BRONX, N.Y. – Ithaca quarterback A.J. Wingfield completed 18-of-20 passes for 209 yards and three touchdowns as the Bombers defeated Cortland, 34-17, in the Cortaca Jug rivalry game at Yankee Stadium. Ithaca improved to 10-0 with the win, while Cortland suffered its first loss and is now 9-1.
Despite the setback, Cortland will be one of 32 teams competing in next weekend's NCAA Division III playoffs as the Empire 8 champion. The NCAA tournament pairing will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 13, at 5 p.m. on NCAA.com.
The game's attendance of 40,232 is the second-largest crowd in Division III history, behind only the 45,161 attendance for the 2019 Cortaca Jug game at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Cortland quarterback
Zac Boyes (Buffao/Kenmore West) ran for 107 yards and threw one touchdown pass.
Jaden Alfanostjohn (Westhampton/Westhampton Beach) ran for 75 yards and a score.
Devin McArthur (Saratoga Springs) and
Joe Ruggieri (Oceanside) led the Red Dragon defense with eight tackles each,
Joshua Cordero (Monroe/Monroe-Woodbury) made seven tackles, and
JC Mertz (Wanaque, NJ/Lakewood Regional) finished with two tackles for loss, including a sack, along with a forced fumble among his six tackles.
Ithaca took a 7-0 lead on a 10-yard pass from Wingfield to Jake Williams with 10:31 left in the first quarter, marking the first time Cortland has trailed in a game this season. Cortland tied the game later in the quarter on a 7-yard pass from Boyes to
JJ Laap (Stony Brook/Ward Melville).
Ithaca went up 10-7 on a Nicholas Bahamonde 37-yard field goal with five second left in the first and extended the lead to 17-7 on a 12-yard TD pass from Wingfield to Michael Anderson. Matt DeSimpliciis intercepted a pass in the end zone late in the half to keep Cortland off the board, and the Bombers went up 20-7 early in the third on Bahamonde's 24-yard field goal set up by Anthony D'Addetta's 87-yard kickoff return.
Cortland fought back on Alfanostjohn's 1-yard TD run in the third and
Mike Baloga's (Cornwall/Marian Catholic (PA)) 29-yard field goal less than two minutes into the fourth to cut Ithaca's lead to 20-17. Ithaca, however, put the game away with a 40-yard scoring pass from Wingfield to Julien Deumaga with 9:28 left and Williams' 43-yard TD run with 6:39 remaining.
Ithaca held a 336-303 advantage in total offense. Kevin Schoch led the Bombers with 12 tackles and Jason Haber and DeSimpliciis each made 10 stops.
