Football | 11/17/2024 9:00:00 AM
PITTSFORD, NY - Pioneer Football voyaged to Rochester on Saturday afternoon to face Fisher on the final day of the regular season. In a fierce clash of styles, the Pioneers poured their heart and soul into Saturday's contest, playing with passion and pride en route to a 35-20 victory over Fisher on the Cardinals Senior Day.
Utica used a balanced blend of runs and passes to progress down the field throughout the matchup, however it was their propensity for big plays at key moments which sent them to the win, as they racked up over 30 points despite being outgained by Fisher.
The visitors also won the turnover battle 2-0, emphasizing ball security while picking off the Cardinals twice during the contest.
Brett Fuller was a huge contributor to the poised Pioneer offense, with the Junior recording yet another efficient outing, going 18-for-26 with 240 passing yards and three passing scores.
Fuller completed two long passes to Antonio Cianfarani, who ended the day as the visitors' leading receiver. Cianfarani hauled in two passes for 63 yards and nabbed Utica's opening touchdown.
Tyshawn Taylor and Tyler Koldenda also recorded receiving touchdowns in the showdown.
Matt Brantley led all rushers with 78 yards on just nine attempts while also scoring the game's final touchdown to push the Pioneers towards victory.
Sam Florio rounded out the touchdown-getters for Utica, as he punched one in from one yard out during the game.
Freddie Callo Jr. went 5-for-5 on kicks during the action.
Jordyn Davis was a menace in the backfield on Saturday, recording 3.5 of the Pioneers' six total sacks on the afternoon. Davis hammered home the win with two-straight sacks on the final two plays of the day.
Doug Simmons, James Lanier, and Mason Nolan got the other sacks, with the former two getting one sack each, and the latter player recording half a sack.
Norman Booth and Isaiah Thomas recorded the defense's two takeaways, with each player getting a key interception during the second half.
Darius Johnson led the team in tackles as he's been prone to do this season, with the Pioneer Captain getting 11 takedowns.
Nicholas DeForrest continued to build upon his already legendary season on punt coverage, as the Sophomore linebacker broke through for his fourth blocked punt of the season. DeForrest set the single-season school record last week with his third block, but ascended to another level and padded his new record with a fourth block in Saturday's game.
Utica improved to 5-5 with the win, and will finish with a 3-4 record in the Empire 8. They will look for an ECAC Bowl birth during Monday's ECAC Bowl Selection Show.
Game Summary: The Pioneers had to face adversity early in Saturday's contest, facing a Fisher flurry that became seven quick points for the hosts as they drove down the field and took the early advantage thanks to a 10-play 75-yard opening possession.
Utica, however, would immediately make great strides towards spoiling the hosts Senior Day, stealing the spotlight right back with a 44-yard return from Robert Lowry IV on the ensuing kickoff.
The Pioneers set up shop right at midfield for their first offensive possession, looking to punch back and even the score right away. The visitors settled in with a few short gains, eventually finding themselves just outside of the Cardinals' redzone. They officially announced their presence when Fuller found a streaking Cianfarani on a key 3rd down, dropping the ball right in the receiver's breadbasket for a 33-yard touchdown pass.
Just like that, the game was seven-all after both teams' opening possessions.
Fisher's next drive would drain the clock all the way down, signaling the second quarter of play with the Cardinals driving once again on the back of their short-gain possession-based offense.
The Cardinals looked to steadily grab another score as the second quarter began, with the home team in the midst of a 12-play drive where only one play up to that point was a gain of over 10 yards.
The Orange and Blue held strong on a 3rd down from just outside their redzone, as a Fisher penalty forced the Rochester squad to convert a 48-yard field goal.
Facing another deficit thanks to the Cardinal kick, the Pioneers once again looked to seize the game's momentum with their second offensive drive. Utica's efforts were halted early due to a couple flags which pushed their drive back before it could get underway in earnest. Fuller once again provided a spark though, getting the guys going in the right direction with a 13-yard pass, this time to Izzy Maldonado.
The Pioneers would then look to establish the run game, but found themselves stifled as the Cardinal line walled up, forcing the visitors to revert to their passing ways and seeing them be forced to line up for the game's first punt.
Fisher proceeded to embark on their third-straight possession of over five minutes, once again marching down the field and looking to create a multi-possession gap between the two teams. A 12-play 82-yard possession ended with the Cardinals once again being forced to accept a three-pointer, converting another kick to take a 13-7 lead with about four minutes remaining in the first half of play. The Pioneer defense showed their grit on the stop, stymying the Cardinals who at one point had a 1st and goal from the nine yard line.
Utica received the ball once again, starting another offensive possession from their own 27 in what would likely be their final drive of the half. The Pioneers were once again stumped in their attempts to establish the running game, turning to Fuller who had the winning recipe for much of the afternoon when it came time to convert.
The visitors drove straight down the field, utilizing six passes from Fuller to break into the endzone and tie the game at 13 pending the extra point. Fuller had two long completions during the possession, finding Liam Horodnik early on in the series for a 23 yard gain before targeting Cianfarani once again over the middle for a 30-yard gain on a key 3rd and 11. Just outside the endzone, and with time ticking under 30 seconds left, Fuller extended another 3rd down play, rolling out to his right and finding Taylor right underneath the goalpost for a Pioneer touchdown.
Callo made the extra point to give the Pioneers a one point edge heading into the half.
Utica received the ball to start the second half and experienced some deja vu as Lowry piloted another long return to set the Pioneers up at their own 40-yard line to begin the quarter. The Orange and Blue opened up the second half how they ended the first; scheming up various passing attacks. Two Fuller-Zawolo connections of over 10 yards saw the Cardinals begin to focus more on guarding the secondary, prompting the Pioneers to begin toting the rock with their main back Brantley. A couple solid gains from the Rochester native allowed Utica to continue their air raid, with a 10-yard pass to Taylor and an 18-yard pass to Maldonado getting the Pioneers into a goal-to-go situation. Utica then used their revered "Raven" set to finish the drive, with Florio busting in from one yard out for a score.
Callo's extra point made it 21-13 after the opening drive of the third quarter.
On a 14-0 run and fresh off of really opening up their playbook, the Pioneers turned to their defense for a timely stop. Fisher found a few flags on their first couple snaps, putting themselves at a disadvantage early in the drive. Any hopes of a Cardinal score were erased on 2nd and 24 as Davis ran unchallenged right through the heart of the line, strip-sacking the Fisher Quarterback Ryan Whitney and nearly forcing the first turnover of the game. Fisher recovered the fumble, but was forced to undergo the first punt of the second half.
The following Fisher boot was blocked by a familiar face as DeForrest, one game removed from sealing the school record for blocked kicks in a season, procured his fourth blocked kick of the year, setting up the Pioneers in plus territory. The offense couldn't make the most of the advantageous situation, quickly sending the ball back to the Cardinals.
Just as Fisher's next series was getting underway, the Pioneer defense came up with a huge momentum-grabbing moment.
On 3rd and 10 from the Cardinal 40 yard line, Booth jumped a route and picked off a Fisher pass in stride, sealing the game's first turnover.
The Pioneer offense, now back in business at the opponent's 30-yard line, started the day's final quarter with a bang as Fuller found Brantley for a 10-yard gain followed by a 16-yard touchdown pass to Kolenda for the Junior Quarterback's third passing touchdown of the day, giving Utica a 28-13 lead after Callo's extra point.
Fisher cut the deficit quickly, mounting a 10-play 79-yard touchdown possession to bring the game back to a one-score gap at 28-20.
The Pioneers opened the door for Fisher to try and claw back into the proceedings, gifting the opposition possession midway through the fourth quarter with a chance to tie the game.
The defensive line enforced their will during a critical point of the game, using two consecutive sacks courtesy of James Lanier, Mason Nolan, and Doug Simmons to achieve a big stop.
Fisher got to try again after the Pioneers stalled out, and saw more success this time around, driving down to the Utica 37 with minutes remaining in the matchup. The Pioneer secondary all-but ended the proceedings though, with Thomas picking off Whitney over the middle to give the Pioneers back the ball.
With under a minute remaining, the Orange and Blue were one first down away from victory and turned to Brantley to seal the deal. On 3rd and 1, Brantley found a gap on the outside and turned on the jets, getting way more than the required one yard and instead rushing all the way into the endzone to put a bow on the Pioneers big win to end the regular season.
Back-to-back Davis sacks put a pin in the proceedings, with the Pioneers achieving a 35-20 win over Fisher on the final day of the regular season.
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