The Red Dragons Football team secured victory over North Central in the 50th Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, clinching the Division Three National Championship for the first time in school history.
Junior quarterback Zac Boyes received The Stagg Bowl’s Most Outstanding Player award after accounting for 473 of Cortland’s 503 total yards to lead the Red Dragons to the victory. He joins an exclusive group in Cortland history, becoming only the second player to pass for 300 yards and run for 100 yards in a single game. He also threw five touchdowns, tying the school’s record.
Boyes was interviewed at a press conference after the game and expressed how proud he was to contribute to the win for Cortland.
“You just want to be on this stage and get the chance to play in a National Championship, ” said Boyes. “But to do it for Cortland, with that C across our chest, it means everything.”
Cortland’s defense held the #1 ranked offense in the country on their first two drives to prevent North Central from scoring until late in the second quarter. The first possession saw North Central opting to pass instead of trying a 35 yard field goal on a 4th & 16, which was nearly caught in the endzone but was too high. The second drive ended with a turnover, with junior linebacker Jack Winey pressuring the Cardinals quarterback and forcing a fumble in the red zone on 4th & 4.
After both teams put up a combined ten points in the first half, both coaching staffs made adjustments at halftime that produced an entirely different outcome. Cortland quickly drove down the field to start the third quarter, capping the drive off with a touchdown to senior receiver Cole Burgess to take the lead at 10-7. The play was initially ruled incomplete, but thanks to official replays only used in the semi-finals and finals of the tournament, it was ruled a catch.
Late in the third quarter, North Central added a touchdown and a late field goal to remain tied at 17-17 heading into the fourth. Cortland answered with a three minute drive that ended with a touchdown to the back of the endzone hauled in by sophomore receiver Joe Iadevaio to regain the lead.
The fourth quarter accounted for 351 total yards and five touchdowns combined between Cortland and North Central. The Cortland receiving trio led by senior JJ Laap, Iadevaio and Burgess combined for 87 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to help lead the Red Dragons to the win.
In the post game press conference, Burgess was asked about his connection with Boyes and his teammates how it has grown throughout the season
“It’s our whole offense, I got trust in all my guys, ” said Burgess. ”The running backs the receivers the line that that we’re going to get the job done whatever the defense is going to give us we’re going to take it and we’re going to get the job done.”
Following Cortland’s early fourth quarter touchdown, North Central matched with a 59 yard reception, leveling the score at 24-24 with nearly no time lost on the clock. The battle continued with Boyes connecting with Iadevaio yet again with a 10-yard touchdown catch, reclaiming the lead at 31-24 with 8:16 left.
But yet again, North Central wasted no time responding, tying the game at 31-31 with 7:16 remaining thanks to a 64 yard touchdown. Cortland embarked on a time-consuming drive that ended in a 21-yard touchdown pass from Boyes to Burgess. With just 1:41 left on the clock, Cortland led 38-31, but left too much time on the clock to start celebrating.
North Central rallied once more, with a 60 yard touchdown, trimming Cortland’s lead to 38-37 with 1:20 left on the clock. Leaving plenty of time for the Red Dragons to drive down the field, North Central decided to attempt a two point conversion to take the lead. Their quarterback kept the ball running left and was jammed at the line of scrimmage and the conversion failed.
The only option left for North Central was an onside kickoff which was easily recovered by Cortland, paving the way for Cortland to seal the deal. With Capone’s 13 yard run and slide to keep the clock moving, The Red Dragons ran out the clock, securing a historic 38-37 victory and began their National Championship celebration.
The Red Dragons became the first team since D3football.com started the Top 25 poll to win the championship despite not ranking in the top ten in the playoffs. Despite losing a game early in the season to Susquehanna, and playing in close games early in the playoffs, this team has fought until the last whistle every week.
From underrated to undeniable, Cortland’s wild ride through the playoffs ends in a championship, a direct reflection of the confidence that this team has expressed each and every week this season.