Football | 11/3/2023 1:25:00 PM
The Empire 8 title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament are on the line as Cortland hosts Brockport in a battle of conference unbeaten teams at noon on Saturday, Nov. 4 from Grady Field. Cortland, ranked 16th nationally by D3football.com and 17th by the AFCA, enters its final league game with a 5-0 conference mark, while Brockport, among the "others receiving votes" section in both polls, is 4-0 in league play. Both teams are 7-1 overall, each with a non-league home loss to Susquehanna.
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Cortland is the two-time defending Empire 8 champion, while Brockport earned the league's NCAA berth three straight years from 2017-19 (Cortland was co-champ with Brockport in 2019 but lost the head-to-head tiebreaker).
THE SERIES: Cortland and Brockport are meeting for the 74th time. The teams have played every season since 1948, except for 1950 (the 2020 season was canceled). Cortland leads the overall series 51-20-2, including wins in 2021 and 2022. Brockport won six of the seven games contested from 2013-19, while Cortland won five straight from 2008-12.
Last year at Brockport, Jaden AlfanoStJohn ran for 119 yards and three scores, Joshua Cordero returned an interception for a touchdown and Rashad Tucker ran back a kickoff 94 yards for a score in the Red Dragons' 42-24 win. Zac Boyes was 11-of-15 passing for 170 yards and ran for 30 yards and a touchdown. Ty Kolar led Cortland with 10 tackles, eight solo, while Zack Thuesen and Craig Ackerman each posted eight stops. Rashad Law led Brockport with 25 rushes for 147 yards and two touchdowns. Ben Robinson and Ben Damiani each finished with seven tackles.
CORTLAND CAPSULE: Cortland tied a school single-game scoring record in its 73-7 win at Hartwick last Saturday. The Red Dragons matched the school record set previously in both 1969 (73-7 versus Brockport) and 1999 (73-7 versus New Jersey City). Mike Baloga tied the school single-game mark with 10 made PAT kicks, and his current streak of 77 straight successful PATs, dating back to last season, eclipsed the previous school record of 70 straight PATs by Matthew Mintz from 2005-07. Baloga, the Empire 8 Special Teams Player of the Week, also made a 25-yard field goal.
Cortland outgained the Hawks in total offense, 657-183, including a 358 to minus-3 advantage on the ground. Two of Cortland's touchdowns came via defense and special teams. Jaden Martinez opened the scoring with a 21-yard interception return for a score, following a deflection by Max Llewellyn, and David Romer blocked a punt that Andrew Tarpey returned 10 yards for a score in the second quarter. Ashton Capone ran for two scores and Jaden AlfanoStJohn, Tyson Taylor, Kyle Stracher and Ethan Gallo each ran for one touchdown. Cole Burgess and JJ Laap caught TD passes. Burgess, the Empire 8 Co-Offensive Player of the Week, caught six passes for 135 yards. Zac Boyes was 10-of-11 passing for 206 yards and two scores and Vin Mazzone was 8-for-12 for 93 yards.
Through eight games, Boyes has completed 126-of-170 passes (74.1 percent) for 1,970 yards and 24 touchdowns with one interception. Laap has caught 37 passes for 744 yards and 10 touchdowns and Burgess has 32 receptions for 491 yards and six scores. AlfanoStJohn averages 85.2 rushing yards per game with nine touchdowns on the ground and Capone averages 54.6 yards per game rushing with 10 touchdowns. Each also has one touchdown reception.
Jack Winey paces the defense with 77 tackles. Luke Winslow has 33 tackles and a team-high two interceptions and Sam Cotton has registered 30 tackles. The Red Dragons have 15 sacks, led by Nick Lardaro with 4.5 and Llewellyn and Will Ruckert with three apiece. Baloga has scored 70 points on 58-of-58 PAT kicks and four field goals in seven attempts. Ravi Dass Jr. averages 19.2 yards per punt return, including a 63-yard touchdown three weeks ago versus Alfred.
Curt Fitzpatrick was named Cortland's head coach in February 2020 and enters the game with a 27-4 (.871) 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 a pair of 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. Fitzpatrick and his assistants were named the Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year in both 2021 and 2022.
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...SUNY BROCKPORT: Brockport earned its sixth straight win and remained unbeaten in Empire 8 play with a 38-3 win over visiting Utica last Saturday. The Golden Eagles allowed only 64 yards of total offense (83 passing, minus-19 rushing) and four first downs to the Pioneers. Brockport has allowed less than 100 yards of offense and a combined three points over the last three weeks.
Brockport held an early 7-3 lead behind a Chris McGuire 9-yard TD run in the first quarter. The Golden Eagles extended the lead to 17-3 over the final six minutes of the first half on Jala Coad's 11-yard TD run and Nate Wigent's 20-yard field goal. Brockport put the game away with Isaiah Simmons and Cameron Mesh scoring runs in the third quarter and a 15-yard TD pass from McGuire to Nolan Slywka in the fourth quarter. Starting quarterback Ben Gocella completed 9-of-17 passes for 104 yards. McGuire was 2-for-3 for 33 yards and a score and ran nine times for 80 yards. Simmons finished with 94 rushing yards.
Gocella is 63-for-110 (57.3 percent) passing for 811 yards and 12 touchdowns with three interceptions in six games. Gino Fontanarosa averages 66.3 rushing yards per game with eight touchdowns, but he did not play last weekend. Coad averages 60 yards per game on the ground with six scores. Slywka is the team's receiving leader with 27 grabs for 328 yards and four touchdowns. James Altenburger has caught five TD passes among his 15 receptions.
Ben Robinson leads Brockport with 58 tackles, followed by Kyle Haettich with 47 and Mike Talbert Jr. with 40. Robinson and Talbert share the team lead with 3.5 sacks each and Louie Usera has three interceptions. Wigent hasn't missed a kick this fall - he's 4-for-4 on field-goal attempts and 43-for-43 on PAT kicks. Dan Giangrasso ranks eighth nationally in Division III with 41.8 yards per punt.
Jason Mangone is in his 11th year as Brockport's head coach and enters the game with an overall record of 80-29 (.734). He joined the Golden Eagles' coaching staff in 1998 and was the program's offensive coordinator from 2003 until his promotion to head coach. Brockport won three straight Empire 8 titles from 2017-19. The 2017 squad finished 13-1 overall (10-0 regular season) and advanced to the NCAA Division III semifinals. The 2018 squad also went 10-0 in the regular season (11-1 overall) and lost in the NCAA second round, and the 2019 team was 9-3 and advanced to the NCAA second round. Mangone also led Brockport to ECAC bowls in 2013 and 2016.
Mangone played two years at Alfred University before transferring to Brockport in 1997. He became the starting quarterback in 1997 and also started in 1998, setting season records for completion percentage and efficiency rating in his first season at Brockport. Mangone graduated from Brockport in 2000 and earned a master's degree from the school in 2012.
NOTEBOOK:
* Cortland enters the game ranked fifth nationally in Division III in both total offense (538.5 yards per game) and scoring (52.6 points per game) and eighth in rushing (262.4 yards per game). Brockport is the nation's top-ranked team in total defense, allowing 155.1 yards per game (56.0 rushing, 99.1 passing), and ranks third in scoring defense at 5.4 points per game.
* Cortland has scored at least 35 points in each of its first eight games. The Red Dragons' 52.6 points per game scoring average puts them on pace to break the school single-season record of 45.1 points, set last season. Cortland's second-best season was 41.4 points per game in 2021.
* Zac Boyes is currently fourth at Cortland with 53 career touchdown passes and ranks eighth with 5,021 career passing yards. The school records in those categories are 59 TD passes and 6,518 passing yards by Brett Segala from 2016-19. Boyes' five touchdowns passes versus Susquehanna on Sept. 16 tied a school single-game record set by four other players. The most recent to do so prior to Boyes was Dan Pitcher at Brockport in 2011.
* Zac Boyes has thrown 157 straight passes without an interception; his lone interception this year came early in the second quarter in the season opener versus Delaware Valley. Since 1996, only one Cortland quarterback has registered a longer interception-less streak - Steven Ferreira attempted 165 straight passes without a pick from Sept. 19 through Oct. 31, 2015. (Records prior to 1996 in this category are not easily accessible at this time.)
* 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. No other Cortland player since 1996 has had three games with at least 15 tackles in one season. (Records prior to 1996 in this category are not easily accessible at this time.)
* Cortland has not punted in three games this year, including each of the last two weeks at St. John Fisher and Hartwick along with during the season opener versus Delaware Valley. The Red Dragons only punted once each versus Morrisville, Utica and Alfred, and Cortland has punted only 10 times in eight games for the season.
* Cortland's schedule this year includes four 2022 NCAA Division III playoff qualifiers - conference champs Delaware Valley (Middle Atlantic Conference), Susquehanna (Centennial Conference; now a Landmark Conference member) and Ithaca (Liberty League), along with Empire 8 foe Utica, which was an at-large selection. This fall, Ithaca (7-1) has already clinched the Liberty League title and Delaware Valley (7-1) and Susquehanna (8-0) are leading their conferences.
* Jaden AlfanoStJohn ranks fifth at Cortland with 2,463 career rushing yards through 28 games. 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 36 touchdowns in his career (34 rushing, two receiving), and his 216 career points are third in school history. The only other two players to score at least 200 career points at Cortland are Cook (268) and Omar Darling (222 from 1994-95, 97-98).
* Of Patrick Luby's 66 kickoffs this season, 40 of them (61.6 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 nearly became the second player in school history to pass for 300 yards and rush for 100 yards in the same game with his 294-yard passing/111-yard rushing effort at Morrisville on Sept. 30. The only Red Dragon to accomplish that 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 been a member of the Empire 8 conference since 2015. The Red Dragons won the outright league title and NCAA automatic bid in both 2021 and 2022 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.
* Cortland and Brockport rank in the top 40 nationally in Division III in the following team and individual categories:
CORTLAND:
3rd, Team Passing Efficiency, 204.1 rating
3rd, First Downs Offense, 223
4th, Completion Percentage, 72.4 pct.
4th, Blocked Punts, 4
4th, Third Down Conversion Percentage, 57.6 pct.
5th, Total Offense, 538.5 yds./game
5th, Scoring Offense, 52.6 pts./game
8th, Rushing Offense, 262.4 yds./game
8th, Passes Had Intercepted, 2
14th, Winning Percentage, .875
16th, Tackles for Loss Allowed, 3.8/game
16th, Fourth Down Conversion Percentage, 66.7 pct.
18th, First Downs Defense, 109
19th, Total Defense, 250.5 yds./game
20th, Third Down Conversion Percentage Defense, 27.7 pct.
25th, Passing Yards Allowed, 157.1 yds./game
26th, Passing Yards per Completion, 15.0 yds./completion
26th, Net Punting, 35.9 net yds./punt
27th, Scoring Defense, 14.8 pts./game
29th, Blocked Kicks (includes punts), 4
29th, Turnovers Lost, 8
30th, Kickoff Return Defense, 15.5 yds./return
33rd, Defensive Touchdowns, 2
Zac Boyes, 1st, Completion Percentage, 74.1 pct.
Zac Boyes, 2nd, Passing Efficiency, 216.9 rating
Zac Boyes, 2nd, Yards per Pass Attempt, 11.6 yds./attempt
Ravi Dass Jr., 7th, Punt Return Touchdowns, 1
Andrew Tarpey, 7th, Punt Return Touchdowns, 1
Zac Boyes, 12th, Passing Yards per Completion, 15.6 yds./completion
Zac Boyes, 12th, Points Responsible For, 21.8 pts./game
Zac Boyes, 15th, Passing Touchdowns, 24
JJ Laap, 17th, Receiving Touchdowns, 10
Ashton Capone, 28th, Rushing Touchdowns, 10
Zac Boyes, 29th, Total Offense, 293.1 yds./game
JJ Laap, 30th, Yards per Reception, 20.1 yds./catch
JJ Laap, 33rd, Receiving Yards, 93.0 yds./game
Jack Winey, 36th, Tackles, 9.6/game
Jaden AlfanoStJohn, 36th, Rush Yards per Carry, 6.1 yds./carry
Jaden AlfanoStJohn, 37th, Rushing Touchdowns, 9
Ashton Capone, 39th, Total Touchdowns, 11
BROCKPORT:
1st, Total Defense, 155.1 yds./game
2nd, Passing Yards Allowed, 99.1 yds./game
2nd, Team Passing Efficiency Defense, 71.9 opponent rating
2nd, First Downs Defense, 79
3rd, Scoring Defense, 5.4 pts./game
4th, Fewest Penalties, 3.3/game
5th, Third Down Conversion Percentage Defense, 21.6 pct.
8th, Red Zone Offense, 92.5 pct.
11th, Rushing Defense, 56.0 yds./game
13th, Team Tackles for Loss, 8.5/game
13th, Sacks Allowed, 0.6/game
13th, Fewest Penalty Yards, 35.0 yds./game
13th, Turnovers Lost, 6
14th, Winning Percentage, .875
14th, Passes Had Intercepted, 3
17th, Punt Returns, 16.0 yds./return
19th, Rushing Offense, 222.5 yds./game
24th, Blocked Punts, 2
26th, Scoring Offense, 40.2 pts./game
29th, Blocked Kicks (includes punt), 4
29th, Kickoff Return Defense, 15.4 yds./return
29th, Red Zone Defense, 63.6 pct.
32nd, Fourth Down Conversion Percentage, 60.0 pct.
33rd, Defensive Touchdowns, 2
38th, Sacks, 2.8/game
39th, Turnover Margin, plus-0.9/game
39th, Fumbles Lost, 3
40th, Time of Possession, 32:16/game
Raylens Boutin, 5th, Punt Returns, 17.3 yds./return
Raylens Boutin, 7th, Punt Return Touchdowns, 1
Dan Giangrasso, 8th, Punting, 41.8 yds./punt
Mike Talbert Jr., 23rd, Tackles for Loss, 1.8/game
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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