(note: this article covers Cortland’s game from Oct. 25)
Cortland has dominated the Empire 8 conference for the last half decade, having won the conference title outright each of the last four seasons and claiming a share of it in 2019. Despite this, many teams around the conference seemed to believe that former head coach Curt Fitzpatrick’s departure would mark the end of Cortland’s run. This lit a fire under the players, and since December, the entire team has been on a mission to silence the doubters and prove that they are still the team to beat. With the number one spot in the conference standings up for grabs, the Red Dragons arrived in Pittsford on Saturday looking to take down St. John Fisher.
The game plan was simple: be the more physical team, and Cortland wasted zero time. Cole Callard’s opening kickoff was fielded by Fisher’s Jaylen Brantley at his own five-yard line. As Cortland’s coverage team converged, Brantley began to follow his blockers up the near sideline. That was when Cortland sophomore Travis Carlucci delivered a massive hit, starting the game off with a bang, literally.
Cortland’s biggest strength this season has been its defense, which wears opponents down with an aggressive style of play and holds them to just under 12 points per game. Despite this, Fisher’s offense came out swinging, putting together long drives and getting deep into Cortland territory three times in the first half. However, they came away with only seven points, as the Red Dragon defense’s “bend, don’t break” mentality seems to bring out their best when their backs are against the wall.
Coming into the game, Fisher quarterback Mason Lister had not thrown an interception all season, but an experienced Cortland secondary made it their mission to change that. Junior cornerback Nazair Jean-Lubin got things started when he picked off a pass late in the second quarter, which set up a crucial score. Then, on Fisher’s first possession of the second half, safety Sonny Mayo snagged one on an overthrown pass over the middle, leading to a Cortland field goal. Alex DeRosa got his first of the season when he picked off Lister in the fourth, bringing the team total to three on the day.
Cortland’s offense seems to get better each week, and Saturday was one of their best performances across the board. They set the tone immediately, consistently winning up front, and their receivers were relentless in blocking downfield. This allowed ball carriers to easily find running lanes. Junior running back Ethan Gallo had 22 carries for 145 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Mike Rescigno looked poised in the pocket all afternoon, getting through his progressions and making the right decision each time. Rescigno completed 10 passes for 119 yards and two scores, connecting with Jacque LaPrarie and Joe Iadevaio. Sam Cotton had 5 catches for 102 yards.
Cortland took down Fisher with a final score of 31-7. The Red Dragons improved to 6-1 on the season and look to clinch the conference championship at some point in the next two weeks. They head to Alfred State on Saturday and look to continue their momentum.