Adam Mietz.
 
Utica
The Pioneers are coming off a 6-5 season, in which they advanced to the ECAC Scotty Whitelaw Bowl. Utica will have a veteran-laden team in 2022, with more than 40 seniors or graduate students. Senior Nate Palmer earned 2021 All-Empire 8 second team accolades as both a wide receiver and a return specialist. He caught 41 passes for 628 yards and scored five total touchdowns. Senior quarterback Sonny Badyna was an All-E8 second team pick after throwing for 1,882 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also ran for five more scores. James Salles emerged as Utica’s lead running back last season, rushing for 462 yards and three touchdowns. Utica’s defense led the E8 in sacks last season with 31 and has several standouts looking to step in this season. Senior Jimmie Warren, a 2021 All-Empire 8 first team selection, is back after leading the league with seven sacks. He was also fourth with 12.5 tackles for loss and compiled 60 total tackles. Defensive back Terrance Toussaint had four interceptions, while linebacker Anthony McDonald is the leading returning tackler with 50. Graduate student Dan Amady had 30 solo stops on 39 tackles, while defensive lineman John Stroughn returns after suffering a season-ending injury early in 2021. 
 
St. John Fisher
St. John Fisher is looking to get back into the top of the Empire 8 standings in 2022. 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 last season, with captains Malachi Duvall, Michael Krafty, Anthony Manna, Joe Martinucci and Kyle Vachon set to lead the way on and off the field. Senior Joe Howard, an All-Empire 8 third team selection in 2021, will lead the offensive line, while tight end Max Bates will also serve as a leader on the offense. On the defensive side, linebacker Joe Miscia is back after garnering All-E8 third team honors in 2021 and Vichon will lead the linebackers, while Manna and graduate student Jason Rodriguez, a 2019 All-Empire 8 second team selection are set to lead Fisher’s secondary.
 
Hartwick
The Hawks return 65 players and 16 starters from last season’s team, including senior tight end Justin LoBasso, who earned All-Empire 8 first team honors after catching 40 passes. Defensively, Hartwick returns a pair of All-Empire 8 performers from 2021, including senior defensive backs Jake Ely and Bryan Grimes. Fellow seniors Jeremy Gerdvil and Nelon Priest will also look to shore up a defense that allowed less than 20 points in four contests last season.  Hartwick’s traditionally high-powered offense scored at least 20 points six times in 2019. Newcomers Brandon Ivy, Christian Robinson, Dan Elu and Jaison Tucker will also look to make an immediate impact. Head coach Mark Carr enters his 20th season with the Hawks in 2022.
 
Morrisville
Morrisville returns 13 starters from 2021. Senior linebackers Ernesto Mitchell, Joe Miller-LaBar and Phil Benjamin alongside defensive lineman William Brown will lead the defensive unit in 2022, while quarterback Steve Frerichs, tight end Quamel Jarvis, fullback Brandon Mapp and offensive lineman Brian Mapp are set to lead the offense. Mapp was an All-Empire 8 second team selection a season ago. In addition, All-Empire 8 punter Hunter Regels will look to help the Mustangs on special teams. Former offensive lineman Tyler Elmore, a  2021 All-E8 second team selection, joined the Morrisville State coaching staff and will oversee the running backs unit this fall.
 
Final 2021 Empire 8 Men’s Football Standings
SUNY Cortland (11-1, 6-0 E8) – Empire 8 Champions
SUNY Brockport (8-3, 4-2 E8)
Alfred (5-5, 4-2 E8)
Utica (6-5, 3-3 E8)
St. John Fisher (4-6, 2-4 E8)
Hartwick (2-7, 1-5 E8)
Morrisville State (2-8, 1-5 E8)
 
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 YouTube
 
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