The St. John Fisher College football team advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III Championship with a
24-7 win over visiting Hobart College on Saturday. With the win, Fisher (10-1), the No. 2 seed in the East Region, will now host No. 3 Curry College (12-0) next Saturday at noon. Hobart, the No. 5 seed in the region, finishes its season with an 8-3 overall record.
In a game that featured two of the highest scoring offenses in the nation (Fisher 39.0 ppg – Hobart 38.3 ppg), it was a defensive battle for most of the first three quarters. Fisher, went 75 yards on its opening drive, but settled for a 22-yard field goal from
Chris Pierri (Fairport/Fairport) for the only points in the first half.
Hobart gained 58 yards on its first play of the second half as
James Wright (Olean/Olean) was the recipient of a double-reverse pass from
Andrew Strom (Novato, CA/Novato). The Fisher defense, which entered the game seventh nationally in scoring defense, kept the Statesmen out of the endzone. After an interception by
Scott Miranto (North Tonawanda/North Tonawanda) was overturned by a personal foul from
Dan Pollock (G. Ray Bodley/Fulton),
Pollock batted a pass in the air, which was intercepted by 360-pound lineman
Matt Becton (St. Joseph’s/Buffalo) at Fisher’s own nine-yard line.
Fisher came up big again on Hobart’s next possession. The Statesmen attempted a fake punt from their own six-yard line, but Miranto stopped Andrew Marlier (Lake Forest/Lake Forest, IL) four yards shy of the first down.
Three plays later, Fisher extended its lead to 10-0 as
James Reile (Herkimer/Herkimer) dove into the endzone from one yard out.
Reile’s touchdown run came one play after the senior running back fumbled at the Hobart 8, but was recovered just outside the goal line by left guard
Ben Musall (Starpoint/Sanborn).
While
Reile’s fumble didn’t hurt the Cardinals, a fumble by teammate
Ryan Hanson did. After a sensational 77-yard punt return from
Tim Marion (Warwick Valley/Warwick Valley) to the Hobart 8,
Hanson fumbled at the goal line, with the ball being recovered by Hobart’s
Ryan Robinson (Johnson City/Johnson City) at the one-yard line.
The Fisher defense again held strong and forced the Statesmen to go three-and-out on its ensuing possession. The Cardinals pushed their lead to 17-0 with 12:45 left on a two-yard run from Reile.
The Statesmen scored their lone touchdown of the day with 6:24 left, as Strom scored on a five-yard run on fourth down, capping a 13-play, 72-yard drive.
Fisher closed out the scoring with a 14-yard run from Reile – his third of the day – giving the senior 112 yards for the day and 3,001 for his career, making him just the third player in Fisher history to rush for over 3,000 yards.
Hanson gained 64 yards, giving the senior 1,013 for the year. Quarterback
Rob Kramer (Oneida/Oneida) was 12-for-21 for 202 yards and one interception.
Jimmy Smith (Oneida/Oneida) was
Kramer’s favorite target, snagging five passes for 97 yards.
Marion caught three passes for 33 yards, while
Reile finished with 51 receiving yards on two catches.
For Hobart, Strom was 19-for-27 for 198 yards and one interception. He also led all Hobart rushers with 36 rushing yards on 14 attempts.
Wright caught five passes for 73 yards, while Tyler Vincent (C.W. Baker/Baldwinsville), Zach Schulz (West Hampton Beach/West Hampton), Anthony Hobaica (Utica Proctor/Utica), Ryan LiDrazzah (Kent School/San Diego, CA) each caught three passes.
Josh Gottlieb (Fox Lane/Pound Ridge) led the Fisher defense with 10 tackles.
Steve Flagler (Vernon-Verona-Sherrill/Sherrill) tallied eight tackles and forced two fumbles, while
Derek Melnyk (Monroe Township/Jamesburg, NJ) also made eight tackles.
Justin Hager (Salamanca/Salamanca) made 15 tackles, while Ryan Aruck (Canandaigua/Canandaigua) was in on 12 tackles, including one of four Hobart sacks on the day.
