Football | 11/2/2024 5:09:00 PM
ALFRED, NY – A late field goal from
Dominic Bronco (Rochester, NY/Aquinas) lifted the Alfred University football team to a 34-31 win over St. John Fisher University on Saturday afternoon from Yunevich Stadium.
Joe Copp (Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse-Minoa) broke the Alfred University football program record for career tackles, bringing his total to 416 career tackles for the Saxons. Copp was additionally credited with a pair of forced fumbles and an interception for AU.
Chris Kelly (Lake Ronkonkoma, NY/Lake Ronkonkoma) completed 22-of-34 pass attempts for 283 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Max Freeman IV (Painted Post, NY/Corning-Painted Post) totaled 106 rushing yards to go with 86 receiving yards and a touchdown for Alfred University.
"I'm so proud of our team today," Head Coach
Bob Rankl said. "It was a great team win for our players. I have to give a huge shout out to our team captain and leader
Joe Copp for being the all-time leading tackler at Alfred University. We have had some great defensive players over the years and that really is quite an accomplishment."
The Saxons offense came out strong in the opening quarter, as a nine-play drive was capped off with a 26-yard passing touchdown from Kelly to
Tommy Welch (Avon, NY/Avon) for the initial lead. A field goal by the Cardinals was answered with
Alexander Coffey (Columbia, MD/Long Reach) finding the end zone following a six-yard rush, as AU had a 14-3 lead going into the second quarter. In the early stages of the second quarter, St. John Fisher put together a nine-play touchdown drive to cut their deficit. The Saxons relied on Bronco for a 25-yard field goal to extend their advantage. The Cardinals scored once more before both sides went into the break with a 17-17 tie.
In the first possession for St. John Fisher in the second half, Copp forced his first fumble of the afternoon, which was recovered by
Nicholas McLetchie-Goldman (Rexford, NY/Shenendehowa). Later in the quarter, Kelly found Freeman for a 16-yard passing touchdown to take the lead. On the first play of the next possession for the Cardinals, Copp once again forced a fumble that was picked up by
Neil Peters (The Bronx, NY/DeWitt Clinton) in opposing territory. The Saxons took advantage, as Kelly tossed a 34-yard touchdown pass to
Andrew Morling (Canisteo, NY/Canisteo-Greenwood) to take a 31-17 lead with one quarter remaining. With the Cardinals on the AU 36-yard line, Copp forced his third turnover of the afternoon following an interception.
St. John Fisher put pressure on AU, scoring 14 consecutive points to tie the game with just 1:15 remaining in the game.
A 47-yard kick return by
Dion Anderson (Buffalo, NY/St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute) set up the Saxons on the opposing 45-yard line. Completed passes to Freeman and
Ben Vincent (Lansing, NY/Lansing) set up AU just outside the red zone. A 38-yard field goal by Bronco gave the Saxons the go-ahead lead with 32 seconds remaining. The Cardinals drove down to Alfred University's 34-yard line, but a 52-yard field goal attempted went far left in the closing seconds as the Saxons held on for the win.
Alfred University will next compete in their final road game of the regular season at Hartwick College next Saturday at 1:00 PM.
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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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