CORTLAND, N.Y. - Cortland scored touchdowns on its first seven possessions and Zac Boyes (Buffalo/Kenmore West) completed 20-of-25 passes for 373 yards and four scores and ran for a touchdown as the nationally second-ranked Red Dragons defeated visiting St. John Fisher, 49-0, in front of a Family Weekend crowd of more than 5,000 fans.
Cortland improved to 7-0 overall and 5-0 in the Empire 8 with its 19th straight win overall and its 24th consecutive Empire 8 victory. The Red Dragons posted their third shutout of the season.
Boyes posted his 10th career 300-yard passing game, breaking the previous school record of nine he shared with Brett Segala (2016-19). Boyes also extended his streak of pass attempts without an interception to 256, including all 153 of his attempts this season.
Jaden AlfanoStJohn (Westhampton/Westhampton Beach) scored three touchdowns - the first on a 44-yard rush off a reverse just 1:11 into the game and the other two on catches of 21 and 15 yards. He finished with seven receptions for 160 yards along with the one rush.
Ethan Gallo (Slate Hill/Minisink Valley) added a rushing TD and Jayson Zeva (East Northport/St. John the Baptist) and fullback Garret Decker (Antwerp/Indian River) each caught TD passes. Zeva and Joey Muscarella (Smithtown/Smithtown East) each finished with four receptions. Decker's TD came on a 59-yard pass play in the fourth quarter, with Decker covering the final 50 yards after the catch, on just the third career catch for the senior.
Cortland finished the game with a 497-154 advantage in total yardage, including a 386-62 passing difference. The Red Dragons averaged 9.0 yards per play while holding Fisher to 2.8 yards per play, despite the Cardinals having a 34:30-25:30 time of possession advantage.
Defensive tackle Junius Keys (Queens/Eagle Academy) led Cortland with nine tackles. Linebacker Jack Winey (Lindenhurst) made eight tackles, three solo, and safety Ellis Einbinder (Brighton) registered seven tackles, four solo, along with a 51-yard interception return late in the first half to set up a 34-yard scoring drive.
Mike Baloga (New Windsor/Cornwall) made all seven of his PAT kicks and averaged 41 yards on two punts, both of which came on Cortland's final two possessions.
St. John Fisher (3-4, 2-2 Empire 8) was led by Joe Miscia with 12 tackles and Tim Vanderbrink with nine tackles, 2.5 for loss. Jonathan Ellison finished with eight tackles. Ryan Whitney was 10-of-18 passing for 54 yards with an interception, Peyton Nolan ran 14 times for 45 yards and caught three passes for nine yards. Kyle Farewell averaged 42.5 yards on six punts.
Cortland led 14-0 after one quarter after its opening 59-yard drive, capped by the AlfanoStJohn 44-yard run, and a 10-play, 72-yard drive that ended with a Gallo 2-yard TD rush. That drive began after Fisher missed a 45-yard field goal. The Red Dragons' next drive covered 80 yards on eight plays, finishing with a 21-yard TD pass from Boyes to AlfanoStJohn. After the Einbinder pick and long return, Cortland covered 34 yards on nine plays. Boyes ran in from 1-yard out with 14 seconds left in the half.
Cortland's third-quarter possessions featured a 6-play, 83-yard drive, capped by Zeva's 8-yard TD catch, and an 8-play, 72-yard drive that closed with an AlfanoStJohn 15-yard TD reception. Decker's 59-yard TD reception in the fourth made quick work of a 3-play, 82-yard drive to close the scoring.
Two of St. John Fisher's first three drives advanced inside the Cortland 30-yard line, but during the Cardinals' final seven possessions the farthest they advanced the ball was the Cortland 49-yard line.
Cortland hosts Hartwick in Empire 8 action next Saturday at 1 p.m.
#2 Cortland Earns Third Shutout, Mostly Unstoppable on Offense, in 49-0 Win vs. St. John Fisher
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20241026_3exp.xml
2024
St. John Fisher
0
Cortland
49
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. John Fisher (3-4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 2 Cortland (7-0) | 14 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 49 |
Oct 26, 2024