UTICA, N.Y. - Jaden AlfanoStJohn (Westhampton/Westhampton Beach) and Ethan Gallo (Slate Hill/Minisink Valley) each scored two touchdowns and Cortland's defense recorded three interceptions as the nationally second-ranked Red Dragons remained unbeaten with a 45-7 win at Utica in Empire 8 play.
Cortland (5-0, 3-0 Empire 8) won its 17th straight game overall, dating back to last September, and its 22nd consecutive Empire 8 game going back to the final league game of 2019. Utica fell to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the conference. The Pioneers are 22-6 since the start of the 2022 season, with three of those losses to Cortland.
AlfanoStJohn ran twice for 35 yards and a TD and caught three passes for 79 yards and a score. He scored on a 41-yard run in the second quarter for his 44th career rushing touchdown and now holds that school record alone; he was previously tied with Dave Cook (1981-84) at 43 rushing scores. Gallo carried 16 times for 90 yards and two scores and has 11 touchdowns, all rushing, through five games this fall.
Zac Boyes (Buffalo/Kenmore West) was 11-of-17 passing for 182 yards and one touchdown and no interceptions and ran 13 times for 82 yards and a score. He has now attempted 203 straight passes without an interception (103 to end last season and 100 this season), breaking his own school record of 194 straight passes without a pick from last season.
Also for Cortland offensively, Tyson Taylor (Middle Island/Longwood) ran eight times for 40 yards and a TD and Jayson Zeva (East Northport/St. John the Baptist) caught five passes for 72 yards. Mike Baloga (New Windsor/Cornwall) made a career-long 43-yard field goal and all six of his PAT kicks.
Safety Ellis Einbinder (Brighton) intercepted two passes and finished with nine tackles. Defensive tackle Matt Ferrer (South Salem/John Jay) registered Cortland's other interception. Frankie Ciaramitaro (Huntington/Harborfields) led the Red Dragons with 10 tackles, Jaden Martinez (Port Jefferson Station/Comsewogue) had nine tackles and Anthony Luciano (Loudonville/Shaker) finished with six tackles and a pass breakup.
Utica quarterback Brett Fuller finished 18-of-33 passing for 162 yards. Matt Brantley ran 12 times for 38 yards and a TD and Peyton Ausfeld caught nine passes for 93 yards. Eli Douglas totaled 12 tackles and two pass breakups, while Norman Booth and Darius Johnson made nine tackles apiece.
Cortland finished with a 443-237 advantage in total offense and averaged 7.1 yards per play. The Red Dragons have scored 40 or more points in each of their five games this fall.
After stopping Utica on its opening possession, Cortland used a 70-yard completion from Boyes to AlfanoStJohn on 3rd-and-10 to move the ball to the Pioneers' 10-yard line. Three plays later, Boyes ran in from 10 yards out to give the Red Dragons a 7-0 lead. Utica capitalized on a fumbled punt later in the quarter to get the ball at the Cortland 10-yard line and on the next play Brantley ran for a TD to tie the game at 7-7.
Cortland regained the lead on its next possession, driving 56 yards on six plays. Gallo's 3-yard TD run gave the Red Dragons a 14-7 lead with 1:26 left in the quarter. Cortland struck quickly on its next possession early in the second to push the lead to 21-7 as Boyes ran for 39 yards, followed by AlfanoStJohn's 41-yard TD run. An 11-yard TD pass from Boyes to AlfanoStJohn with 31 seconds left in the half gave Cortland a 28-7 halftime lead.
Gallo provided the lone points of the third quarter on a 1-yard run, capping a 65-yard drive on the opening series of the period. Taylor's 2-yard TD run made it 42-7 less than a minute into the fourth quarter and Baloga capped the scoring with his 43-yard field goal with 7:11 remaining.
Cortland will travel to Alfred University for an Empire 8 contest next Saturday at 1 p.m.
#2 Cortland Stays Unbeaten with 45-7 Win at Utica
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20241012_njd8.xml
2024
Cortland
45
Utica
7
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 2 Cortland (5-0) | 14 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 45 |
| Utica (3-2) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Oct 12, 2024