SUNY CORTLAND FOOTBALL NOTES
Cortland Red Dragons (7-0, 5-0 Empire 8) vs. Hartwick College Hawks (2-5, 1-3 Empire 8)
Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024; 1 p.m.; Grady Field; Cortland, N.Y.
TICKETS: $6 adults, $5 students with ID, seniors (65+), children 13-17
SUNY Cortland students/faculty/staff FREE with ID; Children 12 and under FREE

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Spectators arriving from off campus are asked to park in the Park Center Northwest Lot and/or the Park Center Commuter East Lot
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THE MATCHUP: Cortland, ranked second nationally in Division III, looks to extend its 19-game winning streak as it hosts Hartwick in an Empire 8 contest. The Red Dragons are off to a 7-0 start this fall. Hartwick is coming off a home victory versus Hilbert last weekend for its second win of the season.
                                                   
THE SERIES: Cortland leads the overall series with Hartwick by an 18-0 count. Cortland won the first 10 meetings, nine by shutout, between 1929-50. Hartwick discontinued football after the 1950 season and reinstated its program in 1992. The schools rebooted the series in 2015 when the Red Dragons joined the Empire 8.
 
Four of the eight meetings since the renewal have been nail-biters, with Cortland winning 48-45 in overtime at home in 2015, 50-47 at Hartwick in 2016, 31-30 at home in 2017, and 32-21 at Hartwick in 2019 after trailing by six entering the final quarter. However, Cortland's last three wins versus the Hawks have been convincing - 48-3 at Hartwick in 2021, 69-7 at Cortland in 2022, and 73-7 at Hartwick last season.
 
Last year, Cortland tied a school record for points in a game (since eclipsed this season) in its win over the Hawks. Mike Baloga tied the school single-game record with 10 made PAT kicks. Cortland outgained Hartwick in total offense, 657-183. Those totals included a 358 to minus-3 advantage on the ground. The Red Dragons scored on 11 of 13 possessions, with one of the two "failures" occurring when Cortland took a knee at the end of the game.
 
Zac Boyes was 10-of-11 passing for 206 yards and two scores and Vin Mazzone completed 8-of-12 passes for 93 yards. Jaden AlfanoStJohn ran for 93 yards and a TD, Tyson Taylor had 74 rushing yards and a score, and Ethan Gallo ran for 72 yards and a TD. Ashton  Capone recorded two rushing TDs, Kyle Stracher ran for a TD, and Cole  Burgess and JJ  Laap each had TD receptions. Jaden Martinez finished with five tackles and returned an interception 21 yards for a score. For Hartwick, James Sobol was 13-of-27 passing for 161 yards and a TD and Nate Rath caught eight passes for 129 yards and a score.
 
CORTLAND CAPSULE: Cortland scored touchdowns on its first seven possessions and the defense recorded its third shutout of the season as the Red Dragons won at home versus St. John Fisher, 49-0, last Saturday. Zac Boyes completed 20-of-25 passes for 373 yards and four scores and ran for a touchdown. Jaden AlfanoStJohn scored three times on a 44-yard rush and 21-yard and 15-yard receptions. He finished with seven catches for 160 yards.
 
Ethan Gallo added a rushing TD and Jayson Zeva and Garret Decker caught TD passes. Defensive tackle Junius Keys led the team with nine tackles, Jack Winey had eight tackles and Ellis Einbinder recorded seven tackles and a 51-yard interception return that set up a TD drive. Mike Baloga made all seven of his PAT attempts and averaged 41 yards on two punts, which occurred on Cortland's final two possessions.
 
Gallo averages 102 rushing yards per game and has run for 16 touchdowns. AlfanoStJohn has scored 14 touchdowns - 10 receiving, three rushing and one on a kickoff return. He's caught 32 passes for 719 yards, while Zeva has 32 receptions for 400 yards and four scores. Boyes is 112-of-153 passing (73.2 percent) for 1,735 yards and 18 touchdowns. Jaden Martinez and Winey share the team lead with 51 tackles each and Einbinder has three interceptions. Nick Lardaro is the team leader with six tackles for loss.

Curt Fitzpatrick was named SUNY Cortland's football head coach in February 2020 and is in his fifth year at the school and fourth season on the field in 2024. His record at Cortland is 41-4 (.911), highlighted by a 14-1 season and a storybook run to the 2023 NCAA Division III title. Fitzpatrick was named both the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and the D3football.com Division III National Coach of the Year, and the AFCA Region 1 and D3football.com Region 2 Coach of the Year. Fitzpatrick has led Cortland to three Empire 8 titles from 2021-23, each with a 6-0 regular-season record. He and his assistants were named the Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year in each of those three seasons.
 
Fitzpatrick previously served as head coach at Morrisville for seven seasons from 2013-19 and guided the Mustangs to four winning seasons and three postseason ECAC bowl games. He served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Utica College from 2008-12. A 2004 graduate of St. John Fisher, Fitzpatrick was a four-year letterman and a standout quarterback for the Cardinals who served as a team captain. In his final season, he earned Empire 8 all-conference honors and set school passing records in touchdowns (30) and yards (2,366) while leading the program to a 10-2 overall record and an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance. He returned to his hometown of Fulton, N.Y., to coach quarterbacks and wide receivers at Fulton High School in 2005 and he served as quarterbacks coach at St. John Fisher for two seasons from 2006-07. During those two years the Cardinals went a combined 23-4, won two Empire 8 crowns, and advanced to the NCAA semifinals (2006) and quarterfinals (2007).
 
A LOOK AT...HARTWICK COLLEGE:  Quarterback Braden Moreau, making his first start of the season, completed 21-of-24 passes for 196 yards and three scores and ran for 165 yards and two touchdowns as Hartwick defeated visiting Hilbert, 36-21, in Empire 8 action last Saturday. The Hawks trailed 21-16 entering the fourth quarter before scoring the final 20 points on a Moreau 28-yard run, a 19-yard pass from Moreau to Conor Cosgrove and a Moreau 41-yard run. Cosgrove caught 10 passes for 115 yards and two scores and Carlvin McDonald caught a TD pass. Ransome Turner-Rush made a 28-yard field goal. Ben Kirkland led the Hawks' defense with nine tackles and Joshua Titus made eight tackles. Dereck Cupernall finished with seven tackles and a blocked PAT.
 
James Sobol has appeared in seven games at quarterback for the Hawks and is 55-of-137 passing (40.1 percent) for 811 yards with five touchdowns and 10 interceptions. McDonald has rushed for 280 yards in seven contests. Cosgrove is the team leader with 42 receptions for 657 yards and six touchdowns and Carlito Aldamuy has 23 receptions for 371 yards and two scores. Kirkland leads the team with 50 tackles and Randall Dennis has 40 tackles. Nathan Hartman leads the Hawks with three sacks. Turner-Rush is 17-of-21 on PAT kicks and 2-for-3 on field goals, with a long of 47 yards.
 
Mark Carr is in his 23rd season as Hartwick's head coach (including the canceled 2020 season). He has an overall record of 72-139, and his 72 wins are the most in school history. He led the Hawks to a share of the Empire 8 title and the NCAA playoffs in 2007, as well as ECAC bowl games in 2002, 2008 and 2009. He spent nine years as Hartwick's offensive coordinator while an assistant from 1993-2001. Carr graduated in 1990 from the University of New Hampshire, where he set numerous passing records as the starting quarterback for the Wildcats. He served as UNH's quarterbacks coach when the program won the Yankee Conference title in 1991.
 
NOTEBOOK:
 
* Cortland is sixth nationally in the Division III NCAA Power Index (NPI) through games of Oct. 27. The NPI is new in 2024 and is what will be used to determine which teams earn at-large berths into the NCAA playoff field. The NCAA Division III tournament has expanded this year from 28 to 40 teams. Of those 40 teams, 28 will be automatic qualifiers by winning league championships and 12 will be at-large bids based on NPI rating. Sixteen teams will play in the first round Nov. 23 and 24 schools will earn byes into the second round on Nov. 30.
 
     The NPI is a combination of winning percentage and strength of schedule, with bonus points awarded for wins versus teams above a certain threshold. The NPI ratings also will assist the NCAA committee with tournament seeding, with adjustments made due to geography to limit trips of more than 500 miles. In addition, the top eight teams in the final NPI rankings will be "protected" from being lined up to face other top-8 teams until the national quarterfinals.
 
* Cortland has opened the season with a 7-0 record 10 times, including four of the last five seasons (2019, 2021, 2022, 2024; the 2020 season was canceled). The previous nine 7-0 seasons concluded as follows:
 
1964 – Started 8-0 before losing season finale at Montclair State. Finished 8-1.
1988 – Finished regular season 10-0. Won NCAA opener vs. Hofstra and lost NCAA quarterfinal at Ithaca. Finished  11-1.
1989 – Started 8-0 before losing at Ithaca. Finished regular season 9-1. Lost NCAA opener at Union. Finished 9-2.
1990 – Started 8-0 before losing to Ithaca. Finished regular season 9-1. Lost NCAA opener at Hofstra. Finished 9-2.
2006 – Started 8-0 before losing at Rowan in OT. Finished regular season 9-1. Lost ECAC bowl game to RPI. Finished 9-2.
2008 – Started 9-0 before losing to Ithaca. Finished regular season 9-1. Won NCAA playoff games versus Plymouth State and Curry before losing NCAA quarterfinal at Mount Union. Finished 11-2.
2019 – Started 7-0 before losing to Brockport. Finished regular season 8-2. Lost NY Bowl to Hobart. Finished 8-3.
2021 – Finished regular season 10-0. Won NCAA opener vs. Springfield and lost NCAA second round to RPI. Finished 11-1.
2022 - Started 9-0 before losing to Ithaca. Finished regular season 9-1. Lost NCAA opener at Randolph-Macon. Finished 9-2
 
* Cortland's current 19-game winning streak is the longest active streak by teams on any NCAA football level. The next-longest streaks are 12 by Marietta (Division III), 11 by Army West Point (Division I FBS), and 10 each by Hope (Division III) and St. John's (Minn.) (Division III). Cortland's 24-game Empire 8 win streak, dating back to 2019, is currently the fourth-longest on any NCAA level behind three other Division III schools - Mount Union (64), Aurora (45) and North Central (39).
 
* Cortland's 19-game winning streak is a school record for longest unbeaten streak. Cortland went 17 straight games without a loss between 1932-34. Cortland was 11-0-6 during that stretch, going 4-0-3 in 1932, 5-0-2 in 1933 and 2-0-1 in its first three games of 1934 before losing to Ithaca, 7-0.
 
* Cortland has broken the school record for scoring average each of the last three years, averaging 41.4 points per game in 2021, 45.1 points per contest in 2022 and 46.2 points per game last fall. The Red Dragons are averaging 54.3 points per game this fall, including at least 40 in every game.
 
* Zac Boyes has attempted 256 straight passes without an interception - his last 103 attempts a year ago plus his 153 attempts this fall. He has broken his previous school record of 194 straight pass attempts without an interception, set last season. After being picked in the 2023 season opener versus Delaware Valley, he wasn't intercepted again until throwing two picks at Ithaca and two in the NCAA second round versus Grove City.
 
* Zac Boyes ranks second nationally in Division III with a 207.3 passing efficiency rating through seven games. Boyes has the two best single-season passing ratings in school history with a 198.4 last year and a 194.2 in 2022. NCAA passing efficiency rating is a reflection of completion percentage, yards per pass attempt, TD passes per pass attempt, and interceptions per pass attempt.
 
* Cortland has been a member of the Empire 8 conference since 2015. The Red Dragons won the outright league title and NCAA automatic bid in both 2021, 2022 and 2023 and were co-champions in both 2015 and 2019, earning an NCAA bid in 2015. Cortland also finished second or tied for second in the league in 2017 and 2018. Cortland previously competed in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) for 15 seasons from 2000-14 and finished in at least a tie for first place six times.
 
     Three current Empire 8 members - Cortland, Morrisville and Brockport - at one point played in the NJAC. Cortland and Morrisville are affiliate members of the E8 in football only. Brockport moved from affiliate to full-time status in the league in 2024. Alfred, Hartwick, St. John Fisher and Utica also are full conference members. Hilbert joined the Empire 8 as an affiliate football member in 2024 but will be moving to the Liberty League in 2025, and Alfred State will join the league as an affiliate football member in 2025.

* Cortland and Hartwick rank in the top 40 nationally in Division III in the following team and individual categories:
 
CORTLAND:
 
2nd, Passes Had Intercepted, 1
3rd, Third Down Conversion Percentage, 61.2 pct.
3rd, Punt Return Defense, minus-1.0 yds./return
3rd, Scoring Offense, 54.3 pts./game
3rd, Team Passing Efficiency, 197.7 rating
4th, First Downs Defense, 74
5th, Third Down Conversion Percentage Defense, 24.7 pct.
6th, Total Offense, 514.0 yds./game
6th, Red Zone Offense, 93.5 pct.
7th, Turnovers Lost, 5
7th, First Downs Offense, 194
8th, Passing Yards Allowed, 129.3 yds./game
9th, Completion Percentage, 70.6 pct.
9th, Scoring Defense, 9.9 pts./game
9th, Total Defense, 209.1 yds./game
12th, Rushing Offense, 240.4 yds./game
21st, Team Passing Efficiency Defense, 101.7 opponent rating
23rd, Passing Yards per Completion, 15.3 yds./completion
27th, Turnover Margin, plus-1.0/game
30th, Rushing Defense, 79.9 yds./game
33rd, Blocked Punts, 1
35th, Kickoff Returns, 23.4 yds./return
35th, Tackles for Loss Allowed, 4.0/game
36th, Passing Offense, 273.6 yds./game
40th, Fewest Penalties, 4.6/game

(Cortland is one of 13 undefeated teams in Division III)

Ethan Gallo, 1st, Rushing TDs, 16
Ethan Gallo, 2nd, Scoring, 13.7 pts./game
Ethan Gallo, 2nd, Total TDs, 16
Zac Boyes, 2nd, Passing Efficiency, 207.3 rating
Zac Boyes, 2nd, Yards per Pass Attempt, 11.3 yds./attempt
Zac Boyes, 4th, Completion Percentage, 73.2 pct.
Ravi Dass Jr., 4th, Punt Return TDs, 1
Jaden Martinez, 7th, Forced Fumbles, 0.4/game
Jaden AlfanoStJohn, 7th, Scoring, 12.0 pts./game
Jaden AlfanoStJohn, 8th, Kickoff Return TDs, 1
Jaden AlfanoStJohn, 8th, Total TDs, 14
Max Llewellyn, 11th, Fumbles Recovered, 2
Jaden AlfanoStJohn, 12th, All Purpose Yards, 152.1 yds./game
Jaden AlfanoStJohn, 12th, Yards per Reception, 22.5 yds./catch
Jaden AlfanoStJohn, 14th, Receiving TDs, 10
Zac Boyes, 15th, Total Offense, 295.3 yds./game
Zac Boyes, 18th, Points Responsible For, 19.7 pts./game
Zac Boyes, 18th, Passing Yards per Completion, 15.5 yds./completion
Jaden AlfanoStJohn, 25th, Receiving Yards, 102.7 yds./game
Zac Boyes, 30th, Passing TDs, 18
Ethan Gallo, 33rd, Rushing Yards, 102.0 yds./game
Zac Boyes, 36th, Passing Yards, 247.9 yds./game

HARTWICK:
 
24th, Team Tackles for Loss, 8.0/game
27th, Fumbles Lost, 2
32nd, Defensive TDs, 2
33rd, Fewest Penalty Yards, 37.3 yds./game
39th, Passing Yards per Completion, 14.5 yds./completion
 
Nicholas Massaregli, 8th, Kickoff Return TDs, 1
James Sobol, 25th, Passing Yards per Completion, 14.8 yds./completion
Nicholas Massaregli, 37th, Combined Kick Returns, 426 yds.
Conor Cosgrove, 39th, Receiving Yards, 93.9 yds./game
 
 
2024 Cortland Weekly Award Winners (game date/opponent in parentheses)
 
Jaden AlfanoStJohn, Sr., Wide Receiver/Kick Returner
D3football.com National Team of the Week (kick returner) (Sept. 21 at Susquehanna)
Empire 8 Special Teams Player of the Week (Sept. 21 at Susquehanna)
D3football.com National Team of the Week (wide receiver) (Oct. 5 vs. Morrisville)
 
Mike Baloga, Sr., Kicker/Punter
Empire 8 Co-Special Teams Player of the Week (Oct. 5 vs. Morrisville)
Empire 8 Special Teams Player of the Week (Oct. 12 at Utica)
 
Zac Boyes, Sr., Quarterback
Empire 8 Co-Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 14 vs. Lycoming)
Empire 8 Co-Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 26 vs. St. John Fisher)
 
Ravi Dass Jr., Kick/Punt Returner
Empire 8 Special Teams Player of the Week (Sept. 7 at Hilbert)
 
Ellis Einbinder, Jr., Safety
Empire 8 Co-Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 12 at Utica)
 
Ethan Gallo, So., Running Back
Empire 8 Co-Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 19 at Alfred)
 
Offensive Line (Kevin Whalen, Aidan Glynn, Ryan Bitka, Jayden Lont, Cody Aikey)
D3football.com National Team of the Week (Sept. 14 vs. Lycoming)
 
Offensive Line (Nate Graser, Aidan Glynn, Ryan Bitka, Jayden Lont, Cody Aikey)
D3football.com National Team of the Week (Oct. 19 at Alfred)


SCHEDULES/RESULTS:

CORTLAND (7-0, 5-0 Empire 8)

Sept. 7            * at Hilbert............................................... W 76-0
Sept. 14          LYCOMING (PA).................................... W 70-7
Sept. 21          at Susquehanna (PA)............................. W 40-38
Oct. 5             * MORRISVILLE...................................... W 41-0
Oct. 12            * at Utica..................................................W 45-7
Oct. 19           * at Alfred................................................ W 59-17
Oct. 26           * ST. JOHN FISHER................................ W 49-0
Nov. 2            * HARTWICK........................................... 1:00
Nov. 9            * at Brockport........................................... 12:00
Nov. 16           ITHACA.................................................. 12:00

* Empire 8 game      HOME GAMES IN CAPS

HARTWICK (2-5, 1-3 Empire 8)

Sept. 7            at Maine Maritime Academy.................. W 62-6
Sept. 14          at Keystone (PA).................................... L 26-51
Sept. 21          JUNIATA (PA)......................................... L 30-37
Oct. 5             * UTICA................................................... L 7-65
Oct. 12            * BROCKPORT...................................... L 0-53
Oct. 19           * at St. John Fisher................................. L 0-56
Oct. 26           * HILBERT.............................................. W 36-21
Nov. 2            * at Cortland........................................... 1:00
Nov. 9            * ALFRED............................................... 1:00
Nov. 16           * at Morrisville........................................ 1:00
 
* Empire 8 game      HOME GAMES IN CAPS


CORTLAND vs. HARTWICK – SERIES RECORD
(Cortland leads 18-0)

Year     Winner......................... Score                    Site
1929     Cortland........................ 53-0                      Cortland

1930     Cortland........................ 67-0                      Hartwick
1932     Cortland........................ 24-0                      Cortland
1933     Cortland........................ 40-0                      Cortland

1942     Cortland........................ 47-0                      Cortland
1946     Cortland........................ 28-0                      Cortland
1947     Cortland........................ 10-0                      Hartwick
1948     Cortland........................ 14-7                      Hartwick
1949     Cortland........................ 39-0                      Cortland

1950     Cortland........................ 37-0                      Hartwick

2015     Cortland........................ 48-45 (OT)            Cortland
2016     Cortland.........................50-47                    Hartwick
2017     Cortland.........................31-30                    Cortland
2018     Cortland.........................56-3                      Hartwick
2019     Cortland.........................32-21                    Hartwick

2021     Cortland.........................48-3                      Hartwick
2022     Cortland.........................69-7                      Cortland
2023     Cortland.........................73-7                      Hartwick