Pittsford, NY - The SUNY Brockport football team defeated St. John Fisher, 35-18, in the 18th Annual Courage Bowl on Saturday night. The Golden Eagles improved to 4-1 overall and 1-0 in Empire 8 play with a six consecutive win over the Cardinals in the Courage Bowl.
The Golden Eagle offense had a balanced attack on the ground and through the air, taking advantage of good field position throughout the game. They totaled 288 yards of offense, gaining 145 from the ground and 143 through the air. Averaging a healthy 6.0 yards per play for the night, Brockport scored three passing touchdowns and a pair of rushing touchdowns against the Cardinals.
On the defensive side of the ball, Brockport allowed 339 yards of total offense and double-digit points (18) for the first time all season. Despite that, the nationally recognized unit forced two turnovers by the way of interceptions from Louie Usera (2 INT, 48yds). The Golden Eagles also made key stops on a pair of 2-point conversions, a big fourth down play, and forced multiple three and outs.
Andrew Marshall landed a big hit on special teams to pin Fisher inside of their own 20 to begin the game. This quickly led to a Dylan Mann tackle for loss and a three and out for the Cardinals on the opening drive. Mann would finish with 11 total tackles, including five solo stops. The Brockport defense would set the offense up to start its first drive on the opposing 44-yard line.
The Golden Eagles rode RB Gino Fontanarosa on their opening drive, taking 5 rushes for 36 yards. QB Ben Gocella then found TE James Altenburger for a leaping grab in the back of the endzone to put Brockport up 7-0 early.
The Cardinals would respond quickly, hitting a 31-yard pass to begin their next possession. QB Aaron Chase would close out the drive by finding WR Declan Faery on a 4-yard jump pass to cut into the lead. Fisher would miss the extra point, making it a 7-6 Brockport lead with just under five mintues left in the first.
Brockport's next defensive possession provided another nice play to force a punt. LB Dylan Mann landed a heavy hit to break up Aaron Chase's 3rd down pass, putting an end to Fisher's third drive of the night. A 31-yard punt return by Raylens Boutin would give the offense the ball back on its own 35-yard line just ahead of the start of the second quarter.
The Golden Eagles moved through the air on drive four, with 20+ yard receptions from TE James Altenburger and WR Jarin Rhim. This set up a Ben Gocella 1-yard touchdown pass to WR Nolan Slywka to extend the Brockport lead to 14-6 early in the second quarter.
Both defenses were able to hold up in the next couple of drives, forcing each team to have to punt midway through the second. The Cardinals took over again with 4:15 left before halftime, but their possession came to an abrupt end.
Senior Louie Usera intercepted Aaron Chase's 3rd down pass to give Brockport another possession before the half. The Golden Eagles would take advantage of the short field, leading to a 3-yard touchdown run for Gino Fontanarosa. He would finish the contest with 92 rushing yards, good for an efficient 4.8 yards per carry. Brockport stretched its lead to 21-6 going into the break.
St. John Fisher would cut into the deficit with its opening drive in the third quarter. The home squad put together a methodical 7-minute, 12-play drive that ended with a 9-yard Aaron Chase touchdown scramble. The Golden Eagle defense got the stop on Fisher's two-point conversion attempt to keep it a two-possession game at 21-12.
Early on in the fourth quarter, the Cardinals would threaten to score again. They marched down to the Green and Gold 26-yard line before a clutch fourth-down interception from Louie Usera, his second pick of the game. His 48-yard return on the play set the Golden Eagles up at the Cardinals' 32-yard line with 12:14 remaining in regulation.
Again the crowd would see Brockport cash in on the short field. Ben Gocella found James Altenburger for the duo's 2nd touchdown on the night, extending the Brockport advantage to 28-12 in the fourth. The freshman quarterback ended the game 11-for-18 passing for 143 yards and three touchdowns. Gocella is the first Brockport QB to throw for three scores since the 2019 season, and is 3-0 as the starter in his first year.
A quick three and out provided by the Golden Eagle defense and another nice punt return by Raylens Boutin gave Brockport another short field. Boutin took the punt back 30 yards this time around, setting the offense up on the St. John Fisher 38. The Golden Eagles would deliver the knockout punch, courtesy of Jala Coad's 4-yard touchdown run, extending the lead to 35-12. Coad would finish the contest with 4 carries for 38 yards (9.5 YPC).
St. John Fisher would add a touchdown late in the fourth, but the Green and Gold defense held up on the 2-point conversion once again. James Altenburger snagged the onside kick that would put the game away for Brockport. Atlenburger would finish with five catches for 66 yards and a pair of touchdown grabs. The offense would just run the final seconds of the clock out, locking up the 35-18 win on the road.
The Golden Eagles executed on special teams throughout the night. They made every extra point and punter Dan Giangrasso booted two 50+ yard punts (49.5 AVG). Raylens Boutin got loose on punt return with three tries for a total of 67 yards. On the kickoff we saw Cameron Mesh rack up 64 yards on three returns, while Isaiah Simmons had one for 23.
DB Kyle Haettich led the Green and Gold defense with 14 total tackles (4 solo, 10 assisted), with LB Ben Robinson chipping in with nine total tackles.
The Golden Eagles will return home for Homecoming Weekend on Saturday, October 7th at 1 pm. They will continue Empire 8 play with a matchup against Hartwick College.
Brockport Football Secures 6th Straight Courage Bowl Victory, 35-18
/seasons/2023/boxscores/20230930_wl0u.xml
2023
Brockport
35
St. John Fisher
18
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brockport (4-1) | 7 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 35 |
| St. John Fisher (3-2) | 6 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 18 |
Sep 30, 2023