MONTCLAIR, N.J. - Marco Capozzoli kicked three field goals and Dominique Dixon provided an insurance touchdown on a 16-yard interception return with 51 seconds left as Montclair State held on to defeat Cortland, 16-7, in an NJAC game.

The host Red Hawks (4-1, 4-0 NJAC) won despite Cortland's defense keeping them out of the end zone. Capozzoli made a 36-yard field goal in the first quarter and 24-yard and 27-yard field goals in the second quarter. Montclair finished with a slight 229-202 advantage in total yardage.

Cortland (3-2, 3-2 NJAC), ranked 19th in Division III by D3football.com, trailed 9-0 before driving 97 yards on 21 plays midway through the fourth quarter. A pass interference call on 4th-and-14 from the Montclair 40-yard line kept the drive alive, and seven plays later Dom Sair (Huntington) ran in from one yard out to pull the Red Dragons with 9-7.

Cortland attempted an onside kickoff, but the ball didn't travel 10 yards and Montclair took over at the Red Dragon 34-yard line. Cortland's defense held, however, and got the ball back on its own 7-yard line after a punt with 1:30 left. Dixon, however, intercepted a pass by backup quarterback Rob Von Bargen (Massapequa) and scored untouched to put the game out of reach.

Hudson Woodward (Beacon) completed 16-of-36 passes for 145 yards and Von Bargen was 3-of-8 for 22 yards. Alex Smith (NIagara Falls/Niagara-Wheatfield), playing in his first game since the 2007 opener, played in one series in the second half and lost 15 yards on three rushes, including a 2-yard loss on an errant pitch and a 12-yard sack.

Brian Wiley (Cape Vincent/Thousand Islands) led the Red Dragon defense with 12 tackles. He recorded five tackles for losses, including two sacks. Cody Allen (Medina) made 11 tackles, Chad Stalter (Blairstown, NJ/North Warren) finished with eight tackles and D.J. Romano (Newburgh/Newburgh Free Academy) intercepted a pass and had a pass breakup. Alexander Grimm (Farmingville/Sachem East) made six catches for 28 yards and Anthony Giuliano (Thornwood/Westlake) grabbed five passes for 54 yards.

Tom Fischer completed 14-of-27 passes for 132 yards for Montclair. Jeff Bliss rushed for 65 yards on 23 carries. Chris Merkle had seven tackles and a forced fumble.

A sack by Brian Tweer on Cortland's first possession led to the Red Hawks starting their opening drive at the Red Dragon 25-yard line following a punt. Cortland's defense held on three plays and Capozzoli made a 36-yard field goal to put the Red Hawks up 3-0.

Early in the second quarter, Montclair punter Steve Layden pinned the Red Dragons at their own 1-yard line. Cortland fumbled on its first play, with the hosts taking over at the 13-yard line. The Red Dragon defense held on three plays again and Capozzoli's 24-yard field goal pushed the score to 6-0.

Later in the quarter, Montclair drove from its own 28-yard line to the Cortland 10-yard line. The drive was extended by a pass interference call on 3rd-and-21 from the Cortland 25-yard line. Once again, Cortland's defense kept the Red Hawks out of the end zone and Capozzoli made a 27-yard field goal to give Montclair a 9-0 lead with 24 seconds left in the half.

Montclair had a prime opportunity to extend its lead early in the fourth quarter. The Red Hawks had 1st-and-goal at the Cortland 4-yard line, but lost a combined six yards on its next three plays and moved back five more yards on a false start penalty. Capozzoli missed a 32-yard field goal attempt wide left with 12:39 left.

Cortland's scoring drive started with 7:51 left after Layden's 38-yard punt went out of bounds at the 3-yard line. Five Woodward completions helped move the ball to the Montclair 40-yard line. A pass interference call on fourth down advanced the ball to the 25-yard line, and Woodward's 7-yard run on 3rd-and-7 pushed the ball to the 15-yard line. A 10-yard pass to Giuliano, plus a face mask call, put the ball on the 3-yard line. Sair carried on the next three plays, eventually scoring from a yard out with 2:40 left.

Cortland will host Western Connecticut State next Saturday at 1 p.m.

Box Score/Play-by-Play


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