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| Brenden Fesigner, left, and his brother, offensive linemen Tre Fesigner, played together at Brockport. Last year was Tre's senior year. Provided photo |
There will be a lot of really good football players taking the field at Eunice Kennedy Shriver Stadium late Saturday afternoon when Brockport hosts St. John Fisher in the 12th Courage Bowl.
You may have heard of Golden Eagle All-American running back Dan Andrews or Cardinal All-American cornerback Alec Mortillaro.
You may know the quarterbacks. Senior Matt Naton has led No. 16 St. John Fisher to a 3-0 start, including a huge victory over ranked Cortland last Saturday, while junior transfer Brian McKean has Brockport off to a 2-1 start. Both rank among the best in the nation in passing efficiency, Naton is 10th, while McKean is 27th.
But in the Courage Bowl, a game that raises funds for children who have been impacted by cancer to attend Camp Good Days free of charge, perhaps the most inspirational player has one career catch.
That one catch, a touchdown, only covered 3 yards but Brockport tight end Brenden Fesinger has traveled thousands of miles since he was a 14-year old with cancer.
“I was diagnosed with brain cancer and I had surgery when I was a freshman in high school,” said the junior from Syracuse. “I went through radiation going into my sophomore year of high school.
“I really know what a lot what these kids are going through. A lot of people don’t know what they are going through. I have that firsthand experience. I know that it’s not easy. It’s just a matter of fighting hard. This game is for kids who are going through it.”
Fesinger returned to action during his sophomore year of high school and earned all-county honors by the time he was a senior at Westhill High School.
“As of now, I am cancer free,” said the junior, who is majoring in kinesiology. “I’ve beat it.”
So it’s no surprise that playing in the Courage Bowl is one of his favorite games. The game drew more than 5,000 fans last year at Growney Stadium when St. John Fisher hosted and more than 8,500 in 2014 at Shriver Stadium.
“The crowd is huge,” he said. “The kids over at Camp Good Days are the honorary captains and cheerleaders. It’s a really special game for them and both of our teams.”
Both teams also take a day during the preseason to visit Camp Good Days.
“The kids remember us,” Fesinger said. “I’m on Facebook with one of the kids from last year. I keep up with him every couple months. Once they do it once, they want to keep coming back, some of them come to other games and keep in contact with our head coach (Jason Mangone).
For Fesinger, playing in a game like this is one of the reasons he decided to attend Brockport.
“For some reason, I felt like Brockport was home to me, he said. “It felt like family here.”
Though he considered another school, that’s not surprising since his uncle, Josh Warner, was a D3football.com All-American for the Eagles at tackle and played for the Chicago Bears. His older brother Tre also played for Brockport and is currently an assistant coach.
So regardless of the outcome on Saturday, Fesinger will savor every moment.
“Basically, I have second chance at life,” he said. “After I beat the cancer, I never take anything for granted because you never know when something is going to happen and it’s the last time doing something that you love.”
Top 25
Delaware Valley (3-0) remains the highest ranked team in the East at No. 14. The Aggies posted their second consecutive blow out win by racing out to a 49-0 lead by early in the third quarter. They’ve outscored their past two opponents by a totals of 98-21.
Salisbury (3-0) moved up one spot to No. 15 after handling Montclair St. 40-20. The Gulls will travel to Southern Virginia, a team the beat 91-7 last season. Will they put on the brakes in the second half this time around? The Knights threw only four passes last week in a loss to Frostburg State and did not complete any of them (to their own team).
St. John Fisher (3-0) jumped up five spots to No. 16 after defeating Cortland, 31-24. The Red Dragons (2-1) dropped eight notches to No. 23 and may be without All-East quarterback Steven Ferreira due to injury.
Stevenson (3-0) gained three spots after knocking off Lebanon Valley to check in at No. 21. The Mustangs have won five straight games dating back to last season and 11 straight in the month of September.
Hobart (3-0) is up three to No. 22 after grinding out a 23-3 victory over Ithaca and holding the Bombers to 177 yards of total offense. The Statesman have yet to allow quarterback Shane Sweeney to be sacked this season.
Christopher Newport (3-0) is back in the top 25 after a stellar performance by quarterback K.J. Kearney. The junior passed for 400 yards in the Captains 42-28 victory over previous No.17 Wesley (1-2). The Wolverines dropped out of the top 25 for the first time since late 2005 but are still receiving 4 votes.
Other Receiving Votes: St Lawrence (3-0) has yet to allow a point this season and is on the cusp top 25 just two votes behind No. 25 Central. Alfred (3-0, 22 votes) was impressive in a win in their E8 opener over Buffalo State. Quarterback Tyler Johnson ran for four touchdowns. RPI (2-1, 5 votes) bounced back from a loss to the Saxons to beat MIT by three touchdowns.
Watch to Watch This Week
Albright (1-2, 1-1 MAC) at Delaware Valley (3-0, 2-0) A must win for the defending champ Lions on the road if the hope to stay in the MAC race. It won’t be easy. The Aggies may be the most complete team in the MAC or East for that matter.
Cortland (2-1, 0-2 E8) at Utica (3-0, 1-0) Things are setting up well for the Pioneers with the Red Dragons minus their starting quarterback, but they’ll have to do a better job stopping the run after giving up 256 yards to Darrell West in a 28-21 victory over Morrisville St.
Rowan (2-0, 1-0 NJAC) at Montclair St (1-1, 0-1) Nothing like a good NJAC slugfest. Neither of these teams is very exciting offensively, but Rowan allowed just 68 yards to William Paterson last Friday night. Meanwhile the Red Hawks will try to avoid going 0-2 in the “new” NJAC for the second straight season.
St. Lawrence (3-0, 0-0 LL) at RPI (2-1, 0-0) It’s the opening week for the Liberty League. Why now match up the two teams that tied for the title last season. I think mentioned the Saints haven’t given up a point yet this season, but the offense has been pretty good too in scoring 118. Mike Tivinis has rushed for over 100 yard in two of the Engineers first three games but they are going to need a heck of a lot more out of the passing game (just 201 yards in three games) to keep this game close.
