Football | 10/10/2025 1:00:00 PM

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Off to its best start in nine years, the 4-1 (2-0 Empire 8) St. John Fisher football team will look to keep the good vibes rolling when it faces Hartwick (2-3, 0-3 Empire 8) at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Wright Stadium in Oneonta. 

A Win Nine Years In The Making

The Cardinals made the 20th annual Courage Bowl one to remember last Saturday, outlasting SUNY Brockport 31-24 in overtime for their first win over the Golden Eagles since 2016. 

The Cardinals moved to 2-0 in Empire 8 play for the first time since 2016. Brockport, which had been garnering votes in the D3football.com Top 25, fell to 3-2 (1-1 Empire 8). 

Opportunistic all afternoon, the Cardinals forced three Brockport turnovers, all fumbles, with quarterback Ben Gocella's overtime giveaway being the game's decisive play. Fisher quarterback Mason Lister, who finished 16 of 22 for 222 yards with two scores, fired the go-ahead touchdown strike to senior wideout Ethan Curtis a few plays earlier. 

Read More: Fisher Outlasts Brockport For First Courage Bowl Win Since 2016

    Courage Bowl Notes

• The overtime affair marked the second in Courage Bowl history. Fisher and Brockport also went to overtime in 2016 at Growney Stadium, and the Cardinals prevailed 42-38 in that one after overcoming a 28-7 halftime hole. 

• The Cardinals hadn't played in an overtime game since beating Utica 39-36 in five extra frames on 10/14/2017. 

• Brockport boasted one of the strongest defenses in the nation entering the game, ranking 12th in scoring defense (10 points allowed per game) and ninth in total defense (190.5 yards allowed per game). The Cardinals scored the most points (31) and accumulated the most yards (333) that Brockport has allowed all season. 

• Fisher improved to 13-7 in Courage Bowl games with the victory. It won the first 12 before Brockport began its seven-game run of dominance. The Golden Eagles won all of those games by more than two touchdowns, including 35-0 last year. 

Fisher And 4-1 Starts

A 4-1 start has meant good things for the Cardinals over the years. 

Since 2000, the Cardinals have started 4-1 in seven other seasons: 2016, 2014, 2012, 2011, 2007, 2005 and 2003. They won at least eight games and played in the postseason in each of those years. 

Fisher's Winning Formula

A key part of the Cardinals' identity in their first season under head coach Ed Raby Jr. and his staff has come into focus over the last few weeks. Fisher's defense thrives on takeaways and consistently holds up in the red zone, while its offense controls the ball and limits turnovers. 

With 11 takeaways to four turnovers through five games, the Cardinals enter this week second in the Empire 8 and tied for fifth in Division III with a +7 turnover margin.

    Defense

• Fisher has forced three or more turnovers in wins over FDU-Florham (3), Brockport (3) and Alfred (4). The Cardinals hadn't forced three or more turnovers in three games during a season since 2019. 

• The Cardinals lead the Empire 8 and are tied for fourth in Division III with seven fumbles recovered. 

• The Cardinals rank 13th in Division III and stand atop the Empire 8 in red zone defense, allowing points on just 57.1% of their opponents' trips inside their 20. 

    Offense

• Offensively, the Cardinals have gone three consecutive games without turning the ball over. Fisher had one giveaway against FDU-Florham in Week 1 and three against St. Lawrence in Week 2. 

• The Cardinals rank second in the Empire 8 and 35th in the country in time of possession (32:55). They finished with a season-best 13:30 edge in possession time against Brockport.  

Deante Hall On A (Touchdown) Run

Senior running back Deante Hall has been a scoring machine this season. With his six-yard touchdown in the second quarter against Brockport, he became the first Fisher player to rush for a score in five straight games since running back James Chambers in 2017. Chambers, still seventh in Fisher history with 24 career rushing touchdowns, found the end zone in six consecutive games that season. 

• Three of Hall's five touchdowns have come on runs of 20 yards or more. He had a 39-yarder against FDU-Florham, a 28-yarder against St. Lawrence and a 26-yarder against Alfred. 

• Hall leads a Fisher rushing attack averaging 171 yards per game, the third most in the conference. Through four games, Hall stands sixth in the Empire 8 in total rushing yards (412), fifth in yards per rush (5.28) and fourth in touchdowns (5). 

Tanoory Honored (x2)

Sophomore linebacker Jack Tanoory earned Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Week honors and a spot on the D3football.com Team of the Week following his impressive performance against Brockport. 

Tanoory totaled a career-high 14 tackles, including 13 solo stops, and made perhaps the most important play in the 31-24 victory. 

With the teams tied at 21 in the fourth quarter, Brockport appeared ticketed to take the lead with less than 10 minutes remaining. Quarterback Ben Gocella fired a quick screen pass to receiver Sal Weller, who made a defender miss and had nobody between him and the end zone. Tanoory, who blitzed Gocella on the play, sprinted from the opposite 12-yard line and caught Weller just in time, knocking the ball out of his hands as he neared the goal line. The ball bounced through the end zone, resulting in a touchback that allowed Fisher's offense to take over at its 20-yard line. 

Tanoory joined junior safety Timothy Vanderbrink as the second Fisher player to earn a D3football.com Team of the Week nod this season. This marks the first season in which Fisher has had two players earn D3football.com weekly honors since safety Jason Rodriguez and defensive lineman Sean Cleary did so in 2019. 

Tanoory ranks sixth in the Empire 8 in tackles (40) and is tied for 10th in the country in fumbles forced (3). 

Other Individual Notes

Lister: Lister has completed 60% of his passes for 641 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions since becoming the Cardinals' starter in Week 3. He has also rushed for 191 yards and a score. 

Curtis: Since Lister became Fisher's starter, Curtis has caught 14 passes for 178 yards with three touchdowns. He caught three passes for 38 yards with two scores against Rochester and had a career day against Brockport, hauling in eight passes for 109 yards and the game-winning touchdown in overtime. 

Vanderbrink: Fisher's junior safety has been one of the top defensive players in Division III through five weeks. Vanderbrink, named E8 Defensive Player of the Week twice already this season, ranks near the top of the country in multiple statistical categories, including total tackles, solo tackles, fumbles forced and fumbles recovered. 

Series History: St. John Fisher vs. Hartwick

Series Snapshot: Saturday's game will be the 30th between Hartwick and Fisher, which owns a 22-7 edge in the series. The Cardinals have won the last six matchups and 14 of the last 15 since 2009. 

Last Meeting: The Cardinals amassed 528 yards of offense and held Hartwick to 125 in a 56-0 victory at Growney Stadium last October. 

Running back Camden Chance rushed for a career-high 104 yards and found the end zone twice. Quarterback Ryan Whitney passed for 160 yards with two touchdowns and rushed for 70 yards and two scores. 

Series Note: Seventeen of the Cardinals' 19 wins over Hartwick since 1995 have come by more than two touchdowns. 

Fisher-Hartwick Connections

• Hartwick first-year head coach Matt Rogers spent three seasons (2021-24) working under Raby as SUNY Morrisville's assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. 

• St. John Fisher running backs coach Daulton Newbury played at Hartwick. 

Scouting Hartwick | By Jackson Gallivan, St. John Fisher Student Assistant 

After starting 2-0 with wins over Maine Maritime Academy and Buffalo State, Hartwick has dropped three straight, all against Empire 8 opponents, including Cortland, Brockport and Alfred. 

About Hartwick On Offense: Hartwick has the fourth-best passing offense in the Empire 8, averaging 194.6 yards per game. 

About Hartwick On Defense: Hartwick has allowed the most points per game (38.8) in the Empire 8 this season. The Hawks have allowed the second-most passing yards per game in the E8 (218), but have forced quarterbacks into some mistakes with six interceptions. 

Players To Watch

#1 Robert Kennedy (Jr., DB): Kennedy has had a knack for the ball this season, as he leads Hartwick in interceptions (3) and pass breakups (3). The junior defensive back has also made 23 tackles, including 2.5 for a loss. 

#2 Dennis Riordan (Sr., QB): The senior quarterback has 926 passing yards with seven touchdowns to five interceptions. He completed 56.4% of his passes for 304 yards with a pair of scores last week against Alfred. 

#6 Akil Williams (Jr., RB): Williams leads Hartwick with 414 yards rushing (82.80 per game) on 76 attempts. He has scored three touchdowns, tied for the most on the team with fellow running back Nicholas Massaregli.