Football | 12/7/2023 3:25:07 PM
Sixteen different Empire 8 student-athletes were named to the 2023 D3football.com All-Region 2 Team. Five players were named to the first team, while eight were second team selections and four garnered third team accolades. Empire 8 Champion SUNY Cortland had a league-high nine student-athletes honored, while SUNY Brockport had four representatives. In addition, one Alfred University, SUNY Morrisville and Utica University standout garnered All-Region honors. Zac Boyes of SUNY Cortland was named the Region 2 Offensive Player of the Year, while Cortland head coach Curt Fitzpatrick was named the Coach of the Year.
All 16 players are eligible for selection to the D3football.com All-America team that will be announced Dec. 15 prior to the NCAA Division III Championship game.
Boyes in the midst of an incredible season for Empire 8 Champion Cortland, who has won three straight NCAA Tournament games and will face Randolph-Macon College in the NCAA National Semifinal on Saturday, Dec. 9 at noon. A native of Buffalo, NY, Boyes has completed 222-of-311 passes this season, a 71.4 percent completion percentage, 3,392 yards, 36 passing touchdowns and just five interceptions in 13 games. In addition, he has rushed 120 times for 616 yards and eight rushing touchdowns. Boyes has four 300-yard passing games and has had six games with at least four touchdowns (passing or rushing) this season. Boyes is fourth nationally with a 198.0 passing efficiency rating, eighth in completion percentage, tenth in passing touchdowns and 12th in passing yards per completion (15.28). Boyes is also one of 15 semifinalists for the Gagliardi Trophy which is awarded to the best player in NCAA Division III.
Fitzpatrick has led Cortland to a current record of 12-1 and the program's first-ever NCAA Division III tournament semifinal appearance. Cortland won the Empire 8 title for the third straight season with a 6-0 record and finished the regular season with a 9-1 overall record. Cortland leads all of Division III with 343 first downs and is ranked fifth nationally, averaging 514.8 yards of offense per game. The Red Dragons are ninth in Division III, averaging 46.6 points per game. Cortland has out-scored its opponents, 606-245 this season.
2023 Empire 8 D3football.com All-Region Selections
First Team
Jaden AlfanoStJohn, Jr., RB, SUNY Cortland
Raylens Boutin, Sr., CB, SUNY Brockport
Zac Boyes, Jr., QB, SUNY Cortland
Dan Giangrasso, Jr., P, SUNY Brockport
JJ Laap, Sr., WB, SUNY Cortland
Second Team
Cody Aikey, Jr., T, SUNY Cortland
Ryan Bitka, Jr., G, SUNY Cortland
Raylens Boutin, Sr., KR/PR, SUNY Brockport
Cole Burgess, Sr., WR, SUNY Cortland
Joe Copp, Sr., LB, Alfred
Kyle Haettich, Sr., S, SUNY Brockport
Mark Noel, Sr., CB, SUNY Cortland
John Stroughn, Sr., DE, Utica
Third Team
Omar Jarvis, So., S, SUNY Morrisville
Patrick Luby, Jr., KO, SUNY Cortland
Scott Ochnser, Sr., T, SUNY Brockport
Jack Winey, Jr., LB, SUNY Cortland
The teams, selected in balloting by sports information directors and
D3football.com staff, were chosen from 1,096 nominations by full Division III member schools. Players nominated for All-Region are eligible to be considered for
D3football.com All-America honors, which will be announced the evening of Dec. 16, in
D3football.com’s pregame coverage for Stagg Bowl XLIX
FIRST TEAM
AlfanoStJohn, a native of Westhampton, NY, has played in and started all 13 games and is a repeat All-Region selection. He has carried the ball 231 times for 1,270 yards and 15 touchdowns and caught 14 passes for 138 yards and one score. He has rushed for at least one touchdown in 11 games. Alfanostjohn ran for a season-high 193 yards and two touchdowns in the 58-41 win over Alma in the NCAA National Quarterfinal game on Dec. 2. He became the second player in Cortland history to surpass 3,000 career rushing yards (currently 3,051).
Boutin, now a three-time All-Region selection and four-time Preseason All-American, is the leader of a Brockport defensive unit that is third in Division III, allowing just 212.2 total yards per game. In addition, the Brockport defense is 11th in DIII, allowing just 140.4 passing yards per contest and ninth, allowing just 12.3 points per game. Boutin, a native of Nyack, NY, finished the year with 51 tackles, including 35 solo stops to go along with 5.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, a pair of interceptions and nine passes defended. In addition, Boutin earned All-region second team honors as a return specialist. He averaged16.3 yards per punt return, which is fifth-best nationally with five returns over 30 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
As Brockport's punter, Giangrasso separated himself from the rest of the field at the position in the Empire 8 this season. He had the highest average of 41.0 yards per kick in the conference, which also ranked 13th in the nation this year. Giangrasso, a native of Poughkeepsie, NY, totaled 1,927 yards on 47 punts, which included eight kicks of 50 or more yards and 15 kicks that pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line. He earned All-Region accolades for the second straight season.
Laap, a native of Stony Brook, NY, has 67 catches for 1,202 yards (17.9 yards per reception) and 13 touchdowns in 13 games this season. He was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week in late September after catching five passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns against Susquehanna. He is Cortland's career leader with 3,036 receiving yards and 31 TD catches.
SECOND TEAM
Aikey, a native of Canandaigua, NY and Bitka, who hails from Amherst, NY are the leaders off an offensive line that has allowed Cortland set school single-season records with 606 points, 3055 rushing yards, 3,637 passing yards 6,692 total offensive yards, 81 total touchdowns is on pace to set school records for scoring average (currently 46.6 points/game) and total offense average (currently 514.8 yards/game). The Red Dragons have recorded at least 400 yards of total offense in 12 of its 13 games this season, at least 500 yards and six times and more than 600 yards three times, including 648 yards in the 58-41 win over Alma College in the NCAA National Quarterfinal game on Dec. 2.
Burgess is an all-region honoree for the third time; he was a third-team All-East kick returner in 2018 and third team wide receiver last season. This fall, the Greenwich, NY native has appeared in 12 games games, all as a starter, and has caught 64 passes for 1,096 yards and 11 touchdowns. Burgess has four 100-yard receiving games, including his nine-catch, 245-yard, three touchdown outburst against SUNY Brockport on Nov. 4 that clinched the E8 title. He was also named to the D3football.com Team of the Week on Nov. 7. Burgess has 155 receptions for 2,854 yards and 30 touchdowns in his Cortland career.
Copp, who hails from Minoa, NY, earned D3football.com All-Region accolades and All-E8 first team honors for the second straight year. He enjoyed an excellent season for the Saxons, leading the Empire 8 with 122 tackles (58 solo, 64 assisted) to go along with 9.5 tackles for a loss and three sacks. Copp has 357 tackles in his collegiate career, which is fourth most in program history.
Haettich, a native of Buffalo, NY, recorded 62 tackles (26 solo, 36 assisted) to go along with seven pass breakups, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries in 11 games this season. He recorded a season-high 13 tackles in the Camp Good Days and Special Times Courage Bowl against St. John Fisher on Sept. 30 and 10 tackles and an interception against NCAA Tournament qualifier Susquehanna.
Noel, a native of Staten Island, NY, has battled injuries this season to record three interceptions and six pass breakups in nine games. He has eight career interceptions, 52 tackles, 22 passes defended and a pair of interceptions in 32 career contests over three seasons.
Stroughn recorded 62 total tackles, 27 of which solo and 35 assisted. The graduate student also registered eight sacks which were the most in the Empire 8 this season along with his running mate on the d-line, Doug Simmons. The Baldwin, NY native ranks first all-time in Utica’s program history with 13 quarterback hurries, second all-time with 23 sacks, and third all-time with 37.5 tackles for loss. He helped lead Utica to 19 wins over the last two seasons. Prior to the season, Stroughn was named an Allstate American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team nominee for his work within the community as well as in the classroom.
THIRD TEAM
Jarvis, a native of Rochester, NY, led the Mustangs secondary that ranked third in the Empire 8 in interceptions and fourth in passing defense. Across 10 games on the season, the junior collected 60 total stops, forced a fumble and led the team with four interceptions, returning the ball 50 yards. In addition, Jarvis added two pass breakups and a blocked kick to his totals. Ranking first in the league in interceptions, Jarvis posted a single game best 13 tackles against Brockport. Throughout his career in the Mustang uniform he has compiled a total 111 tackles, five interceptions and 13 passes defended.
Luby, the 2022 and 2023 E8 Special Teams Player of the Year, has posted 48 touchbacks on 102 kickoffs this fall. His 47.1 touchback percentage is the highest by a Red Dragon since season totals for the statistic were first tracked in 2006. Luby also served as Cortland's punter and averaged 37.4 yards per punt on 17 attempts with six inside the 20-yard line. It is second straight All-Region honor.
Ochsner, a 6-foot-8 tackle from Skaneateles, NY, was the leader of a Brockport offensive line that paved the way for the Golden Eagles to average 211.5 yards rushing per game on the season and average 34.6 points per game. The Golden Eagles gained over 200 yards on the ground six times this season, including a season-high 288 against Utica on Oct. 28. Ochsner and the Brockport offensive line were honored as the D3football.com Team of the Week on Oct. 31.
Winey, a native of Lindenhurst, NY, has paced Cortland with 124 total tackles (44 solo, 80 assisted) to go along with 4.5 tackles for loss and seven quarterback hurries. He has recorded 13 or more tackles in a game five times, including 16 in the NCAA Second Round game against Grove City on Nov. 25.
Players were nominated for these awards by the Sports Information Directors at the various schools, and schools and conferences were contacted multiple times as the season wound down to remind them to make their players eligible. In total, 1,129 players were nominated.
All-Region teams are selected in balloting by sports information directors in each region and
D3football.com staff. All players nominated for All-Region are eligible to be considered for the
D3football.com All-America Team.
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.
EMPIRE 8 SOCIAL MEDIA
YouTube –
Facebook –
Twitter –
Instagram