CORTLAND, N.Y. - Cortland took a 14-0 halftime lead and held off Endicott in the second half to defeat the Gulls, 17-9, in an NCAA Division III tournament second-round game at Grady Field.
Cortland (11-0), which received a bye in the opening round of the 40-team tournament, will face Springfield in the third round next Saturday, Dec. 7. The game is expected to be at Cortland since the Red Dragons had a higher NPI ranking (4) than Springfield (10) at the end of the regular season. Springfield defeated UMass Dartmouth, 54-27, at home in the second round. Endicott closes the season with a 10-2 record; the Gulls were 9-1 in the regular season and defeated Alfred State in last week's first round. Endicott had its season come to a close versus Cortland in the playoffs for the second straight year.
Cortland held a 247-66 advantage in total offense in the first half but finished with only a 316-266 edge by game's end. Ethan Gallo (Slate Hill/Minisink Valley) ran 28 times for 97 yards and a touchdown and Jaden AlfanoStJohn (Westhampton/Westhampton Beach) carried 10 times for 73 yards. Zac Boyes (Buffalo/Kenmore West) was held to 9-of-20 passing for 103 yards and a TD and he ran nine times for 30 yards. Jayson Zeva (East Northport/St. John the Baptist) caught four passes for 65 yards and a score.
Jack Winey (Lindenhurst) led the Cortland defense with 11 tackles, six solo, with a sack and two total tackles for loss. Jaden Martinez (Port Jefferson Station/Comsewogue) made eight tackles and forced a fumble, Matt Ferrer (South Salem/John Jay) ended with six tackles and Ryan Isom (Levittown/MacArthur) totaled five tackles and two pass breakups. Nazair Jean-Lubin (Freeport) intercepted a pass at the Cortland 41-yard line with 1:14 remaining to seal the victory.
Endicott quarterback Clayton Marengi ran for 54 yards and a TD on seven carries and completed 12-of-25 passes for 111 yards. Shane Aylward and Kennedy Charles each caught four passes. Zachariah Twardosky led the Gulls with 14 tackles, eight solo, followed by Joe Tirrell with nine tackles and Matthew Whelan with eight stops.
Cortland drove 78 yards on 16 plays on the game's opening drive, which ate up 8:24 of the clock. The Red Dragons converted three third downs during the drive, and Gallo capped the series with 1-yard TD run to give Cortland a 7-0 lead. Martinez forced a fumble on Endicott's first series and Max Llewellyn (Sayville) recovered at the Gulls' 47-yard line, but Cortland's ensuing drive was stopped when Gallo was stopped for just a 1-yard gain on 4th-and-3 from the Endicott 4.
Cortland's defense held on the next drive and the Red Dragons, following a punt, started their next series at the Endicott 35-yard line. Boyes hit Zeva for 23 yards on the opening play, followed by a Gallo 4-yard run and an 8-yard TD catch by Zeva to put the Red Dragons up 14-0. Cortland had a chance late in the half to extend its lead but Twardosky blocked a 24-yard field goal attempt with 20 seconds left.
Endicott struck on the opening drive of the third quarter when, on 3rd-and-1, Marengi broke free for a 39-yard TD run. The extra point failed and Cortland led 14-6. Endicott's next series went from its own 36-yard line to the Cortland 14 before Ryan Smith connected on a 31-yard field goal to close the Gulls' deficit to five at 14-9.
Cortland added a key score with a 13-play, 48-yard drive that ended with a Mike Baloga (New Windsor/Cornwall) 33-yard field goal with 11:05 left in the game. Endicott's final three drives resulted in a turnover on downs at the Cortland 35-yard line, a 3-and-out in its own territory, and a closing drive starting with two minutes left that featured two incomplete passes and a run for no gain before Jean-Lubin's interception.
Cortland Holds Off Endicott, 17-9, in NCAA Second Round
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2024
Nov 30, 2024