Brockport, NY – The SUNY Brockport football team shutout St. John Fisher, 25-0, for its fifth consecutive win in the annual Courage Bowl. Brockport opens Empire 8 play with a strong showing, as the team's record jumps to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the conference.
Saturday night's game on Bob Boozer Field saw Brockport Football record its 300th win in program history.
The Golden Eagle defense was dominant, allowing St. John Fisher to gain only 27 yards on the night. They held the Cardinals to just four first downs and the Cardinals were 0-for-12 on third down conversions. Brockport has now shutout Fisher in two of the last three meetings and has not allowed more than seven points to Fisher since 2016.
Ben Damiani led the defensive unit with 10 total tackles, including one sack and three tackles for a loss. Hakeem Yaya caused problems for the Fisher quarterback with two sacks for 18 yards. The defense totaled six sacks on the night, as Ben Robinson, John DeRidder, and Joseph Rodda all got clean hits on the quarterback. DeRidder also forced a turnover, snagging his second interception of the year.
Rashad Law has now rushed for over 100 yards in back-to-back games, finishing with 143 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. Law's longest run of the game was a 29-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Brockport's offense totaled a season-high 297 yards on the ground, racking up 48 rushing attempts.
Gino Fontanarosa got in on the party with 67 rushing yards and a score on 10 carries. Quarterback Todd Simons added 68 yards with his legs, as well as throwing for 91 yards and a touchdown. With one reception for 29 yards, Jared Maurino caught the team's only score through the air for his third touchdown of the season.
Law led the offense with five receptions, totaling 14 receiving yards. Anthony Testa grabbed three passes for 10 yards. Derrick Chance, Will McCarthy, James Altenburger, and Jayden Prina all caught one pass from Simonds in the win.
The special teams unit also made an impact in the game to complete a well-rounded performance from the Green and Gold. Fontanarosa broke through the wall twice to block punts from the Cardinals. Kicker Noah Panepinto made good on two field goal attempts in the fourth quarter, cashing in from 32 and 25 yards out. Dan Giangrasso and Todd Simonds both pinned Fisher inside its own 20 while handling the punting duties.
After a slow start for both offenses, Brockport would get on the board first in the opening quarter. Gino Fontanarosa blocked a punt which gave the squad great field position, starting the drive in enemy territory. This set up Todd Simonds 29-yard touchdown pass to Jared Maurino, putting Brockport up 6-0 after a missed extra point.
Although most of what was left to play in the first half was quiet offensively. The Golden Eagles did threaten on the goal line before halftime. However, the St. John Fisher defense was able to stop Simonds as he attempted to dive for the touchdown. With both defenses playing well in the first half, Brockport held onto a slim 6-0 lead going into the break.
As good as the defense played in the first half, allowing 54 yards, this scary unit turned it up a notch in the second half. St. John Fisher's first two possessions of the half resulted in a loss of two yards. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles offense was able to take advantage of great field position to setup Rashad Law's 29-yard rushing score in the third quarter.
Brockport entered the final period of play with a 13-0 lead over the visiting Cardinals. With the lead in hand and time on their side, the Golden Eagles began to milk the clock with the running game. They totaled 35:46 for the time of possession in the game, which included two drives nearing six minutes with over 10 plays. In need of some scoring, Fisher tried to air it out but the Brockport pass rush wouldn't allow anything steady.
In the fourth quarter alone, Brockport recorded three sacks, two quarterback hurries, and one interception. The shutdown defense allowed the offense to lean on its running game to close out the contest. Noah Panepinto was 2-for-2 in the fourth quarter on field goal attempts from 25 and 32 yards out. With less than two minutes to go, Gino Fontanarosa's 3-yard rushing touchdown sealed the deal for the 25-0 victory.
The visiting Cardinals were only able to earn four first downs in the loss, rushing for 14 yards and throwing for just 13. St. John Fisher moves to 2-3 overall and 0-1 in the Empire 8 following the loss.
The Golden Eagles now begin preparations for Homecoming Weekend's highly anticipated matchup against the nationally ranked Cortland Red Dragons. The two conference rivals are set to faceoff on Saturday, October 8th on Bob Boozer Field for a 1pm kickoff.