ALFRED, N.Y. – The Alfred University football team dominated in all three phases, earning a convincing 34-7 Empire 8 victory over Hartwick, from Yunevich Stadium at Merrill Field Saturday afternoon.
Alfred (5-2, 2-1 Empire 8) bounces back from last week's loss, remaining a perfect 4-0 at "The Pit" this year. The Saxons have won five games in a row against the Hawks (1-6, 0-3), improving to 27-8-1 all-time.
The Saxons outgained Hartwick by a 396-297 margin. On the ground, Aaron Griffin (Queens, N.Y./Holy Cross) rushed for over 100 yards for the fourth consecutive game, gaining 119 yards on 18 carries, scoring two touchdowns. Will Coats (Keeseville, N.Y./Saranac Lake) earned 57 yards on just four carries, while A.O. Othman (Syracuse, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) took an end-around 21 yards for a touchdown in his lone carry.
Casey Boston (Brooklyn, N.Y./Midwood) completed 6-of-12 passes for 95 yards, throwing an interception. Ben Burk (Lakewood, N.Y./Southwestern Central) returned to action after missing a few games, completing 3-of-6 pass attempts for 70 yards, adding a touchdown and an interception.
Quin Winkler (Hyde Park, N.Y./Franklin D. Roosevelt) earned 50 yards receiving on his lone catch of the day. Keandre Sanders (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Ludden) tallied one catch for 38 yards and a touchdown.
Nick Milgate (Hilton, N.Y./Hilton) was all over the field on defense, tallying 15 tackles, two for loss. He also added a sack. James Jones III (Rochester, N.Y./Aquinas) made a pair of crucial plays: blocking a field goal attempt that led to a touchdown and picking off a pass at the goal line. He finished with four tackles. Wes Stahlman (Harford, N.Y./Dryden) also earned an interception.
For the visitors, Grant Harman led the offense, completing 21-of-38 passes for 218 yards. He threw two interceptions. Davien Kuinlan added 55 yards on 16 carries and one touchdown. Jason Fucci led the Hartwick receiving corps with 95 yards on five catches. Noah Socash led the Hartwick defense with six tackles.
After AU forced a 3-and-out on its first drive, the Saxons struck quickly, needing just four plays and 1:49 to reach the end zone. Griffin danced right through the teeth of the Hartwick defense, scoring from 20 yards out to open the game.
The Saxons then struck for two touchdowns between the first and second quarters. Starting with great field position at their own 48 at the 5:10 mark, AU moved the ball mostly on the ground. Facing 3rd and 7, Burk found Sanders on a short pass, as Sanders made a few defenders miss, en route to a 38-yard touchdown reception.
On the ensuing kickoff, Kieran Horton (Binghamton, N.Y./Windsor) placed a well-timed onside kick, which was mishandled by a Hawk on the front line. Christopher Cox (Rochester, N.Y./Pittsford-Sutherland) was there to receive the ball in a scrum, with the Saxons earning possession. AU made Hartwick pay for its mistake, as Othman ran a jet sweep to the left side 21 yards for the touchdown, giving the Saxons a commanding 20-0 lead.
Hartwick's next possession was a long one, as the Hawks marched down the field, knocking on the doorstep of the Alfred goal line. On 3rd-and-Goal from the Alfred seven-yard line, Milgate made a key tackle on a Kuinlan rush on the left side, forcing the Hartwick field goal unit onto the field. On the 21-yard field goal attempt, Jones III raced past the Hartwick line on the right side, laying out to block the kick attempt. The ball bounced towards the sideline, as Ryan Elliot (Northport, N.Y./Northport) grabbed it on the hop, racing 91 yards the other way for an Alfred touchdown at the 7:39 mark. Alfred held a 27-0 lead into halftime.
The Alfred defense flexed its muscles in the second half, forcing the Hartwick offense into a pair of turnover on down situations, as well as a Hartman interception by Jones III on a 4th-and-17 play on the Saxon one-yard line.
The Saxon offense continued to click in the third quarter. On AU's second possession, Griffin broke out on a 3rd-and-2 play, racing 53 yards for his second touchdown of the afternoon.
Hartwick got on the board on its last possession of the game, a 10-play, 46-yard drive that culminated with a three-yard touchdown run by Kuinlan.
Alfred will finish its home portion of the schedule next Saturday, hosting Utica on Hall of Fame Weekend at 1 p.m. AU will also honor its senior class on that day.
Alfred bounces back with 34-7 victory over Hartwick
/seasons/2019/boxscores/20191026_stav.xml
2019
Hartwick
7
Alfred
34
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hartwick (1-6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Alfred (5-2) | 14 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 34 |
Oct 26, 2019