Game Notes: Football Opens E8 Play Against Alfred On Homecoming Weekend

St. John Fisher (2-1, 0-0 Empire 8)

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

Career Record: 2-1 at Fisher, 22-23 overall (includes four seasons at SUNY Morrisville)

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

Alfred (2-1, 0-0 Empire 8)

Head Coach: Bob Rankl (12th season at Alfred)

Career Record: 66-46

Team Captains: TJ Marsh (Gr., LB), Chris Kelly (Sr., QB), Thomas Welch (Sr., DB), Nicholas McLetchie-Goldman (5th yr., LB), Carter Fronk (Sr., OL), Ryan Belanger (Sr., OL)

• Roster
• Coaching Staff
• Schedule
• Season Stats

The 2025 Season In Photos….

Lister Lights It Up

With starter Ryan Whitney out with an injury, junior quarterback Mason Lister delivered a valiant effort for the Cardinals last week against the University of Rochester. 

Lister, who played sparingly last year, completed 17 of 29 passes for 222 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in his first collegiate start. He added 117 yards rushing on 18 carries.

In the fourth quarter, during which the Cardinals came back from a 13-point deficit to take a 21-20 lead, Lister went 7 of 11 passing for 134 yards with a touchdown and rushed nine times for 41 yards. 

Lister completed 10 passes that gained 10 yards or more, including a 69-yarder to Jaylen Brantley, Fisher’s longest offensive play of the season so far. Two of those 10-plus-yard completions came on 4th-down plays – an 11-yard touchdown pass to Ethan Curtis in the second quarter and a 17-yarder to Brantley that kept the Cardinals alive late in the fourth quarter.

Wide Receivers Putting Up Numbers

The Cardinals’ coaching staff entered the season excited about the potential of their wide receivers, and it has been easy to see why in the last two games.

Most notably, Brantley reminded everyone just how explosive he can be against Rochester, hauling in six passes for 132 yards with an average of 22 yards per reception. He had six catches of 10 yards or more. 

The performance for Brantley came one day shy of a year after he posted six catches for 249 yards with two long touchdowns – 91 and 81 yards – in a win over Keystone. Two weeks later, his season ended due to injury. 

Brantley wasn’t the only Fisher wide receiver who reintroduced himself against the U of R. Senior Ethan Curtis, who missed the entirety of last season with an injury, caught three passes for 38 yards and had a pair of 11-yard touchdowns. 

Curtis had high expectations going into the 2024 season after a promising sophomore campaign. That season, he led Fisher in receiving touchdowns (4) and finished second on the team in total receptions (23) and yards (340). 

Junior Jackson Cusack and sophomore Gavin Horton have also been key contributors in the early going for the Cardinals. In Fisher’s win over St. Lawrence, Cusack had six catches for 62 yards and Horton had four for 49.

Going Strong On The Ground

The Cardinals have had one of the most consistent rushing attacks in Division III to start the season, averaging 190 yards on the ground per game. 

The Cardinals rushed for 184 yards against FDU Florham, 194 against St. Lawrence and 190 against the University of Rochester. Fisher has rushed for 100 yards in three straight games to start a season just one other time in the last decade (2022).

Senior running back Deante Hall has been Fisher’s top threat out of the backfield with nearly 300 yards on 50 rushes. He’s averaging about six yards per carry and has scored a touchdown in each game, including a 39-yarder against FDU and a 28-yarder against St. Lawrence. 

Senior Camden Chance had 81 yards rushing and a touchdown on nine attempts against St. Lawrence.

Vanderbrink All Over The Field

There haven’t been too many plays that Timothy Vanderbrink has not been in on so far this season. The junior safety leads Fisher and stands second in the Empire 8 with 31 tackles, including 20 solo and one for a loss of yards. He’s made at least 10 stops in each of the last two games.

Vanderbrink earned a spot on the D3football.com Team of the Week on Sept. 16 after he made a career-high 12 tackles in Fisher’s 28-23 victory 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 on Sept. 8, Vanderbrink logged seven tackles, broke up a pass and recovered two fumbles, returning one 32 yards for a touchdown, in Fisher’s season-opening win at FDU.

Other St. John Fisher News and Notes

• The Cardinals have won just two of their last 10 Empire 8 Conference openers. They last began conference play with a win in 2016, when they beat Cortland 31-24. 
• Sophomore cornerback Trent Hill leads the Cardinals with two pass breakups and ranks second on the team with 24 tackles. He snagged his first collegiate interception against the U of R. 
• Junior defensive lineman Jedrek Olkowski recorded his first two collegiate sacks in Fisher’s win over St. Lawrence. 
• The Cardinals’ 2-0 start to this season marked their first since 2021.
• Fisher needs just one more win to match its total from last season.

Series History: St. John Fisher vs. Alfred

Series Snapshot: Saturday’s meeting will mark the 26th between St. John Fisher and Alfred. The Cardinals own a 14-12 edge in the series, which began in 1992, and have won four of the last six games. 

Last Meeting: Dominic Bronco made a 38-yard field goal in the final minute to lift Alfred to a 34-31 win over Fisher last November. 

DeAndre Green returned an interception 42 yards for a score, and Peyton Nolan rushed for a 1-yard touchdown as Fisher overcame a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit. Quarterback Ryan Whitney accounted for 336 yards of offense, with 228 yards passing and 108 yards rushing. He threw a pair of touchdown passes. 

Last Win: Nolan rushed for 162 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Cardinals to a 30-12 win over the Saxons on Oct. 28, 2023. Quarterback Aaron Chase passed for 175 yards and two scores. 

Fisher-Alfred Connections

• Cardinals head coach Ed Raby Jr. coached Alfred’s tight ends and defensive linemen in 2014. 

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

The Saxons are off to a 2-1 start with wins over a pair of Liberty League teams, Hobart and St. Lawrence. 

The Saxons’ ability to rush the passer has been their key strength through three games, as their 11 sacks rank 14th nationally and second in the Empire 8. Last week against St. Lawrence, Alfred’s defense dominated with eight sacks and six additional tackles for a loss of yards. Defensive back Jack Bestpitch returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown. 

Alfred Key Players

#1 Chris Kelly (Sr., QB) – Kelly earned All-Empire 8 second-team honors last year. On the year, he has completed 66% of his passes for 540 yards with five touchdowns to two interceptions. He passed for 246 yards with a pair of touchdown tosses in the win over St. Lawrence. 

#0 TJ Marsh (Gr., LB) —  Marsh, one of AU’s defensive captains, ranks second on the team in tackles with 18. He had a fantastic game last week, racking up 2.5 sacks and seven total stops. 

#7 Thomas Welch (Sr., DB) – Another Saxon defensive captain, Welch leads AU in tackles (24), tackles for a loss (4.5) and sacks (3.5). He’s recorded a sack in each of the Saxons’ first three games. 

#84 Carmine Hoag (So., WR) – The sophomore has been one of the top receivers in the conference to start the season with 18 catches for 252 yards. His three receiving touchdowns are tied for the most in the E8. 

Coming Soon: St. John Fisher Football Focus (Ep. 4) 

On this week's episode of St. John Fisher Football Focus, host Jacob Rodriguez sits down with Cardinals head coach Ed Raby Jr. to disuss the team's performance at Rochester and preview Saturday's game against Alfred. Later in the show, quarterback Mason Lister stopped by the studio for an interview with Rodriguez.