PITTSFORD, N.Y. - Junior Steven Ferreira (West Sayville/Sayville) completed 21-of-34 passes for 234yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a score as Cortland won at St. John Fisher, 34-17, in the Red Dragons' Empire 8 debut.
Cortland, which joined the Empire 8 this fall after playing in the New Jersey Athletic Conference the last 15 seasons, improved to 3-0 overall with the win. The Red Dragons are off to their best start since opening 5-0 in the 2010 season.
Freshman Donny Davis (New City/Nyack) rushed 16 times for 102 yards and junior Nick Wagner (Elwood/John H. Glenn) caught seven passes for 101 yards. Junior tailback Bryan Providence (Valley Stream/Valley Stream South) added a rushing touchdown and junior fullback Matt Goodman (Closter, NJ/North Valley Demarest) and senior tight end Jay McAllister (Newburgh/Newburgh Free Academy) caught TD passes.\
Cortland outgained Fisher, 396-285, in total offense, with 96 of the Cardinals' yards coming on a TD drive during their first possession of the game. Senior defensive end Jake Ceresna (New Fairfield, CT) led the Red Dragon defense with 11 tackles. Of those, five were for losses, including three sacks. Junior safety Carson Lassiter (Madison, NJ) added 10 tackles and three pass breakups, while senior linebacker Matt Ambrose (Wyckoff, NJ/Ramapo) made seven tackles.
Matt Naton completed 13-of-23 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns for St. John Fisher (0-2, 0-1 Empire 8). Bobby Campese caught six passes for 79 yards and a touchdown and Tony Fusco ran 18 times for 78 yards. Brandon Miller recorded 12 tackles, including 1.5 sacks, and Jeffrey Carlin added 11 tackles. DJ Logory contributed an interception, pass breakup and eight tackles.
After forcing a punt on Cortland's opening drive, Fisher marched 96 yards in 10 plays, capped by a 30-yard TD pass from Naton to Nathan Nagolian, to take a 7-0 lead. Cortland scored on a quick 3-play, 48-yard drive later in the quarter that ended with a McAllister 26-yard TD catch, but the extra point was blocked and Fisher led 7-6.
Junior Shane Cronin (West Nyack/Clarkstown South) gave Cortland a 9-7 lead early in the second quarter with a 38-yard field - his longest as a Red Dragon. Later in the quarter, Cortland started a drive on Fisher's 38-yard line after a Caleb Bettis (Watertown) 12-yard punt return, and seven plays later Goodman scored from nine yards on a shovel pass from Ferreira for a TD and Cortland led 16-7.
Fisher closed to within 16-10 on the opening drive of the third quarter on a Taylor Byrne 32-yard field goal. Cortland's ensuing drive covered 60 yards on 16 plays, extended by Fisher penalties that negated an interception and a punt, but the drive eventually came up empty on a missed field goal.
However, Cortland's defense quickly forced a punt, and on the next series the Red Dragons drove 54 yards on eight plays. Ferreira covered the final nine yards on the ground for a touchdown, and Cortland faked the extra point on a pitch to kicker Matt Green (Lexington, KY/Lafayette), who ran in for the two-point conversion that put the Red Dragons ahead 24-10 with 1:51 left in the third.
Fisher cut the Cortland lead to 24-17 on Naton's 40-yard TD pass to Campese with 14:46 left in the game. One play into the next drive the game was delayed by lightning for 30 minutes. Following the resumption, Cortland drove to the Fisher 18-yard line before Ferreira was intercepted by Logory in the end zone.
After the teams traded punts, Fisher fumbled to give up the ball on its own 32-yard line. Four plays later, Providence bounced off tacklers and found the end zone from four yards out and Cortland led 31-17 with 7:14 remaining. Another Fisher fumble gave Cortland the ball at the 13-yard line, and while Fisher eventually held the Red Dragons twice from the 1-yard line, Cronin made an 18-yard field goal with 3:03 left to complete the game's scoring.
Cortland will host Utica College next Saturday, Sept. 26, at 1 p.m. on Homecoming and C-Club Hall of Fame Weekend.