CORTLAND, N.Y. - Cortland scored touchdowns on its first seven possessions and
Zac Boyes (Buffalo/Kenmore West) completed 20-of-25 passes for 373 yards and four scores and ran for a touchdown as the nationally second-ranked Red Dragons defeated visiting St. John Fisher, 49-0, in front of a Family Weekend crowd of more than 5,000 fans.
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Cortland improved to 7-0 overall and 5-0 in the Empire 8 with its 19th straight win overall and its 24th consecutive Empire 8 victory. The Red Dragons posted their third shutout of the season.
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Boyes posted his 10th career 300-yard passing game, breaking the previous school record of nine he shared with Brett Segala (2016-19). Boyes also extended his streak of pass attempts without an interception to 256, including all 153 of his attempts this season.
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Jaden AlfanoStJohn (Westhampton/Westhampton Beach) scored three touchdowns - the first on a 44-yard rush off a reverse just 1:11 into the game and the other two on catches of 21 and 15 yards. He finished with seven receptions for 160 yards along with the one rush.
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Ethan Gallo (Slate Hill/Minisink Valley) added a rushing TD and
Jayson Zeva (East Northport/St. John the Baptist) and fullback
Garret Decker (Antwerp/Indian River) each caught TD passes. Zeva and
Joey Muscarella (Smithtown/Smithtown East) each finished with four receptions. Decker's TD came on a 59-yard pass play in the fourth quarter, with Decker covering the final 50 yards after the catch, on just the third career catch for the senior.
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Cortland finished the game with a 497-154 advantage in total yardage, including a 386-62 passing difference. The Red Dragons averaged 9.0 yards per play while holding Fisher to 2.8 yards per play, despite the Cardinals having a 34:30-25:30 time of possession advantage.
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Defensive tackle
Junius Keys (Queens/Eagle Academy) led Cortland with nine tackles. Linebacker
Jack Winey (Lindenhurst) made eight tackles, three solo, and safety
Ellis Einbinder (Brighton) registered seven tackles, four solo, along with a 51-yard interception return late in the first half to set up a 34-yard scoring drive.
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Mike Baloga (New Windsor/Cornwall) made all seven of his PAT kicks and averaged 41 yards on two punts, both of which came on Cortland's final two possessions.
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St. John Fisher (3-4, 2-2 Empire 8) was led by Joe Miscia with 12 tackles and Tim Vanderbrink with nine tackles, 2.5 for loss. Jonathan Ellison finished with eight tackles. Ryan Whitney was 10-of-18 passing for 54 yards with an interception, Peyton Nolan ran 14 times for 45 yards and caught three passes for nine yards. Kyle Farewell averaged 42.5 yards on six punts.
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Cortland led 14-0 after one quarter after its opening 59-yard drive, capped by the AlfanoStJohn 44-yard run, and a 10-play, 72-yard drive that ended with a Gallo 2-yard TD rush. That drive began after Fisher missed a 45-yard field goal. The Red Dragons' next drive covered 80 yards on eight plays, finishing with a 21-yard TD pass from Boyes to AlfanoStJohn. After the Einbinder pick and long return, Cortland covered 34 yards on nine plays. Boyes ran in from 1-yard out with 14 seconds left in the half.
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Cortland's third-quarter possessions featured a 6-play, 83-yard drive, capped by Zeva's 8-yard TD catch, and an 8-play, 72-yard drive that closed with an AlfanoStJohn 15-yard TD reception. Decker's 59-yard TD reception in the fourth made quick work of a 3-play, 82-yard drive to close the scoring.
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Two of St. John Fisher's first three drives advanced inside the Cortland 30-yard line, but during the Cardinals' final seven possessions the farthest they advanced the ball was the Cortland 49-yard line.
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Cortland hosts Hartwick in Empire 8 action next Saturday at 1 p.m.