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| The Courage Bowl brought in a
packed house. Brockport State athletics photo by Bob Cushman |
Gary Mervis was driving to the St. John Fisher campus one fall day about 10 years ago.
He couldn't get over the weather -- not a cloud to be found in the Western New York sky. As he took in the sun while stopped at a red light, he heard a woman's voice in the car next to him. It was a mother, urging her young son to stop throwing a football around the family van.
That's when the idea hit him.
Mervis was on his way to St. John Fisher from one of the offices for Camp Good Days and Special Times, a non-profit organization "dedicated to improving the quality of life for children, adults and families whose lives have been touched by cancer." Mervis founded the initiative in 1979 after his 9-year-old daughter, Teddi Mervis, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.
Mervis' idea was simple enough -- give the kids of Camp Good Days a chance to experience something new, and to fulfill a dream they might never have another opportunity to. He wanted St. John Fisher and, at the time, Rochester to play a football game that meant more than just a win or loss.
From that thought, the Courage Bowl was born. And this past Saturday, Empire 8 newcomer Brockport State hosted St. John Fisher in Courage Bowl X.
"All of the programs and services that Camp Good Days provides are provided free of charge," Mervis said. "... The only reason we've been able to do this is because of some very generous individuals and the success of our fundraising events, of which now the Courage Bowl is one of them."
All proceeds from each Courage Bowl go to Camp Good Days. Last year's game between St. John Fisher and Alfred raised roughly $30,000. Mervis said the amount from this year's game isn't known yet, but a record crowd of roughly 9,400 painted a positive picture.
"I wouldn't be at all surprised if this year was more than that," Mervis said.
St. John Fisher beat Brockport, 36-20, and has won all 10 Courage Bowls. But this event has become much bigger than a football game.
"Our kids think it's tremendous and so do we as a coaching staff," St. John Fisher coach Paul Vosburgh said. "... The kids on both teams get a lot out of this, the community gets a lot out of it, too."
Each team in the Courage Bowl is assigned a handful -- usually three -- young boys from Camp Good Days to serve as honorary coaches. As such, the children attend practice, eat with the teams during the pregame meal, lead the teams out onto the field, take part in the midfield coin toss and spend the entire game on the sidelines. Likewise, a small number of young girls are selected to serve as honorary cheerleaders for both teams.
The honorary coaches and cheerleaders are announced at an annual luncheon, which is held the week of the game.
Additionally, both teams involved in the Courage Bowl make the trip down to Camp Good Days' recreational facility on Keuka Lake in Branchport, N.Y., during training camp in August to connect with the young campers. Vosburgh and Mervis both said the players relish the chance to be a positive influence in the lives of children that, while battling cancer, can be otherwise discouraging.
"Our kids want to win every game, but this is a bigger game for them because they're playing for the kids at Camp Good Days," Vosburgh said. "They want to make sure their young guys, when they leave, that they're on the winning team."
Similarly, the young campers embrace the players and the Courage Bowl. A honorary coach from one of the first years was even buried in his personalized Courage Bowl jersey, per his request, Vosburgh said.
Rochester made sense as an opponent, given the proximity and natural rivalry. But when the Yellowjackets and Cardinals stopped playing, Alfred stepped in as a temporary replacement. Brockport, a Monroe County school like St. John Fisher, was a natural choice as the long-term fixture in the series.
Mervis worked for 22 years with the New York State Legislature, and has been with the Cardinals' coaching staff since 1989, one year before Vosburgh arrived. He's coached dozens of players, yet the number pales in comparison to the number of lives he's touched through Camp Good Days.
This year, Mervis said the organization aided about 1,500 children. Over the last 35 years, there have been about 44,000 campers from 29 countries and 22 different states. Aside from the Keuka Lake location in Branchport, there are also offices in Ithaca, Syracuse, Buffalo and Rochester.
Mervis' daughter, Teddi, died in 1982 at the age of 12. She only got to see the first two Camp Good Days summer camps, but her spirit -- her courage -- lives on.
"This became my memorial to her," Mervis said, "and it keeps her a part of my life."
Note: For more information on Camp Good Days, visit http://www.campgooddays.org/.
Delaware Valley tops Wilkes in frenetic shootout
The numbers tell the story of Delaware Valley's win over Wilkes.
Eighty nine points, 48 first downs, 168 total plays run. Fans of defense will surely shutter.
Delaware Valley won the game, 54-35, but it Wilkes that set a new Division III regulation record (and came within one play of tying the overall college record) with 113 offensive plays run.
Delaware Valley's Chris Smallwood was simply sensational, rushing for 213 yards and six touchdowns. Smallwood's six touchdowns set a new school record, while his yardage total is now the sixth highest in a single game. Aaron Wilmer passed for 178 yards and the Aggies' other two touchdowns.
Wilkes' 113 plays are mind boggling. The Colonels held the ball for 34:28, which equates to 2,068 seconds of game time. That means they ran a play every 18.3 seconds they held the ball.
Rochester off to best start since 2000
Myles Allen rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns as Rochester routed Gallaudet, 30-2.
With the win, the Yellowjackets improved to 2-0, a record they haven't seen in 14 years. It's early in the season, but the signs so far have been positive for a Rochester team looking to break out of a long rut of mediocrity.
Allen highlighted a balanced offensive attack that piled up 349 yards of offense -- 180 rushing and 169 passing. Daniel Bronson added 39 rushing yards, including a 3-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Perhaps most positively, Rochester's defense held Gallaudet scoreless. The Bison's two points were scored on an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone by Rochester's offense, which resulted in a safety.
Matt Mender, James Barrett, Isaiah Smith, Colin Woods and Daniel McAuley combined for four sacks, while Woods also recovered a fumble for a touchdown. The Yellowjackets held Gallaudet to less than three yards per play.
To keep this in perspective, Gallaudet is 0-2 on the season and has yet to score a point offensively. But the Bison also won nine games last season, so this isn't a team devoid of talent. The key for Rochester will be carrying this early-season momentum over into Liberty League games.
Quick hits
Tom Dempsey tossed a pair of touchdowns to Ben Cary, Tristan Brown rushed for 129 yards and Ithaca's defense tallied five sacks and three turnovers in the Bombers' 42-7 win over Hartwick. ... Conner Hartigan rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown, and Brandon Shed caught a pair of long touchdowns in Hobart's 43-13 win against Curry. ... Daniel Williams threw three TD passes as Stevenson scored the game's first 20 points before holding on for a 20-14 win over Lebanon Valley. ... Denzel Nieves rushed for 191 yards and four touchdowns, and Allen Phillips had three of Montclair State's six sacks in a 27-14 victory against Lincoln (Pa.). ... Tyler Johnson passed for 163 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for an additional 111 yards and TD in Alfred's 29-21 win over Buffalo State. ... Seth Klein passed for 378 yards and accounted for six total touchdowns in Widener's 41-23 win over Albright. ... Jeff Avery passed for 297 yards and two TDs as RPI piled up 575 yards of total offense in a 41-13 win over Castleton State. ... Will Kassar rushed for 70 yards and a touchdown, while J'Von Evans scored twice on the ground as Utica defeated Frostburg State, 20-12, to improve to 3-0. ... Jonathan Marrero rushed for 156 yards and tossed a pair of TDs to Andres Martin in Springfield's 47-16 win over Mount Ida. ... Maurice Irby rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown, and Paul Wonka added 54 yards and two TDs on the ground in St. Lawrence's 31-14 victory against Morrisville State. ... Austin Fellows connected with Dwaine Dabney on a 12-yard TD pass with 41 seconds left in regulation to give William Paterson a 36-32 win over Salve Regina. ... Mario Colangelo, Matt McDaniels and Josh Woodburn each rushed for scores in Merchant Marine's 34-17 win against SUNY-Maritime. ... Withler Marcelin scored on a 2-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, but Rowan was overwhelmed by No. 4 Wesley, 37-7. ... Sean Kley tallied a game-high 15 tackles in TCNJ's 48-0 loss to defending national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater. ... Jerry Washington rushed for 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but Southern Virginia fell to 0-2 with a 35-27 loss to Guilford.
Top 25: St. John Fisher, Hobart move up
All five East region teams in the top 25 of the D3football.com poll moved up this week, led by St. John Fisher.
The Cardinals moved up to No. 7, while Hobart climbed one spot to No. 11. Ithaca jumped two spots to No. 17, while MAC contenders Widener and Lycoming checked in at No. 21 and No. 22, respectively.
Delaware Valley and Alfred also received votes in this week's poll.
Looking ahead
No. 22 Lycoming (3-0, 2-0) at Wilkes (1-2, 1-1), 1 p.m., Saturday: Lycoming is off to impressive 3-0 start, but conference road games are never easy. Wilkes hung with Delaware Valley before fading in the fourth quarter this past weekend. The Colonels could give the Warriors a similar test.
Stevenson (3-0, 2-0) at Albright (1-2, 0-2), 1 p.m., Saturday: Another interesting MAC matchup here. Stevenson entered this season with just eight wins in program history, but the Mustangs have won three straight. Albright, on the other hand, is off to an uncharacteristically slow start.
No. 17 Ithaca (2-0, 1-0) at Alfred (3-0, 1-0), 1:30 p.m., Saturday: This is a big-time, early-season matchup in the Empire 8. The Bombers won last year's matchup, 17-6. But Alfred has seemingly always played Ithaca tough. Expect a good one here.
Other games of note: Salisbury (1-1, 0-0) at Buffalo State (2-1, 0-1), noon, Saturday; Rochester (2-0, 0-0) at Springfield (2-1, 0-0), 1 p.m., Saturday; Brockport State (2-1, 0-1) at Utica (3-0, 1-0), 7 p.m., Saturday; Kean (0-2, 0-0) at No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor (3-0, 0-0), 7 p.m., Saturday
Contact me
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