Football | 9/19/2026 3:32:00 PM
ALFRED, NY — A dominant first-half performance by the Alfred University football team resulted in a 31-7 victory over St. Lawrence University on Saturday afternoon at Yunevich Stadium.
"I thought our preparation and focus during the practice week paid off for us," Head Coach
Bob Rankl said. "We still made plenty of mistakes and there are a lot of things that we need to clean up, but there were also some major positives that we can build on moving forward."
St. Lawrence (1-2, 0-0 Liberty League) gained early momentum after an AU turnover positioned the Saints inside the red zone. However,
DJ Stewart Jr (Roselle, NJ Moore/Catholic) halted the drive on the 7-yard line with his first collegiate interception in the end zone. The Saxons (1-2, 0-0 Empire 8) capitalized immediately on the next possession when quarterback
Matt Parker (Middletown, DE/Gilman School) connected with
Cameron Lew (Suffern, NY/Suffern) for a 63-yard touchdown pass to take the early lead.
The Alfred defense kept the pressure on during the Saints' next drive, as
Martin Flanders Jr (Schuylerville, NY/Schuylerville) recorded a strip-sack and fumble recovery. Parker quickly turned the takeaway into points, finding
Damone Allen (Buffalo, NY/St. Francis) for a 21-yard touchdown pass to stretch the lead to 14-0 before the end of the first quarter.
Alfred University maintained control in the second quarter. After converting on fourth down near midfield, kicker
Dominic Bronco (Rochester, NY/Aquinas) drilled a 41-yard field goal. On the following drive,
Emmanuel Guerrero (Amherst, NY/St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute) halted a St. Lawrence threat with a fourth-down tackle to force a turnover on downs.
On the very next play, Parker launched a 71-yard touchdown pass to
Joe Littlejohn (Buffalo, NY/Match Science Technology Preparatory) —the first collegiate touchdown of Littlejohn's career. The Saxons added one more score before halftime, needing just five plays for
Tommy Nyquist (Warren, PA/Warren Area) to cap off a drive with a 6-yard touchdown run, taking a commanding 31-0 lead going into the break.
St. Lawrence generated offensive chances in the second half, missing a 33-yard field goal off the right upright before taking advantage of a third-quarter special teams miscue to score their sole touchdown in the fourth. The Saxon defense held firm late in the game, stopping a 13-play Saints drive at the 2-yard line following a goal-line tackle by
Micheal Davis (Canton, PA/ Canton) and
Jesse Rodriguez Jr (Syracuse, NY/Corcoran), and sealing the victory after a final St. Lawrence field goal attempt fell short.
Alfred University will next host St. John Fisher University next Saturday at 12:00 PM. During halftime, Alfred University Athletics will honor the return of the 1971 football team.