WASHINGTON, Pa. – The nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College football team fell in its season-opener at Washington and Jefferson, 37-27, at Cameron Stadium.  With the loss, Fisher, which is ranked No. 23 in the latest D3football.com national poll, moved to 0-1 while the Presidents, who are receiving votes in the same poll, improved to 1-0.

After missing an opportunity to put three points on the board during its first drive, Fisher atoned on its second possession thanks to an interception by Demarre Nelson with an eight-play 80-yard drive that ate up nearly four minutes of time to take a 7-0 lead.  Facing a third-and-long, sophomore quarterback Joshua Michels found Dylan Harrington on the sideline for a 12-yard gain to move the sticks to the Fisher 30-yard line.  With new life, Michels continued to move the chains after tossing a 12-yard completion to Wyatt Stehle.  Two plays later, Michels struck again after scrambling out of the pocket and finding senior James Chambers downfield for a 36-yard gain compounded with a personal foul to set Fisher up with a first-and-10 at the Presidents' three-yard line.  From there, sophomore Ryan Ingerson punched it in with Devin Dzikowicz notching the extra point to make it 7-0.   
 
Fisher continued to find its stride as the first quarter wore down.  After forcing a three-and-out, Michels moved the chains twice with completions to Mike Collichio including a 21-yard gain on third down to move to the Washington and Jefferson 24-yard line as time expired.  The Cardinals wasted no time adding to their advantage after scoring on their first play of the second period with a 24-yard touchdown pass from Michels to Chambers to give Fisher a two-touchdown advantage.

Washington and Jefferson would get on the board with 12:20 remaining in the opening half as the Presidents took advantage of a Fisher fumble with a 28-yard field goal to come to within 14-3.  The home team would capitalize on another Fisher miscue two minutes later with a 19-yard pass to cap an eight-play 77-yard drive.  

The Presidents then forced Fisher into a quick three-and-out and would take the ensuing punt 38 yards to set up their drive at the Cardinals' 28-yard line. From there, Washington and Jefferson opened up its first lead of the game after converting a fourth and six with an 11-yard passing touchdown to make it 16-14 heading into intermission.

Coming out of the break, Fisher found itself deep in Washington and Jefferson territory after turning a fake punt into a 16-yard gain and a fresh set of downs.  The drive stalled, however, as the Presidents held their ground and took over on downs before reeling off a 52-yard run to open up a two-score game, 23-14.

Trailing by nine points, Fisher responded in a big way with an 11-play, 67-yard drive that spanned four minutes. Ingerson got things started with a 24-yard scramble on first down before Chambers came up with 15 yards of his own to extend the drive.  Fisher would face a fourth-and-16 in Washington and Jefferson territory, but Collichio fought his way to an 18-yard gain and a new set of downs for the Cardinals.  Three plays later, Stehle would cap things off after reaching back and grabbing a one-handed reception before plowing through the Presidents' secondary to pull Fisher to within two points, 23-21.       

The momentum continued to swing in Fisher's favor as the Cardinals took over on downs before putting up 74 yards on seven plays to reclaim the lead, 27-23.  On the drive, the visitors converted two third-and-longs including a 32-yard connection from Michels to Will Blake before Harrington hauled in a 38-yard pass that found pay dirt.

The lead would be short-lived, however, as Washington and Jefferson opened up the fourth quarter with a long drive of its own going 80 yards in 12 plays to reclaim the advantage, 30-27.  The Cardinals had two chances later in the game, but the Presidents' defense forced Fisher into two interceptions to seal the win.

Offensively, Michels was 26-for-57 for 354 yards, three touchdowns and two picks.  Chambers gained 41 yards on 22 carries and added 90 receiving yards and a touchdown on six receptions. 

Collichio hauled in seven catches for a game-high 111 yards while Harrington secured five passes for 69 yards and a touchdown.  Stehle had five catches for 50 yards and a score and Blake added a pair of catches and 34 yards.

On the defensive side of the ball, Justin Rivera posted a team-leading 10 tackles including seven solo stops.  Brennan Thompson and Cameron Bellino each had eight tackles while Evan Majewski was credited with six tackles.  Michael Chase and Cole Ansley-Purpura each recorded five stops.  Demarre Nelson and Thompson each grabbed an interception while Joseph Zickl recovered a fumble on special teams.

Fisher will look to get back on track at 12 p.m. on Saturday when it travels to Geneva to take on nationally-ranked Hobart College.