St. John Fisher College scored 38 unanswered points
and cruised to a 38-7 win over Curry College at Fisher’s Growney Stadium on Saturday in the regional semifinals of the NCAA Division III Football Championship. With the win, Fisher (11-1), the region’s No. 2 seed, advances to the national quarterfinals for the second straight year and will face top-seeded Mount Union College next Saturday at noon in Alliance, Ohio. The Purple Raiders, who defeated The College of New Jersey 59-7 today, are the defending national champions and have won nine of the last 14 national titles. Mount Union defeated Fisher 26-14 in last year’s national semifinals.
Curry, who entered the game as the region’s No. 3 seed and as the nation’s only 12-0 team, finishes its year with a 12-1 overall record.
The Colonels took the lead just 1:03 into the game. After a 49-yard kickoff return by Stephen O’Neil (Dorchester, MA) to start the game, Curry junior quarterback Ryan Van De Giesen (North Attleboro, MA) found streaking Felix Borukhov (Newton, MA) on the Colonels first play from scrimmage, that brought the Curry offense to the two-yard line. Van De Giesen capped the drive with a two-yard run off right tackle for the Colonels only score of the day just two plays later.
The Fisher offense answered back quickly, with a career-long 69-yard run from tailback
James Reile (Herkimer, NY) on the Cardinals’ second play from scrimmage, knotting the game at 7-7 just 1:29 into the contest.
After the teams exchanged punts, the Cardinals took the lead for good behind a 36-yard touchdown run from wide receiver
Tim Marion (Warwick, NY). The junior lined up in the left slot, and hauled in a quick lateral-pass from
Rob Kramer (Oneida, NY) before breaking a tackle and outrunning the final defender for the score at the 2:42 mark of the opening quarter.
Marion kept the Cardinals rolling in the second period, setting up a score with a 26-yard punt return to the Curry 16-yard line.
Reile caught a 15-yard pass from
Rob Kramer (Oneida, NY) and on the very next play, the fifth-year senior dove into the endzone to make it 21-7.
Fisher pushed its lead to 24-7 on its first possession of the second half. After a 43-yard kickoff return by
Turell Ahmed (Buffalo, NY) to start the third quarter, kicker
Chris Pierri (Fairport, NY) split the up-rights from 38-yards out with a line-drive kick.
Fisher scored seven points on its second possession of the third quarter, as
Kramer found
Jimmy Smith (Oneida, NY) over the middle for a 45-yard touchdown catch.
Marion closed out the scoring with his second touchdown of the day on a 25-yard pass from Kramer with 12:10 remaining.
After giving up a touchdown on Curry’s opening drive, the Fisher defense played extremely well and allowed the Colonels to convert on just 1-of-16 third-downs. Curry totaled 219 yards of total offense, including 176 in passing yards from Van De Giesen on 21-of-38 passing.
Borukhov caught six passes for 88 yards, while Steve DiFabio (Salem, NH) also caught six passes for 30 yards. DiFabio also led a rushing attack that gained 43 yards on 31 carries with 27 yards on eight carries.
Sean Trapper (Cheektowaga, NY) led the Fisher defense with a career-high three sacks.
Dan Pollock (Fulton, NY) and
Matt Stranski (Warwick, NY) also each recorded a sack.
Josh Gottlieb (Pound Ridge, NY) was in on nine tackles, while
Jason Cirulli (Webster, NY) made Fisher’s lone interception on the day.
Marion led the Cardinals with 148 all-purpose yards (66 receiving, 46 punt return and 36 rushing).
Reile gained 104 yards on the ground on 13 carries, while
Ryan Hanson (Fulton, NY) tallied 83 yards on 16 rushing attempts.
Kramer completed 15-of-30 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns.
Smith led Fisher in receiving with five catches for 72 yards.
Corey Jackson (East Aurora, NY) caught two passes for 41 yards.
Daniel Dawson (Stoneham, MA) led the Colonels’ defense with 12 tackles and one sack. Nick Garafalo (Derry, NH) was in on 10 stops, while Tim Bloniasz (Leicester, MA) intercepted a pass.
