Football | 11/25/2023 6:31:00 PM
CORTLAND, NY – Jaden AlfanoStJohn (Westhampton/Westhampton Beach) ran for a 1-yard touchdown and Zac Boyes (Buffalo/Kenmore West) completed a 2-point conversion pass to Omari Kendrick (Greenburgh/Woodlands) with 1:23 remaining to lift nationally 11th-ranked Cortland past visiting 18th-ranked Grove City, 25-24, in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. Grove City missed a potential game-winning 37-yard field goal with six seconds remaining.
Cortland (11-1) will travel to face Alma College of Michigan in the national quarterfinals on Saturday, Dec. 2 at Alma. Cortland will be making its third NCAA quarterfinal appearance overall; the previous two came in 2008 (in a 32-team tournament) and 1988 (in a 16-team tournament). Alma (12-0), ranked 13th nationally, upset second-ranked Mount Union on the road, 24-20, with 24 fourth-quarter points, including a TD with 10 seconds left.
Grove City closes its season with an 11-1 record. The Presidents’ Athletic Conference champion Wolverines were making their first-ever NCAA appearance.
Leading 24-17, Grove City’s Trevor Beck intercepted a pass to give the Wolverines the ball at their own 44-yard line with 7:17 remaining. On the next play, however, Cortland’s Sam Cotton (Fulton/G. Ray Bodley) forced a fumble that Luke Winslow (Lansing) recovered at the Red Dragon 43-yard line.
Cortland converted two fourth-down situations on its winning drive. Boyes ran for six yards on 4th-and-5 from the Cortland 48-yard line. Three plays later Ben Bladel sacked Boyes, setting up a 4th-and-15 from the Cortland 49-yard line, but Boyes hit Cole Burgess (Greenwich) for a 24-yard completion. Andrew Tarpey (Sparkill/Tappan Zee) followed with a 19-yard catch to the 8-yard line and AlfanoStJohn had a 6-yard reception to the 2-yard line. Two plays later, on 3rd-and-goal, AlfanoStJohn ran in for the touchdown. On the 2-point conversion, Boyes rolled out right and found Kendrick just over the goal line to give the Red Dragons the lead.
Grove City began its final possession on its 35-yard line. A few plays into the drive the Wolverines faced 3rd-and-10 but quarterback Logan Pfeuffer hit Ryan Heckathorn for a 12-yard completion to the Cortland 42-yard line with 30 seconds left. A Pfeuffer 9-yard run and a Clayton Parrish 5-yard run advanced the ball to the 28-yard line, and Grove City spiked the ball with 13 seconds remaining. Pfeuffer then hit Scott Fraser for an 8-yard completion to the 20-yard line and Grove City called its final timeout with nine seconds left. Caleb Kuechly’s ensuing 37-yard field goal attempt just missed wide left, and Cortland took a knee on the next play to end the game.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit www.empire8.com.
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Alex Martin is your guide to the global phenomenon of football. With a focus on international leagues and tournaments, he provides match commentary, player interviews, and behind-the-scenes stories from the world of football.
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