Football | 9/12/2026 5:34:00 PM
SCHENECTADY, NY - Cortland limited Union to 129 yards of total offense and posted its first shutout in two seasons as the Red Dragons defeated the Garnet Chargers, 26-0, in a non-league football matchup at Union's Frank Bailey Field.
Cortland (2-0), ranked 24th nationally by both D3football.com and the AFCA, finished the game with 315 yards of offense, and the Red Dragons outrushed Union, 178-31. Cortland shut out an opponent for the first time since a 49-0 home win over St. John Fisher in October of 2024.
Nazair Jean-Lubin (Freeport) led the Red Dragon defense with six tackles and a pass breakup. Joe Galea (Cross River/John Jay) was initially credited with six tackles, including one sack and two total tackles for loss, but those totals may be adjusted after a video review. Chris Carter Jr. (East Greenbush/Columbia) and Anthony Luciano (Loudonville/Shaker) each registered five tackles.
Quarterback Mike Rescigno (Arlington) ran 13 times for 102 yards and completed 13-of-24 passes for 137 yards and a score. Ethan Gallo (Minisink/Minisink Valley) ran for 55 yards and two touchdowns, in the process becoming the 11th player in school history to reach the career 2,000-yard rushing mark. Gallo now has 2,032 career rushing yards, and his 39 total career touchdowns moves him into third place at Cortland in that category.
Sam Cotton (Fulton/G. Ray Bodley) caught four passes for 56 yards and a touchdown and Joe Iadevaio (Massapequa/Plainedge) had five receptions for 47 yards. Cole Callard (Medina) made 34-yard and 24-yard field goals.
For Union (0-2), Alex Carucci finished with 10 tackles and John Droggitis and Myles Beckett recorded seven tackles apiece. Luke Sheehan completed 13-of-28 passes for 98 yards, Kaden Gore caught four passes for 28 yards, and Justin Singh ran six times for 20 yards. Nathan Barrows averaged 41.8 yards on five punts.
Union held a 18:39-11:21 advantage in time of possession in the first half, but Cortland dominated the second half, possessing the ball for 25:53 to just 4:07 for the hosts. The Red Dragons limited Union to just one first down in the second half.
Union elected to receive to start the game but Cortland forced a 3-and-out and Ravi Dass Jr. (Newburgh/Somers) returned a punt 13 yards to the Union 45-yard line. After an 8-play drive, Callard hit a 34-yard field goal to give the Red Dragons a 3-0 lead.
Union mounted two sustained drives in the first half but came up empty on both. A 13-play, 45-yard drive ended on downs at the Cortland 30-yard line in the first quarter, and in the second quarter Union had a 15-play drive that got as far as the Red Dragon 14-yard line. A false start and a holding penalty moved the ball back to the 29, and two incomplete passes ended the threat.
Cortland started a drive on its own 32-yard line with 1:13 left in the half. On 2nd-and-10 from the Red Dragon 46, Rescigno completed a 26-yard pass to Cotton, who caught the ball at the Cortland sideline. The play was challenged by Union but was upheld after video review. A couple of plays later, an apparent Union interception was negated by a roughing the passer penalty, and on the next play Cotton turned a pass in the middle of the field into an 18-yard touchdown to give Cortland a 10-0 halftime lead.
Cortland opened the third quarter with a 14-play, 70-yard drive for a TD to make it 16-0. Punter Gavin Dandrea (Port Jefferson Station/Comsewogue) ran for 10 yards on a fake on 4th-and-5 from near midfield to keep the drive alive. Rescigno ran for 23 yards to the Union 18-yard line two plays later, and the drive was eventually capped by a Gallo 1-yard TD run.
Cortland's next possession began at its own 16-yard line, and a 19-play drive finished with Callard's 24-yard field goal to make it 19-0 with 8:43 left in the game. The Red Dragons got the ball back after a turnover on downs at the Union 34-yard line with 7:49 left and sealed the win with an 8-play drive, finished by Gallo's 1-yard TD run.
Cortland begins Empire 8 play next Saturday at home versus Hartwick. The Red Dragons are five-time defending league champion and have won 33 straight conference games dating back to late in the 2019 season.