Football | 11/7/2026 6:37:00 PM
PITTSFORD, NY – Quarterback Ryan Whitney delivered a record-setting Senior Day performance to lead the St. John Fisher football team in a 56-21 thrashing of SUNY Morrisville on Saturday afternoon at Growney Stadium.
The Cardinals improved to 6-3 overall (3-3 Empire 8 Conference) and secured a second straight winning season. Morrisville, which has lost eight consecutive games since opening the season with a win over Kean, dropped to 1-8 overall (0-6 Empire 8).
The Cardinals produced 438 yards behind another stellar day from Whitney, who went 16-of-20 passing for 199 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and rushed for 97 yards and four touchdowns on 12 carries. He pushed his career rushing touchdown total to 20 and his season total to 14, breaking Ryan Kramer's program records for career and single-season touchdown rushes by a quarterback.
Fisher ran for a season-high 238 yards (8.2 yards per attempt), with senior running back Shane Zaletofsky and junior quarterback Jack McCoy also providing significant contributions. Zaletofsky rushed for a career-high 78 yards with a touchdown on eight carries, while McCoy had 30 yards and a touchdown on two attempts.
Whitney completed passes to eight different players. Freshman wide receiver Marc Dellaquila caught two passes for a team-high 43 yards; senior wide receiver Jackson Cusack had two catches for 42 yards and a score. Zaletofsky, senior wide receiver Mykel White and junior wide receiver Gavin Horton each recorded three receptions.
St. John Fisher's special teams also got in on the scoring frenzy, as freshman Jordan Baker returned a kickoff 66 yards for a touchdown. It marked St. John Fisher's first kickoff return touchdown since October 2021 against Alfred.
Senior linebacker Colin Faust led the Cardinals in tackles for a second straight week, recording 12 total stops, including nine solo and one for a loss. Senior defensive lineman Ty Rader had two sacks, and graduate senior safety Eric Sparkman Jr. snagged his first interception of the season.
How It Happened
The Mustangs drove well into St. John Fisher territory on the game's opening drive but came up empty as Christ Augustin missed a field goal wide left from 30 yards. St. John Fisher's offense quickly cruised down the field and opened the scoring on a 39-yard touchdown run from Whitney to cap a five-play, 80-yard drive.
The Mustangs went three-and-out on their next drive, and the Cardinals' offense took over at the Morrisville 42-yard line after a short punt. Whitney picked up 16 yards with his legs on the fourth play of the drive and scored his second touchdown of the day on 2nd-and-goal from the 2-yard line a handful of plays later to give the Cardinals a 14-0 lead.
The Mustangs got on the board early in the second quarter on a six-yard touchdown pass from Logan Watson to Dylan Versweyveld. The 13-play, 71-yard drive that lasted 8:43 was aided by a pair of St. John Fisher penalties.
Fisher's offense kept rolling on the ensuing possession, with Whitney carving through the Morrisville defense with his arm. He completed a 33-yard pass to Cusack and a 24-yard pass to White before connecting with Cusack again, this time for a 9-yard touchdown that made it 21-7.
The Cardinals orchestrated their fourth straight scoring drive after another Morrisville punt. Whitney connected with Zaletofsky for 12 yards and White for 10 before a Morrisville pass interference infraction set Fisher up with a 1st-and-goal from the 8. Whitney scored his third rushing touchdown on the next play to put Fisher ahead 28-7.
Morrisville drove into Fisher territory on the final drive of the first half, but its chance to go into the break on a positive ended when Sparkman intercepted a deep pass from Watson in the end zone.
The second half started no better for the Mustangs. Baker returned the opening kickoff 66 yards to give the Cardinals a four-touchdown advantage at 35-7, and Morrisville's first possession of the half ended with a punt after three plays. The Cardinals cruised down the field again as a 22-yard reception from Dellaquila got them inside Morrisville's 20. Five plays later, on 2nd-and-goal from the 12, Whitney rushed for his fourth score of the day to make it 42-7.
Morrisville got back on the board late in the third on a 40-yard pass from Watson to Sean Perrin, but the Cardinals regained their 35-point cushion before the quarter ended on a 33-yard touchdown run by Zaletofsky. McCoy rushed for a 32-yard score on Fisher's next drive to cap the Cardinals' scoring.
Watson, who completed 18-of-26 passes for 193 yards, threw his third touchdown pass of the day late in the fourth quarter, firing a 19-yard strike to Mason Ondreyko.
Game Notes
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Fisher rushed for six scores as a team, tied for the second most in a game in program history.
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Fisher's quarterbacks accounted for five touchdown runs, a program record.
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Whitney recorded his second collegiate five-touchdown game. He had three passing TDs and one rushing TD against FDU Florham earlier this season.
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Whitney tied Fisher's second-best single-game total for rushing touchdowns. He became the first player since Malachi Duvall in 2022 to score four in a game.
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Whitney recorded his 32nd career touchdown pass, moving past Curt Fitzpatrick (31 from 2001-04) for sixth in program history.
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Whitney has 14 passing touchdowns and 14 rushing touchdowns for a total of 28. He's the first Fisher quarterback with at least that many in a season since Tyler Fenti had 29 (24 passing, 5 rushing) in 2013.
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Whitney has rushed for multiple touchdowns in four games this season. He's the first player to accomplish that feat since running back Dahmir Pross in 2019.
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Whitney's 14 TD runs rank fifth on Fisher's single-season list.
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The Cardinals' 56 points marked a season high and their most in a game since a 56-0 win over Hartwick in October 2024.
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Cusack hauled in his 16th career touchdown reception, tying Tim Marion (2006-08) for eighth on Fisher's career receiving TDs list.
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Baker recorded Fisher's second special teams touchdown of the season. This marks just the second time since 2016 that Fisher has had one kickoff return TD and one punt return TD in the same season.
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Baker, McCoy and Zaletofsky scored their first collegiate touchdowns.
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Rader's two sacks marked a career high.
Up Next
The Cardinals finish the regular season at Alfred State next Saturday, Nov. 14.