Football | 9/18/2025 2:31:00 PM

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2021, the St. John Fisher football team travels across town for a 1 p.m. kickoff against the University of Rochester (2-0) at Edwin Fauver Stadium on Saturday. 

Going For Three

With a win over the Yellowjackets, the Cardinals would improve to 3-0 for the first time since 2019. Fisher beat Buffalo State (23-6), Bridgewater State (35-28) and The College of New Jersey (40-16) to start that season.

The Cardinals have started 3-0 10 times since 2000, including five straight years from 2003-07. 

Run the B(H)all 

Deante Hall has been one of the top running backs in the Empire 8 to start the season, as the senior has amassed 214 yards with two touchdowns on 33 attempts through two games. He's averaging 107 yards per contest and 6.5 yards per carry. 

Hall rushed for 104 yards on 14 carries in Fisher's season-opening win over FDU-Florham and a career-high 110 yards on 19 carries in the win over St. Lawrence. He showcased his explosiveness in both games, ripping off a 39-yard touchdown run against FDU and a 28-yard touchdown run against SLU. 

With another 100-yard rushing performance this weekend, Hall would become the first Fisher running back to rush for 100 yards in three straight games since Cody Miller in 2012. 

The Cardinals enter the weekend averaging 189 yards rushing per game as a team. 

An All-Star Talent

Fisher head coach Ed Raby hasn't downplayed his expectations for junior safety Timothy Vanderbrink – he feels the Cardinals have an All-Star talent leading their defense. Through two games, Vanderbrink has more than lived up to that billing. 

Vanderbrink earned a spot on the D3football.com Team of the Week after making a career-high 12 tackles, including nine solo stops and 0.5 for a loss of yards, in Fisher's win over St. Lawrence. Fisher hadn't had a player earn D3football.com weekly honors since cornerback Deorion Moore, now on the Cardinals' coaching staff, did so in October 2022.  

Named Empire 8 Co-Defensive Player of the Week last week, Vanderbrink stands fourth in the conference with 19 total tackles entering Week 3. In a season-opening win over FDU-Florham, he logged seven tackles, broke up a pass and forced two fumbles, recovering one and returning it 32 yards for a touchdown to put Fisher ahead 21-0. 

Series History 

Despite their campuses being separated by just six miles, the Cardinals and Yellowjackets have not clashed on the gridiron since Sept. 15, 2012. Fisher won that game 20-16 for its 11th consecutive victory over the U of R, taking the lead late in the fourth quarter on a blocked field goal return. Mike Benderski got his hand on the 33-yard attempt, and Wade Kline ran the ball back 72 yards for the score.

• Fisher owns an 11-7 record against the U of R since the series began in 1989. The matchup has been defined by lengthy winning streaks, as the Yellowjackets won the first seven games in the series before the Cardinals began their 11-game winning streak. 

• The programs played each other every year from 2000-2012 and launched the annual Courage Bowl in 2005. One of the premier games in Division III, the Courage Bowl benefits Camp Good Days and Special Times, organizations that support children and teenagers diagnosed with cancer and other diseases. Fisher won the first 12 Courage Bowl games, with eight of those victories coming against the U of R. 

Last Time Out: St. John Fisher 28, St. Lawrence 23

The Cardinals survived a second-half surge from St. Lawrence to improve to 2-0 for the first time since 2021 with a 28-23 victory at Growney Stadium last Saturday. 

The Cardinals amassed nearly 400 yards of offense, rushing for 194 and passing for 193. Hall and fellow senior tailback Camden Chance combined for 191 of those rushing yards and each found the end zone. 

Fisher, which at one point led 28-10, had to stage a defensive stand late to escape with the victory. Sophomore defensive lineman Dom London and junior linebacker Alexander Hofmann made tackles for a loss on 3rd- and 4th-and-goal, respectively, to preserve the Cardinals' 28-23 lead. 

Other Notes and Milestones From Game 2

• Junior quarterback Ryan Whitney completed passes to nine players. Cusack led the group with six catches for 62 yards and his second collegiate touchdown. 

• Sophomore wide receiver Gavin Horton set career highs in catches (4) and yards (59). 

• Whitney had six completions of 10 yards or more. 

• Junior defensive lineman Jedrek Olkowski had his first collegiate multi-sack game, recording two on the day. 

A Look At The Yellojackets | By Jackson Gallivan, St. John Fisher Athletics Student Assistant 

Behind a defense with a knack for forcing turnovers, the Yellowjackets have beaten Olivet 28-17 and SUNY Morrisville 30-14 as part of a 2-0 start. 

The Yellowjackets have intercepted five passes and recovered two fumbles to amass seven forced turnovers in those two contests, tied for the third most in Division III. The interceptions have come from five different players: defensive backs Judah Thomas, Brayden Felsinger and Brock Miller, and linebackers Jack Diggins and Nathan Lehigh. 

Rochester intercepted 17 passes and forced 22 total turnovers last season. 

Players to Watch

Quarterbacks – The Yellowjackets have taken on the untraditional quarterback-by-committee approach this season. They have used three of them – junior Victor Moran and freshmen Shawn Bellenger and Jett Genovese – in each of their first two games. 

Moran has completed 9 of 15 passes for 110 yards with three touchdowns, while Bellinger has completed seven of 16 attempts for 61 yards. Genovese has thrown just five passes but leads the QB trio in rushing with 79 yards and a score on 16 carries. 

Aidan Papantonis (Sr., WR) – Papantonis, the clear No. 1 target for U of R, has caught 12 passes for 148 yards with two touchdowns through two games. The senior has caught 118 passes for 1,278 yards with 13 scores over 32 collegiate games. 

Jordy Tawa (Sr., DB) – A consensus first-team All-American last season, Tawa has been a ballhawk for Rochester's secondary since his freshman season. He has 12 collegiate interceptions and 56 pass breakups, including six this season. Last year alone, he picked off seven passes and broke up 20. 

Judah Thomas (Sr., DB) – Thomas, another playmaker in the U of R secondary, has 13 interceptions and 29 pass breakups over 28 collegiate games. He has broken up six passes and returned an interception for a touchdown this season.