CORTLAND, N.Y. – Cortland gained 650 yards of total offense – 325 rushing and 325 passing - and returned two fumbles for touchdowns as the nationally ranked Red Dragons remained unbeaten with a 69-7 win over visiting Hartwick in Empire 8 action.
Cortland, ranked 11th nationally by the AFCA and 13th by D3football.com, improved to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in league play. The Red Dragons set a school single-season record with their third game scoring at least 60 points, and their 650 yards were 31 shy of the school single-game record of 681 set in this year's season opener versus Wittenberg.
Cortland held Hartwick (2-4, 0-3 Empire 8) to 154 yards of total offense, including minus-57 rushing yards. The Red Dragon defense registered four sacks for 58 yards, including two large losses on intentional grounding calls in the second half.
Zac Boyes (Buffalo/Kenmore West) completed 14-of-25 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a score in just under three quarters of action. Jaden Alfanostjohn (Westhampton/Westhampton Beach) ran 15 times for 105 yards and a score - all in the first half - and Kyle Stracher (Pine Plains/Stissing Mountain) rushed six times for 97 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. DJ Trent (Bellport) gained 66 yards on three carries, and he capped the scoring with a 17-yard touchdown run.
Cortland's other offensive touchdowns came on touchdown receptions by CJ Messina (Sayville), JJ Laap (Stony Brook/Ward Melville) and Rashad Tucker (Freeport), and a TD run by Ashton Capone (Saratoga Springs). Messina caught four passes for 72 yards, Laap had three receptions for 143 yards, and Tucker caught three passes for 35 yards.
Cortland struck on the game's first play from scrimmage when Boyes connected with Laap on a 75-yard touchdown pass. Laap caught the ball around the Hartwick 40-yard line, broke a tackle at the 30 and scored. Cortland missed a short field goal on its next possession, but on Hartwick's ensuing drive Christian Legagneur (Brentwood/St. John the Baptist) forced a fumble after a short reception and Mark Noel (Staten Island/Port Richmond) returned the ball 16 yards for a score and a 14-0 lead. Later in the quarter, Boyes escaped pressure and pitched the ball to Alfanostjohn, who ran in untouched for a 27-yard touchdown and Cortland led 21-0.
Cortland's second fumble return for a score extended the lead to 28-0 with 4:22 left before halftime. With Hartwick at its own 14-yard line, Max Llewellyn's (Sayville) strip sack led to a Craig Ackerman's (Seaford) 2-yard return to the end zone. The Red Dragons extended their lead to 35-0 before the half. A low snap led to a Hartwick punt being blocked by Matt Lotter (Fredonia), with Cortland recovering the ball at the Hawks' 21-yard line. Boyes hit Tucker for a 10-yard TD pass three plays later. Hartwick had a chance to get on the board right before the end of the half, but Nick Andrade's 40-yard field goal was blocked by Nick Lardaro (Smithtown/Smithtown East).
Cortland's second-half scores came on a Messina 15-yard catch and a Boyes 6-yard TD run in the third, Capone's 10-yard run five seconds into the fourth quarter, and Stracher's and Trent's TD runs in the final four minutes. Hartwick broke up Cortland's shutout bid with 9:54 remaining on a 9-yard scoring pass from Kyle Szokoli to Justin LoBasso. Szokoli was 24-of-42 passing for 180 yards, Nate Rath caught seven passes for 66 yards and Naquan Bradshaw caught seven passes for 36 yards.
Ackerman and Brett Harvey (Oakdale/Connetquot) each finished with five tackles for Cortland. Lardaro had two sacks along with his blocked field goal. Jake Ely paced Hartwick with eight tackles, seven solo, along with a pass breakup and a fumble recovery.
Patrick Luby (Ridgewood, NJ) averaged 41.8 yards per punt for Cortland. Andrade averaged 43.1 yards per punt on nine kicks, including two that covered more than 70 yards.
Cortland heads to Utica next Saturday at 1 p.m. in a battle of undefeated squads. Utica improved to 6-0 overall and 2-0 in the Empire 8 with a win at home versus Brockport.
#13 Cortland Explodes for 69-7 Win vs. Visiting Hartwick
/seasons/2022/boxscores/20221015_44yq.xml
2022
Hartwick
7
Cortland
69
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hartwick (2-4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| No. 17 Cortland (6-0) | 21 | 14 | 14 | 20 | 69 |
Oct 15, 2022