On a sunny Saturday perfect for football, SUNY Cortland welcomed the Hartwick Hawks for their first home game of the season. Cortland was ranked 23rd nationally amongst Division 3 according to D3football.com heading into the evening, meaning that they were heavily favored in the matchup. The Red Dragons were able to pull off a convincing 55-3 win, which could’ve been a 55-0 shutout if it weren’t for a garbage-time field goal that Hartwick tacked on with 12 seconds to play. Historically, this matchup is one that Cortland always benefits from, as they now hold an all-time record of 21-0 against Hartwick. This win over the Hawks was their third win of the season and their first win of conference play.
The Red Dragon offense was red hot all game, with key players Mike Rescigno and Ethan Gallo being the engine of the attack. Rescigno manned the quarterback spot and had his most efficient game of the year in terms of passing as he completed 14 of his 22 pass attempts (63.3%) and racked up 241 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air. That’s not all, however, as he also had a very productive day on the ground with 14 rushes for 179 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 60-yarder in the third quarter. His ability to act as a dual threat makes him a matchup nightmare and really opens up opportunities for his favorite running back, Ethan Gallo. Gallo added 62 yards and 2 touchdowns of his own to the dominant ground game Cortland displayed on Saturday.
On the defensive side of the ball, Cortland completely smothered Hartwick all game. As a unit, the Red Dragon defense was able to prevent Hartwick from reaching the century mark, holding them to only 96 total yards through all four quarters. They also forced Hartwick into some bad decisions, including 2 interceptions that fell into the hands of Shane Reilly and Joe Galea. Memphis Ferguson also had a busy afternoon, leading the team in total tackles with 6, with one of them being for a loss.
Even apart from the dominant performance from the football team, the SUNY Cortland community as a whole had a great Saturday with the induction of seven new C-Club Hall of Famers. The halftime break was spent acknowledging former SUNY Cortland athletes and all their incredible accolades both inside and outside the world of sports. James J. Grady ‘50, M ‘61, Judy Sparks Arlington ‘89, M ‘90, Pat Lalley ‘98, Julian Heyward ‘02, Becky Gillette ‘02, M ‘04, Jim Dougher ‘07, and Jessica Lavelle ‘14 are now all a part of a long list of stellar athletes who once called SUNY Cortland home.
A day filled with great weather, great football, and the privilege of recognizing great people led to a memorable Saturday at SUNY Cortland. The Red Dragon football squad looks to keep the hot start to the season rolling next week as they host the Morrisville Mustangs for their second game in Empire 8 conference play. The team will head into next weekend with an updated national ranking of 18th, according to D3football.com, after their win this weekend.