CORTLAND, N.Y. - Nationally 23rd-ranked Springfield ran for 351 yards and six touchdowns as the Pride defeated second-ranked and defending national champion Cortland, 40-28, in the third round of the NCAA Division III football tournament at Grady Field.
Cortland closes the season with an 11-1 record and tied for ninth place in the tournament. The Red Dragons were making their fourth straight NCAA appearance and 13th overall, and Cortland had its 23-game winning streak snapped with the loss. Springfield remained unbeaten at 12-0 and will play in the quarterfinals next week at unbeaten North Central.
Fullback Arsen Shtefan led the Springfield triple option attack with 29 carries for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Blane Hart ran 10 times for 87 yards and two scores and quarterback Drew Heenan carried 11 times for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Heenan went 3-for-4 through the air for 33 yards and the Pride finished with 384 yards of total offense.
Cortland ended with 364 yards of offense, led by Zac Boyes (Buffalo/Kenmore West) who completed 19-of-36 passes for 325 yards with two touchdowns. He was intercepted twice. Jayson Zeva (East Northport/St. John the Baptist) caught eight passes for 169 yards and a TD and Jaden AlfanoStJohn (Westhampton/Westhampton Beach) finished with four catches for 72 yards and a TD. Boyes and Ethan Gallo (Slate Hill/Minisink Valley) each ran for a TD. Gallo ended with 48 yards on 15 carries and he tied school single-season records for rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns, both at 22 - records originally set by Andrew Giuliano in 2008.
Colby Richardson led the Springfield defense with 11 tackles and an interception. Nick Gonzalez recorded eight tackles, six solo, and broke up three passes and Will McKay had seven tackles, including two sacks. Tyler Paladino had an interception and a forced fumble and Hunter Hayes had a forced fumble and fumble recovery.
Cortland linebacker Jack Winey (Lindenhurst) registered 22 tackles, eight solo, including a sack, and he forced a fumble. His 22 tackles are tied for the second-highest single-game total in school history. Bob Bateson had 23 tackles versus Canisius in 1982 and Sam Owens posted 22 tackles at Washington & Jefferson in 1992. Jaden Martinez (Port Jefferson Station/Comsewogue) finished with 13 tackles, Frankie Ciaramitaro (Huntington/Harborfields) posted nine tackles, eight solo, and two forced fumbles, and Joe Ruggieri (Oceanside) finished with eight tackles. Mike Baloga (New Windsor/Cornwall) averaged 51.5 yards on two punts.
Springfield led 20-7 after a wild opening 10 minutes. The Pride drove 75 yards on the game's opening series, including a Shtefan 3-yard run on 4th-and-2 from the Cortland 29-yard line. Heenan's 1-yard TD run capped the drive, although Rayshawn Powell (Brooklyn/William E. Grady) blocked the PAT kick and Springfield led 6-0.
Cortland answered quickly when, on its first play from scrimmage, Boyes hit Zeva for a 71-yard TD pass to give Cortland a 7-6 lead. But on the ensuing kickoff, Bradley Barcello returned the ball from his own 1-yard line to the Cortland 1-yard line before being pushed out of bounds. Shtefan ran for a TD on the next play and the Pride led 13-7. Hayes then forced and recovered a fumble on Cortland's kickoff return, setting up the Pride at the Red Dragon 27-yard line. Shtefan converted a 4th-and-1 with a 2-yard run to the 16-yard line, and three plays later Hart ran for a 4-yard TD and Springfield went up 20-7.
The hosts caught a break in the second quarter when a wild punt snap set up the Red Dragons at the Springfield 18-yard line. Gallo ran for a combined 10 yards over three plays and Boyes carried for eight yards, stepping out of bounds at the 2-yard line just before diving for the pylon. Gallo's 2-yard TD run on the following play cut Springfield's lead to 20-14.
Each team added a TD prior to halftime. Richardson intercepted a pass at the Springfield 21-yard line and returned the ball 33 yards into Cortland territory. Shtefan gained six yards on 4th-and-2 at the Cortland 28-yard line - the Pride finished the day 4-for-5 on 4th-down conversions, and he recorded the next three carries, the last a 9-yard TD run with 1:29 left. Cortland, however, started its ensuing drive at midfield after Nick Jordan's (Staten Island/Canarsie) 49-yard kickoff return. AlfanoStJohn caught a 32-yard pass on 3rd-and-15 to advance the ball to the Springfield 23-yard line and two plays later Jordan caught a 19-yard pass to the 4-yard line. Cortland faced 3rd-and-goal with no timeouts left with 11 seconds left and Boyes hit AlfanoStJohn for a TD pass in the right flat to bring the hosts within 27-21 at the break.
Cortland grabbed the lead on the opening drive of the third quarter, marching 74 yards on 10 plays. The Red Dragons had 1st-and-goal at the 2-yard line but were limited to just one yard over the next three plays. On fourth down, Boyes faked a handoff and ran around right end for a TD to put the Red Dragons up 28-27.
Springfield, however, wasted little time regaining the lead. Shtefan ran seven yards to the Springfield 45-yard line, and on the second play of the drive Heenan faked a handoff, ran around the right end and covered 55 yards for a TD and a 34-28 lead.
Cortland's next two drives ended on an 11-yard sack by Richardson and McKay at midfield and on a Paladino interception at the Pride 20-yard after a deep pass. The Red Dragons were held again early in the fourth, but Baloga's 56-yard punt pinned the Pride at their own 2-yard line with 8:51 left. Springfield methodically marched down the field, covering 98 yards on 12 plays. The big play was a 46-yard run by Hart on 3rd-and-5 from the Springfield 46-yard line to the Cortland 8-yard line. Hart scored from five yards out three plays later, and after a failed 2-point conversion run Springfield led 40-28 with 2:11 left.
Cortland mounted a final drive from its own 32-yard line to a 1st-and-10 at the Springfield 11-yard line with 1:15 left. The Pride's defense held, however, as Cortland threw two incompletions, followed by a 7-yard pass to the 4-yard line, before a 4th-down run was stuffed to seal the outcome.
Cortland Season Closes with 40-28 Loss to Springfield in NCAA Third Round
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20241207_rkr4.xml
2024
Springfield
40
Cortland
28
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 23 Springfield (12-0) | 20 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 40 |
| No. 2 Cortland (11-1) | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
Dec 07, 2024