Football | 11/7/2026 7:02:00 PM
BROCKPORT, NY - Quarterback Mike Rescigno (Arlington) ran for a career-high 196 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 190 yards and three scores as Cortland defeated host Brockport, 42-24, to claim its sixth straight outright Empire 8 title and NCAA Division III tournament automatic berth.
Cortland, ranked 10th and 11th in a pair of national polls, improved to 9-0 overall and finished conference play with a 7-0 record. The Red Dragons extended their Empire 8 winning streak to 40 games. Cortland closes the regular season next Saturday versus Ithaca at Yankee Stadium in the annual Cortaca Jug game, and the 40-team NCAA field will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 15.
Rescigno's 196 rushing yards came on just 18 carries. He eclipsed his previous-best total of 179 yards, set earlier this season versus Hartwick. His 196 rushing yards are seven shy of the school quarterback single-game rushing record of 203 yards held by Tyler Hughes from the 2013 season.
Ethan Gallo (Minisink/Minisink Valley) ran 17 times for 78 yards and Lucas Singleton (Lake Ronkonkoma/Sachem North) carried four times for 47 yards. Cortland finished the day with 348 rushing yards and 538 yards of total offense. Brockport entered the game ranked first nationally in Division III in total defense (171.1 yards per game) and second in rushing defense (45.4 yards per game).
Rescigno completed 8-of-17 passes, with three of the receptions going for touchdowns. Jacque LaPrarie (Smithtown/Smithtown West) caught a 61-yard TD pass with 2:01 left in the first half and Jayson Zeva (East Northport/St. John the Baptist) had a 30-yard TD reception 33 seconds before halftime to help Cortland turn a 10-7 deficit into a 21-10 lead at the break. Joe Iadevaio (Massapequa/Plainedge) recorded a 33-yard TD catch in the third quarter.
Aidan Lochner (Ravana/Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk) led Cortland with nine tackles and Memphis Ferguson (Whitesboro) rang up seven tackles and a pass breakup. Ferguson's two tackles for loss included sack. Sonny Mayo (Mastic Beach/William Floyd) returned an interception for a touchdown for Cortland's final score midway through the fourth quarter. He ended with six tackles and a pass breakup in addition to the pick-6.
Anthony Luciano (Loudonville/Shaker) finished with six tackles and a pass breakup and Joe Galea (Cross River/John Jay) had five tackles and a breakup. Hayden Lovinsky (Deer Park) broke up three passes.
Brockport (7-2, 5-1 Empire 8) was led by Allan Paul with 13 rushes for 64 yards and two touchdowns and Derrion Battle's 12 carries for 51 yards. Zymier Jackson completed 13-of-22 passes for 121 yards and a score and Ben Gocella was 3-of-8 passing for 49 yards. Darius Cervi finished with eight tackles, Austyn Gollnitz had seven tackles, an interception and a pass breakup, Brady Schnell ended with seven tackles and a breakup, and Nazhier Wilson also posted seven tackles.
Brockport took a 7-0 lead with 8:51 left in the first quarter, marking the first time Cortland has trailed in a game this season. Gollnitz intercepted a pass on third down and returned the ball 22 yards to the Red Dragon 10-yard line. Two plays later, Jackson connected with Xavier Smith for a 6-yard TD pass.
Cortland came right back with a 65-yard scoring drive to tie the game. Sam Cotton (Fulton/G. Ray Bodley) caught 27-yard and 13-yard passes during the drive, and Rescigno eventually capped the series with a 20-yard scoring run with 5:19 left in the first.
On Brockport's ensuing drive, Jackson hit Kyle Slywka for a 26-yard completion on 3rd-and-16 from the Brockport 45-yard line. The Golden Eagles eventually had their drive stall at the Red Dragon 10-yard line, and Christopher Bascetta made a 27-yard field goal to give Brockport its final lead of the afternoon.
Late in the second quarter, Cortland started a drive from its own 49-yard line. An incomplete pass and two Cortland penalties made it 2nd-and-20 from the 39, but Rescigno hit LaPrarie on a deep pass for a 61-yard score and Cortland led 14-10. The Red Dragons then forced a turnover on downs and took over on their own 45-yard line with 1:05 remaining. Iadevaio caught a 10-yard pass on 3rd-and-6 to keep the drive going, followed by a Cotton 11-yard reception and a 30-yard pass to Zeva for a touchdown and a 21-10 halftime lead.
Cortland received the ball to start the second half and quickly extended its lead to 28-10. Rescigno ran for five yards on first down, and on the next play he broke free and outraced the defense to the front left pylon for a 60-yard TD run. The Red Dragons extended the lead on their next possession with a 7-play, 67-yard TD drive that was capped by a 33-yard pass from Rescigno to Iadevaio, who made a diving catch in the front right corner of the end zone with 8:57 left in the quarter.
Brockport came back with a 79-yard scoring drive that took 12 plays, ending with Paul's 4-yard TD run, to cut Cortland's lead to 35-17. Mayo's interception return for a TD deep in Brockport territory made it 41-17 with 6:45 left in the fourth, and Brockport closed the scoring with a Paul 1-yard TD run to cap a 92-yard drive with 2:49 left.