SELINSGROVE, PA. - Cortland rallied from an early 17-point deficit and the nationally second-ranked Red Dragons defeated 11th-ranked Susquehanna, 40-38, at Susquehanna's Amos Alonzo Stagg Field.
Cortland (3-0) extended its winning streak to 15 games. The Red Dragons' last loss was a 38-35 setback to Susquehanna at home last September. Cortland's comeback from a 24-7 deficit midway through the second quarter ties a school record for best comeback in a victory; the Red Dragons rallied from a 17-point margin to defeat Buffalo State in 2007.
Susquehanna (2-1) had its 23-game regular-season winning streak snapped with the loss. The River Hawks hadn't lost a regular-season contest since falling to Muhlenberg on Nov. 6, 2021.
Ethan Gallo (Slate Hill/Minisink Valley) rushed 28 times for 165 yards and three touchdowns and has scored nine TDs through the first three weeks of the season. Zac Boyes (Buffalo/Kenmore West) carried 18 times for 97 yards and two scores and completed 13-of-21 passes for 182 yards. Jayson Zeva (East Northport/St. John the Baptist) caught nine passes for 117 yards.
Jaden AlfanoStJohn (Westhampton/Westhampton Beach) returned a kickoff 100 yards for Cortland's first score. He returned the ball from about one yard deep in the end zone, but NCAA rules limit all returns to 100 yards. AlfanoStJohn is the third Cortland player to register a 100-yard kickoff return, joining Will Groff (at St. John Fisher in 2003) and Jeff Austin (at the University at Buffalo in 1985).
Susquehanna's Josh Ehrlich completed 19-of-33 passes for 314 yards and four touchdowns but was limited to five rushing yards on nine carries. He ran for 162 yards in the River Hawks' win at Cortland last fall. Rahshan La Mons gained 122 yards with one touchdown on 16 carries and Kyle Howes caught six passes for 135 yards and a score. Chris Bookter recorded two TD catches and Hunter Morgenroth caught one TD pass - each finished with four total receptions.
Jaden Martinez (Port Jefferson Station/Comsewogue) led Cortland with 13 tackles and Jack Winey (Lindenhurst) and Ellis Einbinder (Brighton) each had eight stops. Nick Lardaro (St. James/Smithtown East) finished with six tackles, including a crucial sack and forced fumble with 3:20 in the fourth quarter and Cortland holding on to a 33-31 lead. That fumble, recovered at the Susquehanna 19-yard line by Max Llewellyn (Sayville), came immediately after the Red Dragons lost the ball on a fumble into the end zone. Cortland scored three plays later on a Gallo 1-yard run to go up 40-31 with 2:20 left.
Susquehanna drove 75 yards on its final possession, capped by a 14-yard TD pass from Ehrlich to Morgenroth with 31 seconds left to close within two. The River Hawks' ensuing onside kickoff, however, went out of bounds and Cortland took a knee to finish off the win.
The hosts took a 14-0 lead with TDs on their first two drives, the first ending with a 12-yard pass from Ehrlich to Howes and the second on a La Mons 61-yard run. Cortland cut the lead to 14-7 on AlfanoStJohn's kickoff return, but the River Hawks answered with a 69-yard scoring drive, capped by a 9-yard Bookter TD grab, and on their next possession Christian Colasurdo made a 36-yard field goal to push the lead to 24-7.
From that point, however, Cortland's defense limited Susquehanna to one TD over the next 40-plus minutes. The Red Dragons mounted 83-yard and 67-yard TD drives to close out the half, each ending with Boyes TD runs, and Cortland trailed 24-20 at halftime. The Red Dragons took the lead with 6:35 left in the third on a Gallo 3-yard run, but less than two minutes later Bookter caught a 44-yard TD pass to put the hosts back on top, 31-27.
After the teams traded possessions, Cortland regained the lead with an 80-yard TD drive over seven plays. Zeva caught a 28-yard pass during the drive and Gallo eventually concluded the series with a 9-yard TD run. A missed extra point left Cortland's lead at 33-31.
Drew Robinson and Garrett Carter led Susquehanna with 11 and 10 tackles, respectively, with Robinson also forcing a fumble. Andrew Wells, Josh Buck and Brian Layton each finished with nine tackles.
Cortland is idle next weekend and will host Morrisville in an Empire 8 contest on Oct. 5 at 1 p.m.
#2 Cortland Rallies to Win at #11 Susquehanna, 40-38
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20240921_p7k3.xml
2024
Cortland
40
Susquehanna
38
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 2 Cortland (3-0) | 7 | 13 | 7 | 13 | 40 |
| No. 6 Susquehanna (2-1) | 21 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
Sep 21, 2024