Football | 9/5/2026 4:55:00 PM
GROVE CITY, PA. - Cortland built a 28-3 lead after three quarters and held off a Grove City rally in the fourth as the Red Dragons defeated the host Wolverines, 28-18, in the season opener for both teams. Cortland entered the game ranked 23rd nationally by D3football.com and 25th by the AFCA, and the Red Dragons avenged a home loss to Grove City from last season.
Cortland outgained Grove City, 435-359, in total offensive yardage. Quarterback Mike Rescigno (Arlington) completed 12-of-20 passes for 180 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions, and he ran 16 times for 83 yards and two scores. Ethan Gallo (Minisink/Minisink Valley) finished with 14 rushes for 106 yards and a touchdown, and Lucas Singleton (Lake Ronkonkoma/Sachem North) rushed five times for 59 yards.
Jayson Zeva (East Northport/St. John the Baptist) caught three passes for 38 yards and a TD. Joe Iadevaio (Massapequa/Plainedge) totaled four catches for 44 yards and Jacque LaPrarie (Smithtown/Smithtown West) ended with three receptions for 83 yards.
Aidan Lochner (Ravena/Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk) led the Cortland defense with 10 tackles and a forced fumble. Anthony Luciano (Loudonville/Shaker) registered seven tackles and Joe Galea (Cross River/John Jay) had six tackles, two for loss. Sonny Mayo (Mastic Beach/William Floyd), Memphis Ferguson (Whitesboro) and Shane Patterson (Wheatley Heights/Half Hollow Hills East) finished with four tackles each, with Ferguson also breaking up two passes.
Nazair Jean-Lubin (Freeport) posted a key interception late in the game to halt the Wolverines' final drive. Gavin Dandrea (Port Jefferson Station/Comsewogue) averaged 40.5 yards on four punts for the Red Dragons, while Cole Callard (Medina) made all four of his PAT kicks.
For Grove City, Mike Hollomon was 20-of-40 through the air for 276 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Chase Rankin handled all of Grove City's rushes, carrying 26 times for 83 yards. Sam Penna and Daniel Sullivan each caught TD passes. Penna finished with six receptions for 48 yards and Sullivan had four receptions for 69 yards. Brady Lane made a 34-yard field goal and averaged 52 yards on four punts, including three kicks of at least 50 yards.
Danny Franco paced the hosts defensively with 12 tackles. Mason Clouse had nine tackles and Noah Wheeler finished with eight stops.
Cortland led 14-0 after the first quarter behind a Gallo 28-yard TD run and a Rescigno 11-yard run to paydirt. Grove City moved the ball into Cortland territory twice in its first three drives, but its opening series stalled on downs at the 29-yard line and its third possession end at the Cortland 32-yard line after Lochner's forced fumble was recovered by Chris Carter Jr. (East Greenbush/Columbia).
The score remained 14-0 until the third quarter when Rescigno ran for a 3-yard TD to cap a 4-play, 75-yard scoring drive. The big play in that series was a 57-yard pass from Rescigno to LaPrarie to the Grove City 11-yard line. The hosts got on the board on Lane's 34-yard field goal with 7:36 remaining in the third, but the Red Dragons responded with a 9-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in Zeva's 5-yard TD reception with 1:58 left in the period.
Grove City drove 75 yards on 10 plays spanning the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth. Facing 4th-and-5 on the Cortland 15-yard line, the Wolverines scored on a TD pass from Hollomon to Penna to make it 28-10. Grove City's next drive started on its own 12-yard line, but the Wolverines quickly moved upfield in just five plays, the last a 47-yard TD catch by Sullivan. Hollomon successfully ran in for a 2-point conversion to close the deficit to 28-18.
After another defensive stop, Grove City got the ball back with 5:17 left and drove from its own 25-yard line to the Red Dragon 34-yard line. On 2nd-and-4, Jean-Lubin ripped the ball away from a Grove City receiver as the two players fell to the ground following a potential completion. The interception, which was upheld after a video challenge, gave Cortland the ball with 2:44 left, and the Red Dragons were able to run out the clock.
Cortland hits the road next Saturday to face Union College in a non-league contest. The Dutchmen lost a 23-17 overtime decision to Susquehanna in their season opener.