Football | 10/3/2019 11:14:00 AM

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Saturday is the day you've had circled on your calendar for months as the St. John Fisher College football team will take on The College at Brockport in Courage Bowl XV inside Growney Stadium.  The game, which has become one of the most anticipated games in all of Division III, directly benefits Camp Good Days and Special Times, which is a not-for-profit organization that provides thousands of children with cancer the opportunity to come together in a residential camping experience.

Saturday's game has added meaning as it's a conference game with both teams entering the weekend sporting a 3-1 record through the first four weeks of the season.  Fans unable to make it can still cheer on the Cardinals from anywhere in the world – and maybe even beyond depending on your wifi signal – by clicking the links below:

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Have an itch to learn more about both teams and this weekend's matchup? Click here to read the FULL GAME NOTES.

THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT: In case you missed it, Fisher Athletics launched its new mobile app last fall - SJFC Athletics - in the App Store and on Google Play.  The app, which gives fans, alumni, parents and more yet another opportunity to stay-up-to-date with the latest news, highlights, schedules and more, is free and features push notifications so you never miss a beat.  Speaking of apps, don't forget to download the Radio.com mobile app to listen to each and every football game - just search ESPN ROCHESTER.
 
THE STAKES ARE HIGHER: Yes, this is an important game for both teams and yes, the conference standings will be impacted, but there's a much more important storyline at play during this week's game as it's the 15th annual Courage Bowl to benefits Camp Good Days.  The Courage Bowl, which has become one of Division III's most anticipated contests, directly benefits Camp Good Days, which is a not-for-profit organization that provides thousands of children with cancer the opportunity to come together in a residential camping experience to be with the only ones who could truly understand what they were going through – other children with cancer.  Since its founding by Fisher assistant coach Gary Mervis, Camp Good Days has impacted more than 45,000 campers from 22 states and 29 countries.  With a small group of paid employees, Camp Good Days is a volunteer-based organization.  To avoid placing any additional financial burden on the families served, all of the programs are offered free of charge for the participants.
 
SERIES HISTORY: Fisher and Brockport are anything but strangers on the gridiron.  In fact, the two teams have played 24 times overall dating back to their first pairing in 1989.  There hasn't been much back-and-forth in this series with the Golden Eagles winning the first 14 meetings before the Cardinals reeled off eight straight wins from 2004 to 2016.  During that time, Fisher averaged nearly 40 points per game.  Since then, however, Brockport has posted back-to-back wins over the Cardinals and won two straight Empire 8 Championships.  This season's pairing should be a classic as well with both teams entering with 3-1 records.

CONFERENCE RECOGNITION: Following the top performance of his young career, freshman quarterback Hunter Walsh was named the Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week on Monday as the Rochester native nearly orchestrated the largest comeback in Fisher's storied history at Ithaca.  Walsh was 30-for-47 for 480 yards with two touchdowns.  The McQuaid graduate also added a rushing touchdown and gained 37 rushing yards on nine carries.  Walsh's 480 yards were the most a Fisher quarterback has thrown for in a game since 2016 - a span of 24 games.
 
I'LL TAKE TWO: Two is better than one and the same holds true for receiving options.  One of the reasons for Walsh's success at quarterback has been his receiving corps.  Last week was no exception as the freshman spread the wealth with nine different receivers recording a catch.  Against the Bombers, the Cardinals' offense had two receivers top the 100-yard plateau for the first time since 2016 as TySean Sizer finished with a career-high nine catches for 155 yards including a 90-yard touchdown strike.  Senior Will Blake continued to roll after nabbing four balls for 119 yards highlighted by a 67-yard touchdown pass from Walsh.  Entering the weekend, the duo are among the top receivers in the Empire 8 with Blake leading the conference in yards (442) and ranking second in both touchdowns (3) and receptions (25).  Sizer is sixth in the Empire in receiving yards with 264 on 15 catches.
 
FOUR SCORE AND THEN SOME: The Cardinals' offense has been on a roll over its last three games as head coach Paul Vosburgh's team is averaging over 36 points per game and 411 total yards.  To find a streak of three straight games with at least 35 points, you'd have to go back to the 2014 season where the Cardinals did it twice including a stretch of four consecutive games.  If Fisher is going to keep this trend going, it'll come against a Brockport defense that is giving up just 15.3 points per game so far this year.
 
SCOUTING BROCKPORT: After a week one loss at Hobart that saw the Golden Eagles commit six turnovers, Brockport seems to have righted the ship as it enters this weekend riding a three-game winning streak including its most recent contest where it put up a 55-6 win over visiting Alfred State.  Entering Saturday's pairing, Brockport, which has won the Empire 8 title in each of the last two years, ranks among the conference's leaders in points per game, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.  A large part of the success can be attributed to freshman signal caller Freddy June.  June might not pass the ball as much (136.5 yards per game), however, he can run the ball.  To date, June leaders his team and ranks fourth in the Empire 8 in rushing yards with 263.  June is just part of a three-header monster in the backfield that includes Justin Morrison and Jala Coad who have combined to rush for 481 yards and five touchdowns through the team's first four games.  Brockport's ability to run could be hampered up front, however, by Fisher's front seven as the Cardinals are allowing a mere 57.0 yards on the ground per game this year and only two rushing scores.
 
Defensively, Brockport is giving up nearly 220 yards per game to its opposition, which ranks third among all Empire 8 defenses.  The Golden Eagles boast a stout run defense (54.0 yards/game) while its secondary ranks second to only Fisher with seven picks.  One thing this team hasn't done through its first four games is get to the opposing quarterback.  To date, Brockport has totaled just three sacks - good for last in the Empire 8.  
 
HALL OF FAME NEWS: St. John Fisher College is set to induct eight new members into its Athletics Hall of Fame later this fall including three former football players.  All-American Tim Bailey '11 will be inducted after a record-setting career under center.  To date, he still ranks first in program history in completions (628), yards (8,352 – 1,500 more than second) and touchdowns with 77 while his 1010 attempts is second in team history.  His 62.2 completion percentage is third all-time.  On the single season list, Bailey's name appears three times in single-season attempts, yards and completions while he ranks first all-time in touchdowns for a season with 35.  James Reile '08 will also be enshrined as the former running back is fourth all-time in rushing yards with over 3,100 while his 39 touchdowns are second in Fisher's storied history.  Former All-American defensive end Terry Principe '80 will be inducted as well.  Following his time in uniform, Principe played a significant role in helping to fundraise in order to sustain the program, which was a club at that time.  Kyle Denhoff '12 (men's lacrosse), Colleen Maloney '11 (women's basketball), Sandy Spero '80 (wrestling), Luke Lennox '10 (men's soccer) and Irene Valentine '97 (softball) will also be honored. 
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Cardinals are coming off what was perhaps their best outing of the season despite falling to the No. 13 Ithaca College Bombers last Saturday.  After trailing by 22 points at the halftime break, Fisher found its stride in the second half on both sides of the ball.  Overall, Fisher scored 22 unanswered points and held Ithaca at bay over the final 30 minutes of play.  With just over two minutes left in the game and trailing by three points, Fisher's defense came out with a big stop as the offense took over at its own 47 with 1:06 to go and two timeouts to work with.  Despite the team's best efforts, the comeback bid fell short as Ithaca came away with a timely interception to seal the win.  Despite the result, Fisher's offense had a monster day with nearly 600 total yards.  Freshman quarterback Hunter Walsh threw for 480 yards, which is the second-highest individual total in team history.