ONEONTA, NY - Before Saturday's football matchup against Hartwick, It had been 14 days since the Utica Pioneers took to the gridiron for an official game. Watching the proceedings, one would have never been able to guess that they'd been on break. The Pioneers blew away the Hawks in Saturday's game, routing Hartwick 65-7 and showing just how dangerous they are after a week of rest and careful gameplanning. Utica's domination of the weekend outing led them to a statement win in what was the first game of their Empire 8 campaign.
The Pioneers took a page out of the Hawks' book on Saturday, with Utica dominating the airways to the tune of 370 passing yards.
265 of those yards were accrued by Pioneer Quarterback Brett Fuller (Port Jervis, NY/Port Jervis). Fuller had an excellent and efficient day during Utica's journey to Oneonta, with the Pioneer signal-caller tallying 265 yards on just 12 completed passes and scoring a colossal 5 passing touchdowns. He went 12/16, finishing with a 75% completion percentage on the day.
Fuller's outing was one for the Pioneer record books, with the highly-composed performance breaking a multitude of Utica single-game records. Fuller averaged 22.1 yards per completion and 16.6 yards per attempt, with the former number ranking 2nd all-time for passing yards per completion in a single game and the latter topping the charts as the most passing yards per attempt in Pioneer Football history.
Fuller's 75% completion percentage on the day locks him into a tie with 4 other Utica Quarterbacks for the 3rd-best single-game completion percentage all-time among Pioneer QBs. The sensational Junior even managed to finish the day with the 2nd-best passing touchdown performance, landing in a 4-way tie for most passing touchdowns in a game with 5 air scores on Saturday.
The Pioneer Quarterback room also threw 6 combined touchdowns, as Matthew Pallouras (Rochelle Park, NJ/Hackensack) saw lots of snaps in the second half and finished with 107 yards passing and a lone passing score. The 6 total passing touchdowns ties the Utica record for the most total passing touchdowns in a game as a team, a record that was set against Buffalo State in 2012.
As a team, the Pioneers recorded their 4th-highest point total in team history, with the insane 65 point performance surely ranking out as one of their best offensive showings ever.
Utica gained 8.5 yards per play, nearly averaging a first down every single time they snapped the ball. This otherworldly offensive dominance landed them 3rd all-time for yards gained per play in a game.
Bryce Palmer (Verona, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) was on the receiving end of 4 Fuller completions, just reaching the 100-yard threshold with 101 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns. It was Palmer's 65-yard reception that kicked off the monumental offensive showing for Utica.
Utica had the deep ball open throughout the entire game, with 5 receivers each catching at least one pass of over 25 yards (Bryce Palmer (Verona, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) - 65, Tyshawn Taylor (Syracuse, NY/Institute of Technology) - 51, Logan Frederick (Little Falls, NY/Little Falls) - 35, Peyton Ausfeld (Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam) - 30, Izzy Maldonado (Island Park, NY/Long Beach) - 28).
Matt Brantley (Rochester, NY/Eastridge) and Robert Lowry IV (Rochester, NY/Hilton) shouldered the load on the ground, with Brantley logging 52 yards rushing along with a score and Lowry IV Gaining 46 yards rushing.
The Pioneer defense was equally as dominant as the offense, nearly pitching a 60-minute shutout with the lone Hartwick score coming near the end of the proceedings.
Eli Douglas (Ausable Forks, NY/Ausable Valley) got into the record books for the Pioneer defense, with his 85-yard pick-6 giving him the 5th-most interception return yards in a single game.
Douglas also spearheaded a defensive unit that broke up 9 passes in the contest.
The Pioneer defensive line also applied massive pressure, causing 7 QB hurries.
Star-studded Linebacker duo Darius Johnson (Webster, NY/Webster) and Norman Booth (Schenectady, NY/Schenectady) led the tackling effort, with Johnson getting 7 and Booth recording 4.
Ronaldo Lewis (Brooklyn, NY/Abraham Lincoln) also nabbed an interception during the game.
The Utica Special Teams unit secured a complete effort by flexing their cohesion in the matchup.
Gabriel Zawolo (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit) gained 111 total yards during return efforts today, logging 87 punt return yards and coming up with a huge 56-yard punt-return touchdown.
Freddie Callo (Milton, NY/Marlboro Central) made 9 total kicks during the action, knocking in 8 PAT and 1 24-yard field goal.
The Pioneers will need every bit of today's energy next weekend when they welcome the Reigning NCAA Division III Champion Cortland Red Dragons to Gaetano Stadium. That game will begin at 1:00 PM from ABM Field. It will also be Mohawk Valley Challengers Day.
Here's a list of numerous statistics that reached the Pioneer Football record books on Saturday at Hartwick:
Team
Most passing yards gained per attempt (10 attempts) - 11.9 (T-4th)
Most touchdown passes - 6 (T-1st)
Highest average gain per play - 8.5 yards/play (3rd)
Most punt return yards - 103 (T-3rd)
Most interception return yards - 89 (3rd)
Highest average gain per int return (2 returns) - 51.5 (2nd)
Most pass breakups - 9 (T-2nd)
Individual
Brett Fuller (Port Jervis, NY/Port Jervis) - Highest percentage passes completed (10 passes) - 75.0% (T-3rd)
Brett Fuller (Port Jervis, NY/Port Jervis) - Most passing yards gained per attempt (10 attempts) - 16.6 (1st)
Brett Fuller (Port Jervis, NY/Port Jervis) - Most passing yards gained per completion (5 completions) - 22.1 (2nd)
Brett Fuller (Port Jervis, NY/Port Jervis) - Most touchdown passes - 5 (T-2nd)
Gabriel Zawolo (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit) - Most punt return yards - 87 (7th)
Eli Douglas (Ausable Forks, NY/Ausable Valley) - Most interception return yards - 85 (5th)
Football Dominates Hartwick in Record-Breaking Empire 8 Opener
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20241005_9dh2.xml
2024
Utica
65
Hartwick
7
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utica (3-1) | 21 | 35 | 6 | 3 | 65 |
| Hartwick (1-3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Oct 05, 2024