CORTLAND, N.Y. - Senior
Ray Miles (Port Byron) completed 16-of-20 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns and Cortland's defense limited William Paterson to 103 yards of total offense as the Red Dragons blanked the Pioneers, 38-0, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) contest. Cortland opened up a 17-0 lead after one quarter and led 31-0 at halftime.
Cortland (7-0, 7-0 NJAC), ranked ninth nationally by the AFCA and 10th in the latest D3football.com poll, posted its first shutout since a 42-0 win at William Paterson last season. Cortland can clinch the NJAC title and an NCAA playoff berth with either a win next Saturday at The College of New Jersey or Nov. 8 at home versus Brockport.
William Paterson (2-5, 1-5 NJAC) was held to 28 net rushing yards on 23 carries and six first downs, two on the final series of the game. The Pioneers advanced into Cortland territory only twice, with the deepest penetration the 36-yard line in the final minute.
Cortland sophomore tailback
Cory Russell (La Fayette) rushed for 72 yards on just 10 carries off the bench. He scored on a 7-yard run in the second quarter and on a 4-yard reception from sophomore quarterback
Dan Pitcher (Cortland) in the third quarter.
Senior
Andrew Giuliano (Thornwood/Westlake) ran 15 times for 61 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown run on Cortland's first possession of the day. Cortland's next drive resulted in a
Jeffrey Lang (Dryden) 27-yard field goal with 2:21 left in the half.
Senior safety
Matt Berman (Scarsdale) forced a fumble on the next possession and Miles threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Lang, who is also the starting tight end, two plays later for a 17-0 lead. Less than five minutes into the second quarter, defensive lineman
Lou Crispo (Eastchester) tipped a pass and intercepted the ball at the William Paterson 7-yard line. Russell ran in on the next snap and Cortland led 24-0.
Miles connected with senior
Eric Hajnos (Grand Island) on a 36-yard touchdown pass behind the William Paterson secondary with 2:15 remaining in the half. Hajnos finished with five catches for 78 yards, senior
Zacc Guaragno (Lansing) made five catches for 54 yards and Lang grabbed four passes for 70 yards.
Sophomore linebacker
Brian Haas (East Aurora/St. Francis) led a balanced defensive effort with six tackles, three solo, and a fumble recovery. He made 1.5 tackles for losses. Sophomore linebacker
Colan Shue (Theresa/Indian River) finished with five tackles and freshman cornerback
D.J. Romano (Newburgh/Newburgh Free Academy) recorded an interception as well as Crispo.
William Paterson sophomore defensive lineman Dyon Moore (Brooklyn/Hudson Catholic) made 2.5 tackles for losses, including 1.5 sacks, and shared the team lead with seven tackles along with sophomore Jim Hamill (Stanhope, NJ/Lenape Valley Regional). The Pioneers finished with four sacks, with Doug Dudek (Rockaway, NJ/Morris Hills) and Marcell Bates (Paterson, NJ/Paterson Eastside) tallying one apiece.
William Paterson quarterback Matt Marshall (Burlington, NJ/Burlington City) completed 11-of-25 passes for 75 yards. Marcus McKinney (Paterson, NJ/John F. Kennedy) made four catches for 37 yards.
Box Score
