Football | 10/8/2024 5:02:49 PM
SUNY Cortland wide receiver
Jaden AlfanoStJohn and SUNY Brockport linebacker
Mike Talbert, Jr. was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week on Tuesday, Oct. 1. The duo becomes the eighth and ninth different Empire 8 players/position groups to earn D3football.com Team of the Week honors this season.
AlfanoStJohn, a senior from Westhamption, NY, caught eight passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns and ran three times for 29 yards in No. 2 Cortland's 41-0 win over SUNY Morrisville on Saturday. He made a one-handed grab for a 20-yard TD reception in the third quarter and finished the scoring with a 24-yard TD catch in the fourth quarter.
Through four games, AlfanoStJohn has caught 18 passes for a team-high 352 yards and five touchdowns and has five rushes for 43 yards and a score. He is Cortland's career leader, through 39 games, with 51 touchdowns (43 rushing, seven receiving) and 306 total points. He was previosuly named to the D3football.com Team of the Week on Sept. 24 as a kick returner.
Talbert Jr., a native of Wyandanch, NY, created problems for the St. John Fisher offense all afternoon in Brockport's 35-0 win in Courage Bowl XIX Saturday. The Golden Eagles kept the Cardinals to just 188 yards of total offense, including only 17 yards rushing for the game. Talbert was in the backfield making plays consistently with 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Not only did he have seven total tackles, but Talbert, Jr. also had an interception (18-yard return) which setup a score for the offense.
The Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Week, Talbert, Jr., has 31 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss and 3.5 sacks in four games this season for Brockport.
League play continues for all eight Empire 8 teams on Saturday, Oct. 12. Hilbert College hosts St. John Fisher University at noon, while SUNY Morrisville hosts Alfred University, also at noon. No. 2 SUNY Cortland heads to Utica University and SUNY Brockport travels to Hartwick University at 1 p.m.
2024 Empire 8 D3football.com Team of the Week Recipients
Oct. 8 (Week 5) - Jaden AlfanoStJohn, WR, SUNY Cortland
Oct. 8 (Week 5) - Mike Talbert, Jr., LB, SUNY Brockport
Oct. 1 (Week 4) - Alex Coffey, TE, Alfred
Sept. 24 (Week 3) - Jaden AlfanoStJohn, KR/WR, SUNY Cortland
Sept. 24 (Week 3) - Kyle Haettich, S, SUNY Brockport
Sept. 24 (Week 3) - Quamel Jarvis, TE, SUNY Morrisville
Sept. 24 (Week 3) - John Stroughn, DT, Utica
Sept. 17 (Week 2) - Dion Anderson, WR, Alfred
Sept. 17 (Week 2) - Kevin Whalen, Aidan Glynn, Ryan Bitka, Jack McGrath, Cody Aikey, OL, SUNY Cortland
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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