Football | 9/5/2026 5:15:00 PM
PITTSFORD, NY – The St. John Fisher football team rolled to a 38-8 win over FDU-Florham on Saturday afternoon at Growney Stadium, riding four touchdown passes from junior quarterback Ryan Whitney and a stifling defensive effort.
The Cardinals piled up 430 yards of total offense on just 56 plays, an average of 7.7 yards per snap, while holding the Devils to 252 yards on 73 plays. Whitney was nearly unstoppable through the air, completing 14 of 23 passes for 320 yards and four touchdowns without an interception, and he added 70 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Senior wide receiver Mykel White hauled in two of those touchdown passes among his three catches for 74 yards, while Jackson Cusack (five catches, 144 yards, one touchdown) and Gavin Horton (two catches, 79 yards, one touchdown) each had big days of their own.
FDU-Florham quarterback Nazir Smith and Jake Sconza combined to go 28 of 43 for 211 yards, with Smith throwing a fourth-quarter touchdown to Na'zeer Whittaker for the Devils' only points from an offensive score.
How It Happened
The Cardinals needed just 12 plays to go 66 yards on their first possession of the game, capping the 5:12 drive when Whitney found White for an 8-yard touchdown at the 3:53 mark of the first quarter. Logan Laratta's extra point made it 7-0.
Fisher struck again early in the second quarter, needing only three plays to cover 62 yards before Whitney hit White again, this time from 45 yards out, to push the lead to 14-0 with 13:35 left in the half.
FDU-Florham got two points back at the 9:59 mark of the second quarter when a punt pinned the Cardinals at their own 1-yard line and Marco Morelli was stopped for a loss on first down, resulting in a safety that made it 14-2.
Fisher answered with a nine-play, 77-yard drive that Whitney finished with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Cusack, extending the lead to 21-2 with 1:27 left before halftime. The Cardinals weren't done — on the very next possession, Whitney connected with Horton on a 72-yard touchdown strike on the first play of the drive, and Fisher took a commanding 28-2 lead into the locker room.
Neither team found the end zone in the third quarter, but Fisher kept control of the game and carried its 28-2 lead into the fourth.
The Cardinals put the game away early in the final period, marching 70 yards on seven plays before Whitney capped the drive himself with a 4-yard touchdown run at the 10:52 mark, making it 35-2. Laratta added a 26-yard field goal at the 5:39 mark of the fourth quarter to push the lead to 38-2.
FDU-Florham got on the scoreboard offensively with 2:35 remaining when Smith found Whittaker for a 7-yard touchdown pass, but the two-point conversion attempt failed, setting the final score at 38-8.
Game Notes
- Whitney finished 14 of 23 passing for 320 yards and four touchdowns, adding 70 rushing yards and a fifth touchdown on the ground.
- White's two touchdown catches (8 and 45 yards) paced the receiving corps, while Cusack's 144 receiving yards and Horton's 72-yard score highlighted a big day through the air for the Cardinals.
- Laratta made 5 of 5 extra points and his only field goal attempt of the day, a 26-yarder.
- Linebacker Jack Bierman led the Fisher defense with 10 tackles, including a sack, while Eric Sparkman (8 tackles) and Jack Tanoory (7 tackles, a quarterback hit) also had strong days. The Cardinals' defense totaled four sacks for 31 yards and eight pass breakups.
- Fisher converted 6 of 11 third-down attempts and was a perfect 4 for 4 in the red zone. The Cardinals' lone turnover of the day came on a first-quarter punt return, and FDU-Florham recovered at the Fisher 32 — though the Cardinal defense kept the Devils off the board on the ensuing possession.
Up Next
The Cardinals head to St. Lawrence University for a night game on 9/11, it is set for a 7:00 PM kickoff.