Game Notes: Football Faces RPI In First Home Postseason Game Since 2014 On Saturday

Setting The Scene

For the first time since 2016, the St. John Fisher football team has a postseason game on its schedule, and, for the first time in more than a decade, it will be played at home. 

The Cardinals face RPI in the ECAC Clayton Chapman Bowl at noon on Saturday at Growney Stadium. 

The ECAC has three other bowl games this season. Utica will host Rowan in the Asa S. Bushnell Bowl; SUNY Brockport will host Geneva College in the Scotty M. Whitelaw Bowl; and Maritime College will host Hobart in the James Lynah Bowl.

The ECAC (Eastern College Athletic Conference) is an eighty-five-year-old organization with well over 200 member schools across all three NCAA Divisions - I, II and III. The ECAC exists to enhance the experience of student-athletes participating in intercollegiate athletics and provides great value for universities and colleges by sponsoring championships, leagues, bowl games, tournaments and other competitions throughout the Northeast. The ECAC also hosts a comprehensive esports program that presently involves 160 schools fielding 1100 teams across 14 different esports games, streamed live four nights a week. The ECAC's esports platform has and continues to expand the geographic footprint of the Conference nationally. 

St. John Fisher (7-3, 5-2 Empire 8)

Head Coach: Ed Raby Jr. (1st year at Fisher, 6th year overall)

Raby's Career Record: 7-3 at Fisher, 27-25 overall (includes four seasons at SUNY Morrisville)

2025 Results: @FDU-Florham (21-0 W), vs. St. Lawrence (28-23 W), @UofR (28-21 L), vs. Alfred (21-7 W), vs. Brockport (31-24 OT W), @Hartwick (35-21 W), vs. Cortland (31-7 L), @Utica (31-7 L), vs. SUNY Morrisville (21-7 W), vs. Alfred State (41-14 W)

Team Captains: Ryan Whitney* (Jr., QB), Ethan Curtis* (Sr., WR), Timothy Vanderbrink* (Jr., S) and Colin Faust* (Jr., LB) ...  * denotes first-time captain.

• Roster
• Coaching Staff
• Schedule
• Season Stats

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (7-3, 5-2 Liberty League)

Head Coach: Ralph Isernia (13th season)

Isernia's Career Record: 89-43

2025 Results: @WPI (29-6 W), @Utica (41-14 L), vs. SUNY Brockport (30-24 W), vs. Rochester (31-3 W), @Hobart (36-10 W), vs. Buffalo State (57-13 W), @Hilbert (69-14 W), @St. Lawrence (48-0 W), vs. Ithaca (24-23 L), @Union (28-21 L)

Team Captains: Anthony DeMatteo (Sr., QB) and Miles Lafferty (Sr., DB)

• Roster
• Coaching Staff
• Schedule
• Season Stats

The 2025 Season In Photos….

A Big Turnaround

The Cardinals have been one of the best turnaround stories in Division III this year under head coach Ed Raby Jr., who came to Fisher from SUNY Morrisville last winter to take over a team that finished 3-7 (2-5 Empire 8) in 2024. 

The Cardinals flipped that record all the way around this year, finishing the regular season 7-3 overall and 5-2 in Empire 8 play. 

Top Record Improvements Across Division III From 2024 to 2025 (as of Nov. 20, 2025)

+6 Westminster (MO) 2024: 1-9; 2025: 7-3

+6 Crown (MN) 2024: 1-9; 2025: 7-3

+5 Southern Va. 2024: 1-9; 2025: 6-4

+5 Calvin 2024: 2-8; 2025 7-3

+5 Union (NY) 2024: 3-7; 2025: 8-2

+4 Cal Lutheran 2024: 2-8; 2025: 6-4

+4 Curry 2024: 4-6; 2025 8-2

+4 Eastern 2024: 5-5; 2025: 9-1

+4 Framingham St. 2024: 3-7; 2025: 7-3

+4 Misericordia 2024: 3-7; 2025: 7-3

+4 St. John Fisher 2024: 3-7; 2025: 7-3

Notable Accomplishments In Raby’s Year 1 At Fisher

• With their 21-7 win at Morrisville two weeks ago, the Cardinals secured their first winning season since 2016, when they went 8-3 overall and 6-2 in Empire 8 play.
• Fisher qualifed for a postseason game for the first time since 2016 and will host one for the first time since 2014 on Saturday.
• The Cardinals got off to their best overall (5-1) and conference starts (3-0) since 2016 this season. 
• The Cardinals beat Brockport, which had been receiving votes in various DIII football top-25 polls, 31-24 in overtime on Oct. 4 for their first Courage Bowl win since 2016.
• The Cardinals have won two games in November for the first time since 2018. They snapped a 10-game November losing streak with a win over Morrisville on Nov. 8. 

St. John Fisher's ECAC Bowl History

Overall Record: 6-3

Home Record: 5-1

Road Record: 1-2

Current Streak: L2

Last Bowl Game: 2016

Last Home Bowl Game: 2014

Last Win: The Cardinals rushed for 245 yards and three touchdowns in a 28-14 win over Western Connecticut State in the 2014 ECAC DIII Northwest Bowl. Tony Fusco had 173 yards rushing and a touchdown, while Chris Smith amassed 61 yards rushing and found the end zone twice. Linebacker Mike Donitzen made 12 tackles, including 2.5 for a loss of yardage, and recorded a sack to lead Fisher's defense. 

ECAC Bowl Game Team Records

Points - 63 vs Castleton State (2012)

Total yards - 589 vs RPI (2010)

Passing yards - 356 vs Frostburg State (2016)

Rushing yards - 422 vs Castleton State (2012)

Rushing TDs - 5 vs Castleton State (2012)

Sacks - 4 vs RPI (2010) AND Western Conn. State (2014)

Interceptions - 3 vs RPI (2010) AND Western Conn. State (2014)

Total Turnovers Forced - 3 vs RPI (2010) AND Western Conn. State (2014)

ECAC Bowl Game Individual Records

Passing yards - Matt Naton, 335 vs Frostburg State (2016)

Passing completions - Matt Naton, 33 vs Frostburg State (2016)

Passing TDs - Tied for 3, Greg Roland (2003), Tim Bailey (2009, 2010), Ryan Kramer (2012)

Receiving yards - Ryan Francis, 130 vs RPI (2010)

Receiving TDs - Tied for 2, Ryan Francis vs RPI (2010) AND Taylor Byrne vs Westminster College (2015)

Rushing yards - Tony Fusco, 173 vs Western Conn. State (2014)

Rushing TDs - Tied for 2, Mark Robinson (2003), James Reile (2005), Ryan Kramer (2010), Chris Smith (2014)

Tackles - Mike Fox, 15 vs Cortland (2003)

Sacks - Tyler Wood, 1.5 vs RPI (2010)

Cardinals Get Rusing Attack Back On Track To End Regular Season

After being held to a season-low 64 yards rushing in a loss to Utica on Nov. 1, the Cardinals got their ground game right in wins over SUNY Morrisville and Alfred State to close out the regular season. 

The Cardinals rushed for 259 yards on 48 attempts in their 21-7 road victory over Morrisville two weeks ago, averaging nearly 5.5 yards per rush. Junior quarterback Ryan Whitney led Fisher with 86 yards and a touchdown on 16 attempts, while fellow junior quarterback Mason Lister, who started the game, had 58 yards on nine carries. Junior running back Shane Zaletofsky had 58 yards on 12 attempts, and senior running back Deante Hall had 57 yards on 11 rushes. 

Fisher gashed Alfred State even more last week in a 41-14 victory at Growney Stadium, gaining a season-high 309 yards on 38 attempts for an average of 8.1 yards per rush. The performance marked Fisher's first 300-yard rushing game since racking up 328 yards in a victory over Hartwick in 2023. 

Whitney amassed 152 yards and scored a touchdown on 13 carries, while Hall finished with 107 yards and a career-high two touchdowns on 15 carries.

The Cardinals’ 568 yards over the two games are their most in any two-game stretch since 2014. That season, Fisher rushed for 635 yards over a pair of October wins against Utica and Alfred State. 

More Ground Game Notes

• The Cardinals have rushed for a touchdown in every game this season. Fisher has done that in just three other seasons over the last 15 years (2013, 2011 and 2010). 
• The Cardinals have rushed for more than 100 yards in all but two games this season.

Whitney Puts Up Big Numbers Against Alfred State

Whitney’s 152 yards rushing against Alfred State marked the second most by a Fisher quarterback in a single game. Additionally, his 59-yard touchdown run in the second quarter marked the Cardinals’ longest rushing play of the season. 

The junior quarterback also completed a career-high 78.9% of his passes (15 of 19) for 129 yards with two touchdown tosses, one each to junior wide receiver Jackson Cusack and senior wide receiver Chase Vincenzi.

Over the last two games, Whitney has 238 yards rushing on 29 attempts (8.2 yards per carry). He's accounted for four total touchdowns, two passing and two rushing. 

DaMore Completes A Trifecta

Earlier this week, junior linebacker Kyle DaMore joined junior safety Timothy Vanderbrink and sophomore linebacker Jack Tanoory as the third Cardinal to earn weekly honors from D3football.com this season.

DaMore, in the Cardinals' 41-14 win over Alfred State last week, made 14 tackles, 11 of them solo, to go along with a sack and his team-leading second interception of the season. He returned his interception deep into Alfred State territory to set Fisher up for a field goal that made the score 31-14 late in the first half. 

This marks the first time Fisher has had three different D3football.com Team of the Week honorees in a season since 2014.

All-Empire 8 Honorees Announced

The Cardinals had 10 players earn All-Empire 8 Conference honors for the 2025 season. 

The Cardinals had four players garner second-team honors, two on offense and two on defense. That group includes senior offensive lineman Elijah Williams, fifth-year wide receiver Jaylen Brantley, sophomore linebacker Jack Tanoory and junior safety Timothy Vanderbrink. 

Senior running back Camden Chance, senior offensive lineman Justin Rojek, junior quarterback Mason Lister, junior offensive lineman Jacob Sturgis and junior wide receiver Jackson Cusack were named to the third-team offense. Junior defensive lineman Ty Rader earned a spot on the third-team defense. 

Only one of Fisher's 10 selections (Cusack) had earned All-Empire 8 honors previously. 

Home Field Advantage

The Cardinals own a 4-1 record in home games this season with wins over St. Lawrence, Alfred, Brockport and Alfred State. Their lone home loss to this point came to nationally ranked SUNY Cortland on Oct. 25. 

With a victory on Saturday, Fisher would secure its first season with five home wins since 2016.

The Cardinal Notebook

• Junior Mason Lister became the first Fisher quarterback since Hunter Walsh in 2019 to earn E8 Offensive Player of the Week honors after a dominant showing against Hartwick on Oct. 11. He set career highs in completion percentage (71.4%) and passing yards (356) as the Cardinals piled up a season-high 432 yards of offense in the 35-21 road win. With four touchdowns passing and one rushing, he became the first Fisher player to account for five or more scores in a game since quarterback Matt Naton threw six TD passes in a win over Hartwick in November 2016.
• In a 35-21 win over Hartwick on Oct. 11, senior Camden Chance produced the best receiving game by a running back in program history, catching three passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, an 80-yarder and a 54-yarder. That performance made Chance the first Fisher running back to have a 100-yard receiving game since Ryan Kramer caught 11 passes for 108 yards against Ithaca in October 2013. Additionally, with his 80-yard score in the first quarter, he became the first Fisher running back to log a receiving touchdown since Chambers against Cortland in October 2017.
• Chance amassed a career-high 139 yards rushing on 17 attempts against Cortland on Oct. 25. He had 80 of those yards on a six-play, 85-yard drive that he capped with a 1-yard score in the second quarter. 
• Chance amassed 170 yards rushing and 144 yards receiving while piling up 314 yards of total offense over Fisher’s matchups against Hartwick and Cortland. He’s rushed for a score and caught two touchdown passes. 
• Fifth-year wide receiver Jaylen Brantley caught six passes for 132 yards against Rochester and five for 149 with a touchdown against Hartwick. He’s the first Fisher player to have multiple 100-plus yard receiving performances in a season since Will Blake in 2019. Through 10 games, Brantley leads the Cardinals with 531 yards receiving on 32 catches.
• Cusack and senior wide receiver Ethan Curtis are tied for the team lead with four touchdown receptions. They are the first pair of Fisher players to have four or more receiving touchdowns since Gabe Maloni (6) and Turner DePalma (4) in 2022. 
• With their performances against Hartwick, Brantley and Chance became the first pair of Fisher players to surpass 100 yards receiving in the same game since Pat Galer and Blake did so against Cortland in October 2019. 
• Senior running back Deante Hall rushed for a touchdown in five consecutive games to start the season, becoming the first Fisher player to have a streak that long since running back James Chambers found the end zone in six straight games in 2017. Three of Hall's five touchdowns during that stretch came on runs of 20 yards or more.
• Sophomore linebacker Jack Tanoory earned a spot on the D3football.com Team of the Week on Oct. 7 after making 14 tackles, including 13 solo, and forcing a crucial fumble in the fourth quarter of Fisher’s 31-24 win over Brockport. Tanoory, who also made 14 tackles against Hartwick, has 63 total tackles this season, including 46 solo and 5.5 for a loss. 
• Safety Timothy Vanderbrink has been one of the top defensive players in the Empire 8 and beyond this season when healthy. While the junior has missed four games due to injury, he still has 58 total tackles, 39 solo tackles, two fumble recoveries and two fumbles forced. Named E8 Defensive Player of the Week twice and to the D3football.com Team of the Week on Sept. 16, Vanderbink has made 10 or more tackles in three of the six games he’s played in this season. He returned a fumble for a score in Fisher’s season-opening win at FDU Florham on Sept. 6 for his second collegiate touchdown. 
• The Cardinals’ 15 forced turnovers this season are their most since they amassed 18 takeaways in 2021.
• Junior kicker Logan Laratta was named Empire 8 Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday. He made field goals of 33 and 34 yards and converted on all five of his extra-point attempts in Fisher's 41-14 win over Alfred State last week.  

Series History: St. John Fisher vs. RPI

Series Snapshot: The Cardinals are 3-12 all-time against RPI. 

ECAC Meetings: Saturday's game will mark the third ECAC Bowl game between Fisher and RPI. Fisher fell 26-22 to RPI in the 2005 Northwest Bowl and dominated the Engineers 56-13 in the 2010 Northwest Bowl.

Last Meeting: The Cardinals beat RPI 3-0 at Growney Stadium in September 2022. Kyle Farewell made a 26-yard field goal for the game's lone points in the first quarter, and Fisher's defense limited RPI to just nine first downs and 218 total yards. 

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

 RPI ended the regular season 7-3 overall and 5-2 in Liberty League play. The Engineers won seven of their first eight regular-season games before dropping their final two, 24-23 to Ithaca and 28-21 to Union. 

RPI has the top scoring offensive in the Liberty League, averaging more than 35 points per game. On the flip side, the Engineers' defense has allowed just 16.6 points per game. 

The Engineers have done the important things well, as they've been very successful on third down, are strong in the red zone and consistently win the turnover battle. RPI owns a +10 turnover margin, good for 30th in Division III and first in the Liberty League. It ranks in the top 10 in Division III in fumbles recovered (11). 

RPI also boasts a very strong special teams unit. Kicker Aleks Maric ranks 18th in DIII in field goal percentage (80%, 12-of-15), and return man Gage Swanger has returned 21 punts for 411 yards with two scores while playing in all 10 games. 

Players to Watch

#0 Kayden White (Jr., RB) - White, who ranks seventh in Division III with 20 total touchdowns, recently earned All-Liberty League first-team honors. He has been on a tear this season, as he enters the Clayton Chapman Bowl with 891 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns on 156 attempts, averaging nearly six yards per rush. He has also caught 20 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns. 

#5 Cassius Johnson (Sr., DB) - A second-team All-Liberty League honoree, Johnson leads the Engineers with three interceptions and has broken up five passes. Johnson has intercepted a pass in two of RPI’s last three games. 

#9 Josh Young (Jr., TE) - After only having one catch for five yards in 2024, Young has caught 26 passes for 375 yards and a team-leading five touchdowns this season as a junior. He’s recorded a receiving touchdown in four of the Engineers’ last five games. 

#11 Miles Lafferty (Sr., LB) - Lafferty leads RPI with 41 solo tackles and 72 total tackles. The senior linebacker also has 8.5 tackles for a loss, three sacks and a pass breakup. Lafferty has flexed his versatility this year, earning him All-Liberty League second-team recognition. 

#15 Anthony DeMatteo (Sr., QB)- DeMatteo, another 2025 second-team All-Liberty League honoree for RPI, has completed more than 60% of his passes for 1,839 yards with 13 touchdowns to six interceptions. He also has two rushing scores on the season. 

#94 Owen Boland (Jr., DL) - A first-team All-Liberty League defender, Boland has made 42 tackles, including a team-high 7.5 for a loss, to go with three sacks, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. He made a season-high two tackles for a loss in RPI’s regular-season finale against Union. 

Fisher Football Focus Episode 12

Senior Jacob Rodriguez recaps St. John Fisher’s 41–14 win over Alfred State, a commanding performance that closed out the regular season and highlighted the Cardinals’ continued momentum. Head Coach Ed Raby and quarterback Ryan Whitney joined the show to break down Saturday’s victory and discuss the team’s growth throughout the year. With the regular season wrapped up, Fisher now shifts its focus to the postseason. On Monday, the Cardinals learned they had earned a bowl game berth, setting up a meaningful matchup against RPI this Saturday at noon — the program’s first bowl appearance since 2016.