SPRINGFIELD, MASS. - Springfield quarterback TJ Welch ran for 140 yards and a touchdown and Bode Dunn rushed for 113 yards and two scores as the host Pride defeated Cortland, 21-7, in the opening round of the NCAA Division III tournament.
 
Cortland, making its fifth straight NCAA appearance and 14th overall, finishes the season with an 8-3 record. Springfield (9-2) advances to play at Johns Hopkins in the second round (round of 32) next Saturday.
 
Quarterback Mike Rescigno (Arlington) led Cortland with 78 rushing yards on 14 carries and he completed 13-of-26 passes for 146 yards. Ethan Gallo (Minisink/Minisink Valley) ran for 35 yards and the Red Dragons' lone touchdown. Joe Iadevaio (Massapequa/Plainedge) caught six passes for 22 yards and Jayson Zeva (East Northport/St. John the Baptist) finished with five receptions for 75 yards.
 
Anthony Luciano (Loudonville/Shaker) was Cortland's leader with nine tackles, followed by George Gjelaj (Bedford/Byram Hills) with six stops. Gavin Guers (Schuylkill Haven, PA/Blue Mountain), Aden Wiser (Highland), Sonny Mayo (Mastic Beach/William Floyd), Aaron Henry (Cobleskill/Cobleskill-Richmondville) and Alex Gecaj (Putnam Valley) each finished with five tackles.
 
Welch gained his 140 rushing yards on 19 carries, while Dunn ran 27 times for his 113 yards. Springfield finished with 294 rushing yards on 58 attempts; the Pride entered the game as the Division III national leader with 347.3 rushing yards per game. Welch completed 2-of-3 passes for 55 yards, including a crucial 44-yard pass to Luke Zoller during Springfield's go-ahead scoring drive in the fourth quarter. Tyler Sordillo led the Pride defensively with seven tackles. Bryan Feliciano, Will Aviles, Nick Gonzalez and Nick Peterson each made five stops.
 
After each team failed to score on its first two drives, Cortland started its third drive on its own 23-yard line with 14:53 left in the second quarter. The Red Dragons drove 77 yards on 15 plays, eating up 9:06 in game time, and Gallo scored from two yards out on 3rd-and-goal to give Cortland the lead.
 
Springfield began its ensuing drive on its own 44-yard line after a Sal Posillico 42-yard kickoff return. The Pride covered 56 yards on nine plays, with a 1-yard run by Dunn on 3rd-and-goal tying the game at 7-7 with 1:09 left in the half.
 
Cortland had a chance to take the lead before the half. The Red Dragons advanced from their own 36-yard line to the Springfield 5-yard line, with the big play a Zeva 42-yard catch on 3rd-and-8 from the 38-yard line. Cortland spiked the ball on first down at the five, followed by incomplete passes on second and third downs, and the Red Dragons' 22-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Aaziah Scott to end the half.
 
The teams traded a pair of scoreless drive in the third, and Gavin Dandrea's (Port Jefferson Station/Comsewogue) 48-yard punt pinned Springfield on its own 4-yard line with 1:12 left in the quarter. The Pride converted a 3rd-and-3 from their own 11-yard line on a Dunn 3-yard run on the final play of the period, and Springfield opened the fourth with Welch runs of six and 19 yards and Zoller's 44-yard reception to move the ball to the Cortland 17-yard line. Springfield converted on 4th-and-1 from the 8-yard line on Dunn's 2-yard run, and three plays later Dunn scored from 1-yard out to cap a 13-play, 96-yard drive and give Springfield a 14-7 lead.
 
Cortland went 3-and-out on its next possession and Springfield began its next drive on its own 16-yard line with 7:15 left. The Pride put the game away with a 10-play, 84-yard touchdown drive that culminated with Welch's 38-yard run on 3rd-and-5 with 2:06 left. Cortland turned the ball over on downs on its next possession and Springfield ran two plays for a first down and took a knee twice to end the game.