Football | 11/22/2023 6:26:00 PM
SUNY Cortland (10-1) is set to host Grove City College (11-0) in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Division III Tournament at noon from Grady Field on Saturday, Nov. 25 after both teams posted road victories in the opening round last weekend. Cortland, ranked 11th nationally by D3football.com and 13th by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), held on to win at Endicott last Saturday, 23-17. Grove City, ranked 18th by D3football.com and 16th by the AFCA, won at Susquehanna, 21-20, on a touchdown pass with seven seconds remaining. The winner advances to the national quarterfinals on Dec. 2 versus either Mount Union or Alma at a site to be determined.
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THE SERIES: Cortland and Grove City are meeting for the first time. Cortland has faced only one current Presidents' Athletic Conference member; the Red Dragons played Washington & Jefferson five times in the 1990s, winning on the road in 1994 and losing in 1992 and 1999 on the road and 1993 and 1995 at home. Grove City's last meetings versus current Empire 8 members were in 2021, when the Wolverines defeated visiting Utica, 49-7, in the ECAC Scotty Whitelaw Bowl, and 2018, when they defeated visiting Morrisville, 56-48, in the ECAC James Lynah Bowl. Current Cortland head coach Curt Fitzpatrick was Morrisville's head coach that season.
CORTLAND CAPSULE: Cortland earned its first-ever NCAA road victory last weekend with its 23-17 win at Endicott. Jaden AlfanoStJohn ran 26 times for 157 yards and a touchdown and Zac Boyes completed 14-of-24 passes for 162 yards and ran for 67 yards and a touchdown. Mike Baloga made all three of his field-goal attempts, including a 37-yarder with 3:12 remaining to create the final margin. Jack Winey made six tackles and Ryan Isom intercepted a pass. Endicott had a chance to win with four seconds left and the ball at the Cortland 11-yard line, but the Gulls' pass attempt sailed high as time expired.
Boyes is 179-of-250 passing (71.6 percent) for 2,729 yards and 30 touchdowns with three interceptions and he's rushed for 572 yards and seven scores. AlfanoStJohn has run for 1,047 yards and 12 touchdowns and Ashton Capone has 11 rushing scores and 502 yards on the ground. Cole Burgess has caught 54 passes for 891 yards and 10 scores and JJ Laap has 49 receptions for 919 yards and 11 touchdowns. Cortland's offensive line, led by first-team all-league selections Cody Aikey and Ryan Bitka, has helped the Red Dragons rank fifth nationally in total offense (517.5 yards/game), eighth in scoring (47.5 points/game) and 12th in rushing (247.6 yards/game).
Winey is the team leader with 95 tackles. Luke Winslow has made 46 tackles and leads the team with three interceptions. Jaden Martinez is third on the team with 43 tackles despite missing three games due to injury. Baloga has made 10-of-14 field goals, including seven of his last eight attempts, and is 70-for-70 on PAT kicks. He's made a school-record 89 consecutive PAT attempts dating back to last year. Patrick Luby averages 37.4 yards per punt, with six of his 15 attempts pinning opponents inside the 20-yard line. Ravi Dass Jr. averages 16.9 yards per punt return on 10 attempts, highlighted by a 63-yard TD return versus Alfred last month.
Curt Fitzpatrick was named Cortland's head coach in February 2020 and enters the game with a 30-4 (.882) overall record with the Red Dragons. In his two-plus seasons on the field, after the 2020 season was canceled, he's led the Red Dragons to three Empire 8 titles. In 2021, he guided the Red Dragons to an 11-1 season, the Empire 8 crown (6-0 record), and the NCAA second round. In 2022, Cortland finished 9-2 (6-0 in league play) and the NCAA first round, and the Red Dragons were perfect in the league (6-0) again this fall. Fitzpatrick and his assistants were named the Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year three straight years from 2021-23.
Fitzpatrick previously served as head coach at Morrisville for seven seasons from 2013-19 and guided the Mustangs to four winning seasons and three postseason ECAC bowl games. He served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Utica College from 2008-12. A 2004 graduate of St. John Fisher, Fitzpatrick was a four-year letterman and a standout quarterback for the Cardinals who served as a team captain. In his final season, he earned Empire 8 all-conference honors and set school passing records in touchdowns (30) and yards (2,366) while leading the program to a 10-2 overall record and an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance. He returned to his hometown of Fulton, N.Y., to coach quarterbacks and wide receivers at Fulton High School in 2005 and he served as quarterbacks coach at St. John Fisher for two seasons from 2006-07. During those two years the Cardinals went a combined 23-4, won two Empire 8 crowns, and advanced to the NCAA semifinals (2006) and quarterfinals (2007).
A LOOK AT...GROVE CITY COLLEGE: Grove City, in the program's first-ever NCAA playoff game, knocked off nationally ninth-ranked and unbeaten Susquehanna on the road last Saturday, 21-20, to improve to 11-0 on the season. Logan Pfeuffer connected on a 13-yard TD pass to Ryan Lenhart on 4th-and-10 with seven seconds left and Caleb Kuechly's PAT kick provided the winning margin. Pfeuffer finished 15-of-30 passing for 177 yards and Clayton Parrish ran 21 times for 122 yards and two scores. Scott Fraser caught eight passes for 86 yards. Jack Jollie registered 12 tackles and Ryan Fleming made eight stops.
Pfeuffer is 119-of-232 (51.3 percent) through the air this fall for 1,891 yards and 16 touchdowns with five interceptions. Nico Flati has run for 1,118 yards and eight touchdowns. He has seven 100-yard rushing games. Parrish has rushed for 630 yards and 15 touchdowns. Fraser leads the team with 67 catches for 963 yards and nine scores. Guard Vinny LePre and center Brady Brungard, both first-team all-league selections, have helped the Wolverines average 34.1 points and 380.7 yards per game.
Jollie paces the Wolverines' defense with 80 tackles, followed by Fleming with 66 stops. Ben Bladel, from his outside linebacker position, has registered 15 sacks and 21.5 total tackles for loss. He ranks third nationally with 1.4 sacks per game and 10th with 2.0 tackles for loss per contest. Dominic Magliocco and Gabe Dunlap each have recorded three interceptions. Kuechly is 46-of-49 on PAT kicks and 5-for-9 on field goals, with a long of 41 yards, and Dan Berube averages 34.8 yards per punt. Dunlap averages 28.2 yards per kickoff return and 15.9 yards per punt return. He returned a punt for a touchdown in a win over Saint Vincent.
Andrew DiDonato is in his eighth season as Grove City's head coach. He enters the game with an overall record of 50-29 (.633), including a 46-13 record since the 2018 season. He was named the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Coach of the Year for the second time after guiding the Wolverines to a 10-0 regular-season record, all in league play, for the program's first league title since 1998. DiDonato has led Grove City to a 4-0 record in ECAC bowl games (2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022). DiDonato is a 2010 Grove City alumnus. He started 40 games at quarterback for the Wolverines from 2006-09, and as a senior he also lettered in basketball and helped the team win a league title and qualify for the NCAA playoffs.
NOTEBOOK:
* Cortland has set a school record this fall with 5,692 yards of total offense. The previous record was 5,496 last season. Cortland set a school mark last year with its 499.2 yards per game average; this year's team is currently averaging 517.5 yards per game of total offense.
* Cortland scored 23 points in last weekend's NCAA first-round win at Endicott - the first time this season the Red Dragons were held to under 35 points. Cortland averages 47.5 points per game; the school single season record is 45.1 points per game, set last season. Cortland's second-best season was 41.4 points per game in 2021.
* Cortland had 20 players earn Empire 8 all-league honors, including 11 first-team selections. Quarterback Zac Boyes was the league's Offensive Player of the Year, safety Sam Cotton was the Rookie of the Year, and for the second straight season kicker Patrick Luby was named the Special Teams Player of the Year despite not handling Cortland's placekicking duties. Luby is the team's punter and handles kickoff duties. Head coach Curt Fitzpatrick and his staff were named the Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year for the third straight season.
* Zac Boyes is tied for first at Cortland with 59 career touchdown passes in just 29 games played. He shares the record set by Brett Segala from 2016-19. Boyes ranks fourth at Cortland with 5,780 career passing yards; Segala holds the school record with 6,518 passing yards. Boyes threw at least two TD passes in every regular-season game this fall, including five versus Susquehanna to tie the school single-game record set by four other players, including current Cincinnati Bengals' quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher in 2011. Boyes, however, did not throw a TD pass at Endicott last week.
* Zac Boyes has passed for 2,729 yards this season, which currently ranks fourth in Cortland history. He now holds two of the Red Dragons' top four single-season yardage totals.
Passing Yards, Season:
3,127, Steven Ferreira, 2015
2,963, Ray Miles, 2008
2,826, Zac Boyes, 2022
2,729, Zac Boyes, 2023 (current)
Boyes is also only 26 yards away from the school single-season record for total offense. He's currently at 3,301 yards (572 rushing, 2,729 passing). The school record is 3,327 yards by Steven Ferreira in 2015.
* Zac Boyes' school-record streak of pass attempts without an interception ended at 194 when he was picked off in the second quarter at Ithaca on Nov. 11. He was also intercepted by the Bombers on a Hail Mary pass on the final play of the first half. Prior to the Ithaca game, Boyes' only interception was in the second quarter of the season opener versus Delaware Valley.
* Linebacker Jack Winey has recorded 15 or more tackles three times this year - 18 versus Susquehanna, 16 at St. John Fisher and 15 versus Utica. The last Cortland player to accomplish that feat was Tony Zawadzki in 1984.
* Four times this season Cortland has not punted in a game (Delaware Valley, St. John Fisher, Hartwick and Ithaca), and on three other occasions the Red Dragons punted only once (Morrisville, Utica, Alfred). Through 11 games, Cortland has punted only 16 times.
* Jaden AlfanoStJohn moved into second place at Cortland last week in career rushing yardage; he's run for 2,828 yards in 31 games over three seasons. He's the second Red Dragon to reach the 2,000-yard rushing mark in his junior season. Dave Cook's career-record 3,455 rushing yards from 1981-84 included 2,302 yards through his first three years. AlfanoStJohn has scored 39 touchdowns in his career (37 rushing, two receiving), and his 234 career points are second in school history, behind Cook's 268.
* JJ Laap and Cole Burgess are the top two players in school history in career receiving yardage and they are tied for second at Cortland in career TD receptions.
Career Receiving Touchdowns:
30, John Babin (2010-11, 13-14)
29, JJ Laap (2019, 21-23)
29, Cole Burgess (2018-19, 22-23)
29, Jake Smith (2014-16, 18)
Career Receiving Yards:
2,753, JJ Laap (2019, 21-23)
2,649, Cole Burgess (2018-19, 22-23)
2,635, John Babin (2010-11, 13-14)
Laap ranks fifth at Cortland with 146 career receptions and Burgess is sixth with 145 career catches. Jon Mannix is the career leader with 188 catches from 2012-16.
* Zac Boyes recorded a single-game pass efficiency rating of 357.9 versus Susquehanna (11-of-17, 397 yards, five touchdowns, no interceptions) in September, breaking his own school single-game record (minimum 10 attempts) of 330.3 he accomplished last year against TCNJ. The rating reflects four statistics – completion percentage, passing yards per pass attempt, touchdown passes per pass attempt and interceptions per pass attempt. Through 11 games, Boyes has a season rating of 200.5; he set the school record last year with his seasonal mark of 194.2.
* Grove City will be the fifth conference champion that Cortland faces this year. The Red Dragons own wins versus Delaware Valley (Middle Atlantic Conference), Ithaca (Liberty League) and Endicott (Commonwealth Coast Conference), and they lost to Susquehanna (Landmark).
* Of Patrick Luby's 87 kickoffs this season, 46 of them (52.9 percent) have resulted in touchbacks. Last season, Luby registered 36 touchbacks among his 77 kickoffs - the 46.7 percent touchback rate was the best by a Cortland kicker since touchback totals were first tracked in 2006.
* Zac Boyes twice this season has nearly become the second player in school history to pass for 300 yards and rush for 100 yards in the same game. Last week at Ithaca, Boyes passed for 289 yards and ran for 125 yards, and on Sept. 30 at Morrisville he threw for 294 yards and ran for 111 yards. The only Red Dragon to accomplish the 300/100 feat is J.J. Tutwiler, who passed for 338 yards and ran for 118 yards at home versus The College of New Jersey in 2002.
* Cortland is 6-5 all-time in overtime games, with the last a 32-26 home loss to Brockport in 2019. All 11 games were decided in the first extra session. Cortland has never gone to overtime in a postseason game.
* Cortland has been a member of the Empire 8 conference since 2015. The Red Dragons have won the outright league title and the league's NCAA automatic bid in 2021, 2022 and 2023, and were co-champions in both 2015 and 2019, earning an NCAA bid in 2015. Cortland also finished second or tied for second in the league in 2017 and 2018. Cortland previously competed in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) for 15 seasons from 2000-14 and finished in at least a tie for first place six times.
Three current Empire 8 members - Cortland, Brockport and Morrisville - at one point played in the NJAC and are affiliate members of the E8 in football only. The other league teams - Alfred University, Hartwick, St. John Fisher and Utica - are full conference members, while Brockport will become a full member in the fall of 2024. Also in 2024, Hilbert College will join the Empire 8 as an affiliate football member, and it was announced on Oct. 10 that Alfred State College will join the league as an affiliate football member in 2025.
* Cortland and Grove City rank in the top 40 nationally in Division III in the following team and individual categories:
CORTLAND:
3rd, Team Passing Efficiency, 193.3 rating
3rd, First Downs Offense, 293
5th, Total Offense, 517.5 yds./game
5th, Blocked Punts, 4
5th, Third Down Conversion Percentage, 55.0 pct.
8th, Scoring Offense, 47.5 pts./game
8th, Completion Percentage, 70.7 pct.
8th, Passes Had Intercepted, 4
10th, Winning Percentage, 90.9 pct.
10th, Time of Possession, 33:43/game
12th, Rushing Offense, 247.6 yds./game
20th, Third Down Conversion Percentage Defense, 28.8 pct.
26th, Fourth Down Conversion Percentage, 61.9 pct.
26th, Passing Yards per Completion, 14.8 yds./completion
27th, Tackles for Loss Allowed, 4.1/game
28th, Net Punting, 35.8 net yds./punt
31st, Turnover Margin, plus-0.9/game
33rd, Total Defense, 271.5 yds./game
34th, Scoring Defense, 16.4 pts./game
35th, Red Zone Offense, 85.7 pct.
35th, First Downs Defense, 160
38th, Passing Yards Allowed, 169.4 yds./game
Zac Boyes, 3rd, Passing Efficiency, 200.5 rating
Zac Boyes, 4th, Yards per Pass Attempt, 10.9 yds./attempt
Zac Boyes, 10th, Completion Percentage, 71.6 pct.
Ravi Dass Jr., 10th, Punt Return Touchdowns, 1
Andrew Tarpey, 10th, Punt Return Touchdowns, 1 (off blocked punt)
Zac Boyes, 12th, Passing Yards per Completion, 15.3 yds./completion
Zac Boyes, 16th, Passing Touchdowns, 30
Zac Boyes, 19th, Total Offense, 300.1 yds./game
Zac Boyes, 19th, Points Responsible For, 20.2 pts./game
Mike Baloga, 24th, Field Goals per Game, 0.9/game
Mike Baloga, 29th, Field Goal Percentage, 71.4 pct.
Nick Lardaro, 32nd, Fumbles Recovered, 2
Jack Winey, 32nd, Fumbles Recovered, 2
JJ Laap, 34th, Receiving Touchdowns, 11
Mike Baloga, 34th, Scoring, 9.1 pts./game
Jaden AlfanoStJohn, 37th, Rushing Touchdowns, 12
Jaden AlfanoStJohn, 38th, Rushing, 95.2 yds./game
JJ Laap, 38th, Yards per Reception, 18.8 yds./catch
GROVE CITY:
1st, Winning Percentage, 1.000 (9 teams are undefeated in Division III)
1st, Tackles for Loss Allowed, 2.6/game
2nd, Sacks Allowed, 0.4/game
7th, Passing Yards per Completion, 16.4 yds./completion
7th, Kickoff Returns, 25.4 yds./return
10th, Red Zone Offense, 89.4 pct.
11th, Turnovers Lost, 8
14th, Passes Had Intercepted, 5
16th, Total Defense, 248.5 yds./game
17th, Fumbles Lost, 3
18th, Scoring Defense, 13.8 pts./game
18th, Rushing Defense, 76.0 yds./game
18th, Kickoff Return Defense, 15.0 yds./return
22nd, Team Sacks, 3.1/game
23rd, Time of Possession, 32;44/game
28th, Punt Returns, 13.5 yds./return
29th, Fourth Down Conversion Percentage, 61.5 pct.
30th, Third Down Conversion Percentage, 48.3 pct.
31st, Turnover Margin, plus-0.9/game
36th, First Downs Offense, 236
38th, Rushing Offense, 197.5 yds./game
Ben Bladel, 3rd, Sacks, 1.4/game
Logan Pfeuffer, 7th, Passing Yards per Completion, 15.9 yds./completion
Gabe Dunlap, 8th, Kickoff Returns, 28.2 yds./return
Ben Bladel, 10th, Tackles for Loss, 2.0/game
Gabe Dunlap, 10th, Punt Return Touchdowns, 1
Ben Bladel, 10th, Punt Return Touchdowns, 1 (off blocked punt)
Ben Bladel, 11th, Forced Fumbles, 0.4/game
Clayton Parrish, 15th, Rushing Touchdowns, 15
Ben Bladel, 22nd, Blocked Kicks, 2
Clayton Parrish, 26th, Total Touchdowns, 15
Nico Flati, 28th, Rushing, 101.6 yds./game
Gabe Dunlap, 31st, Combined Kick Returns, 618 yds.
Ryan Fleming, 32nd, Fumbles Recovered, 2
2023 Cortland Weekly Award Winners (game date/opponent in parentheses)
Jaden AlfanoStJohn, Running Back
Empire 8 Co-Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 2 vs. Delaware Valley)
Mike Baloga, Kicker
D3football.com National Team of the Week (Sept. 9 at Lycoming)
Empire 8 Special Teams Player of the Week (Oct. 28 at Hartwick)
Zac Boyes, Quarterback
Empire 8 Co-Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 9 at Lycoming)
D3football.com National Team of the Week (Sept. 30 at Morrisville)
Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 30 at Morrisville)
Empire 8 Co-Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 7 vs. Utica)
Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 21 at St. John Fisher)
D3football.com National Team of the Week (Nov. 11 at Ithaca)
Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week (Nov. 11 at Ithaca)
Cole Burgess, Wide Receiver
Empire 8 Co-Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 28 at Hartwick)
Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week (Nov. 4 vs. Brockport)
D3football.com National Team of the Week (Nov. 4 vs. Brockport)
Sam Cotton, Fr., Safety
Empire 8 Co-Defensive Player of the Week (Nov. 4 vs. Brockport)
D3football.com National Team of the Week (Nov. 4 vs. Brockport)
Ravi Dass Jr., Kick Returner
D3football.com National Team of the Week (Special Teams) (Oct. 14 vs. Alfred)
Empire 8 Special Teams Player of the Week (Oct. 14 vs. Alfred)
JJ Laap, Wide Receiver
D3football.com National Team of the Week (Sept. 16 vs. Susquehanna)
Empire 8 Co-Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 16 vs. Susquehanna)
Offensive Line (Kevin Whalen, Aidan Glynn, Ryan Bitka, Jack McGrath, Cody Aikey)
D3football.com National Team of the Week (Oct. 7 vs. Utica)
SCHEDULES/RESULTS:
CORTLAND (10-1)
Sept. 2 DELAWARE VALLEY (PA)................... W 42-13
Sept. 9 at Lycoming (PA)................................... W 62-7
Sept. 16 SUSQUEHANNA (PA).......................... L 35-38
Sept. 30 * at Morrisville........................................ W 52-15
Oct. 7 * UTICA................................................. W 56-3
Oct. 14 * ALFRED............................................. W 59-21
Oct. 21 * at St. John Fisher............................... W 42-14
Oct. 28 * at Hartwick........................................... W 73-7
Nov. 4 * BROCKPORT..................................... W 41-17
Nov. 11 at Ithaca............................................... W 38-28
Nov. 18 # at Endicott (MA)..................................W 23-17
Nov. 25 # GROVE CITY (PA)..............................12:00
* Empire 8 game (6-0) # NCAA Division III Tournament
HOME GAMES IN CAPS
GROVE CITY (11-0)
Sept. 2 * WESTMINSTER (PA)......................... W 17-7
Sept. 9 * at Waynesburg (PA)............................. W 43-27
Sept. 16 * at Case Western Reserve (OH).......... W 27-24 (OT)
Sept. 23 * CARNEGIE MELLON (PA).................. W 21-14
Sept. 30 * WASH. & JEFFERSON (PA)............... W 31-24
Oct. 7 * at Geneva (PA).................................... W 48-21
Oct. 14 * at Allegheny (PA)................................ W 31-7
Oct. 21 * SAINT VINCENT (PA)........................ W 49-0
Oct. 28 * BETHANY (WV)................................... W 56-14
Nov. 11 * at Thiel (PA)........................................ W 31-0
Nov. 18 # at Susquehanna (PA).......................... W 21-20
Nov. 25 # at Cortland........................................... 12:00
* Presidents' Athletic Conference game (10-0) # NCAA Tournament
HOME GAMES IN CAPS
CORTLAND vs. GROVE CITY – SERIES RECORD
First meeting in 2023
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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