The nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College football team racked up a season-high 57 points and cruised to a 57-16 win over Hartwick College on Saturday night at Growney Stadium.
With the win, Fisher ranked 13th in the national coaches poll, improves to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Empire 8 Conference, while Hartwick falls to 1-3, 0-2.
In a punt-free game for the Cardinals, who totaled exactly 500 yards of total offense, Fisher scored four touchdowns through the air and four more on the ground. Seven of Fisher’s eight scoring drives were less than three minutes.
Quarterback
Rob Kramer (Oneida/Oneida) set a Fisher record for completion percentage, going 15-for-17 (88.2%) for 203 yards and a career-high four touchdowns. Senior All-American
Mark Robinson (Bath-Haverling/Bath) rushed for two first-half touchdowns, while juniors
James Reile (Herkimer/Herkimer) and
Ryan Hanson (G. Ray Bodley/Fulton) also scored rushing touchdowns.
Fisher scored 23 points in the first quarter despite controlling the ball for less than three minutes.
Fisher began its first offensive series on the Hartwick five-yard line after a bad snap on Hartwick’s opening-drive punt.
Kramer completed a touchdown pass on the next play to
Sean Ramsey (Caledonia-Mumford/Caledonia) with 12:09 remaining in the first quarter.
Hartwick battled back on its next possession with a 63-yard touchdown run by
Lindy Crea (Windsor/Binghamton), but Fisher’s
Steven Stepnick (Iroquois/Cowlesville) blocked the extra point attempt, which was picked up and returned the length of the field by
Matt Driscoll (Lake Shore/Angola) for the defensive point after attempt to give the Cardinals a 9-6 lead.
Fisher struck quickly on its next possession, driving 65 yards on eight plays, capped by a four-yard touchdown run by
Mark Robinson (Bath-Haverling/Bath) with 8:03 left in the first.
After forcing Hartwick to punt on its next possession, the Cardinals’ special teams excelled again, as
Stepnick returned the ball 82 yards to the Hawks’ six-yard line. On the very next play,
Kramer connected with
Chris Harmon (Caledonia-Mumford/LeRoy) for his second touchdown pass of the game to make the score 23-6 with 2:36 remaining.
Hartwick, who ran 44 offensive plays in the first half, converted on a 37-yard field goal by
Joe Gatta (Scotia-Glenville/Scotia) with 1:06 left to make the score 23-9, but Fisher went 80 yards in just five plays and scored with 10 seconds left in the half on a three-yard run from Robinson.
Sean Nowicki (Alden/Alden) made two receptions for 46 yards on the drive and finished the game with six receptions for 86 yards.
Fisher picked up right where it left off in the second half, taking the opening drive 52 yards on five plays with sophomore
Corey Jackson (Iroquois/East Aurora) scoring on a 31-yard pass from Kramer with 12:51 left in the quarter.
Less than five minutes later, Kramer tossed his fourth touchdown pass of the game to
Tim Marion (Warwick Valley/Warwick Valley) – a 31-yard strike – to make it 43-9 with 8:36 left.
Marion finished the game with four receptions for 70 yards.
Reile capped a six-play, 53-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown run on Fisher’s next possession.
Hartwick scored its final touchdown late in the third quarter on a 23-yard pass from Jason Boltus (C.W. Baker/Baldwinsville) to Richard Sands (Binghamton/Binghamton).
Hanson closed out the scoring with a 13-yard run early in the fourth.
Boltus finished the game with 224 yards passing, while completing half of his attempts (17-for-34).
Crea, who leads the nation in all-purpose yards, totaled 71 receiving yards on five receptions and 70 rushing yards.
Robinson finished the game with 92 yards on just eight carries, while Hanson (61 yards) and Reile (57 yards) combined for 23 attempts.
Defensively,
Driscoll and
Gene Lang (C.W. Baker/Baldwinsville) each finished with seven tackles.
Fisher will return to action at 1 p.m. Saturday at SUNY Brockport, while Hartwick will host Alfred University next week.
