ONEONTA N.Y. – Cortland returned two blocked punts for touchdowns and held Hartwick to 152 yards of total offense, including minus-13 rushing yards, and the nationally #18/19 Red Dragons defeated the host Hawks, 48-3, in an Empire 8 contest.
In a game played through a constant rain, Cortland (6-0, 3-0 Empire 8) completed only 6-of-10 passes for 118 yards, with two of the completions going for touchdowns, while rushing 47 times for 252 yards and three scores. Hartwick (1-4, 0-3 E8) was 14-of-37 through the air for 165 yards but lost 13 yards on 31 rushing attempts, including 45 lost yards on seven Cortland sacks.
Cortland took a 7-0 lead with 4:20 left in the first period on quarterback Brees Segala's (Webster/Webster Schroeder) 20-yard TD run. The Red Dragons added to their lead on a bizarre play late in the quarter. Hartwick punter Nick Andrade mishandled a snap and scrambled to recover the ball. He then attempted to punt on the run in traffic, but Stone Murray (Latham/Shaker) blocked the kick and Mike Pellittiere (Fairport) returned the ball 10 yards for a score and a 14-0 Red Dragon lead.
Cortland's special teams struck again with just over four minutes remaining in the first half. Dylan Dubuque (East Greenbush/Columbia) blocked a punt and Tommy Heuer (Oceanside) scooped up the loose ball and ran 20 yards for a score. The Red Dragons struck again just before halftime on a drive that started at their own 42-yard line with 27 seconds left. Jaden Alfanostjohn (Westhampton/Westhampton Beach) ran 17 yards to the Hartwick 41-yard line, and, following a timeout, Segala connected on a deep pass to JJ Laap (Stony Brook/Ward Melville) for a 41-yard TD and a 28-0 halftime lead.
The Red Dragons added a score with 5:45 left in the third when tight end Mike Eglintine (Saratoga Springs) caught a short pass on the right side of the field, made some defenders miss and went in for a 25-yard touchdown. Hartwick got on the board on a Kevin Roberts 33-yard field goal with 13:10 left in the fourth. Cortland scored twice in the final six minutes on Dom Gombetto's (Fairport) 1-yard TD run and backup quarterback Zac Boyes' (Buffalo/Kenmore West) 43-yard TD run.
Dubuque, in addition to his blocked punt, finished with seven tackles and a forced fumbles. Three of his tackles were for losses, including two of Cortland's seven sacks. Devin Smith (Utica/Utica Notre Dame) registered six tackles with 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Max Llewellyn (Sayville) had three tackles for losses, including a sack, Nick Lardaro (Smithtown/Smithtown East) made two tackles for losses, including 1.5 sacks, and Joshua Cordero (Monroe/Monroe-Woodbury) intercepted a pass.
Alfanostjohn carried the ball 14 times for 67 yards, followed by Gombetto with 14 carries for 53 yards, Boyes with three rushes for 52 yards, Jahon Moore (Hillside, NJ) with 12 attempts for 49 yards, and Segala with 28 yards on three rushes. Segala was 4-of-7 passing for 94 yards and Boyes went 2-for-3 for 24 yards.
Jeremy Gerdvil led Hartwick with 10 tackles and a forced fumble and Jack Colbath made eight tackles. Jason Garcia was 14-of-37 passing for 165 yards, with Nate Rath catching four tosses for 30 yards.
Cortland hosts Utica next Saturday at 1 p.m.
Cortland Remains Unbeaten with 48-3 Win at Hartwick
/seasons/2021/boxscores/20211016_tw9d.xml
2021
Cortland
48
Hartwick
3
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 13 Cortland (6-0) | 14 | 14 | 7 | 13 | 48 |
| Hartwick (1-4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Oct 16, 2021