Football | 10/24/2026 6:06:00 PM
ONEONTA, NY – The Alfred State football team built a commanding first-half lead and came up with several key defensive stops down the stretch to earn a 24-17 Empire 8 victory over Hartwick on Saturday afternoon at Wright Stadium. The win improves the Pioneers to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in conference play.
Alfred State came out firing on its opening possession, marching 65 yards on seven plays before quarterback Chase Shepanski connected with wide receiver Jordan Jackson for a 28-yard touchdown strike to give the Pioneers an early 7-0 advantage.
The Pioneer defense set the tone throughout the opening half, forcing multiple turnover-on-downs stops while keeping Hartwick off the scoreboard. Early in the second quarter, Alfred State doubled its lead when freshman running back Ryan Joseph powered his way into the end zone on a 17-yard touchdown run. A 30-yard field goal by Matthew Perry as time expired in the first half capped a strong opening two quarters and sent the Pioneers into the locker room with a 17-0 lead.
The Pios defense continued to make big plays in the second quarter as defensive lineman Dominic Marasco intercepted a pass and returned it 27 yards, helping set up the late field goal before halftime.
Hartwick began to chip away at the deficit in the fourth quarter, scoring on an eight-yard run and later adding a 41-yard touchdown rush to pull within 17-14 with 9:37 remaining.
Facing mounting pressure, the Pioneers responded with their most important drive of the afternoon. Starting at their own 20-yard line, Alfred State methodically marched 80 yards on a 15-play drive that consumed more than seven minutes of game clock. Shepanski finished the drive himself, breaking free for a 14-yard touchdown run with 2:10 remaining to push the lead back to 10 points and provide the decisive score.
Hartwick added a late field goal, but the Pioneers successfully recovered the ensuing onside kick attempt and ran out the final seconds to secure the victory.
Shepanski led the offense with an efficient performance, completing 17-of-24 passes for 218 yards and one touchdown while adding 57 rushing yards and a score on the ground. Jackson was his favorite target, hauling in eight receptions for 159 yards and a touchdown. Joseph contributed 44 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Perry was perfect on the day with a field goal and all three extra-point attempts.
Defensively, Marcus Roney and Demarii Thompson each recorded nine tackles to pace the Pioneer defense. Ryan Heinz added seven tackles and a sack, while Marasco's interception proved to be a momentum-changing play before halftime.
As a team, Alfred State totaled 341 yards of offense, converted four fourth-down opportunities, and finished with three touchdowns while committing no turnovers. The Pioneers also held Hartwick scoreless through the first three quarters before turning away several late threats to secure the road victory.
The Pioneers will be back on the road next weekend as they head over to Cortland, NY for a matchup against the Red Dragons. Kickoff for that game is set for 1 pm.