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Football Hartwick SI

Ithaca-Hartwick Football Showdown Slated for Saturday

Football Hartwick SI

Ithaca-Hartwick Football Showdown Slated for Saturday

           ONEONTA, NY – Unbeaten Hartwick and 3-1 Ithaca meet at Wright Stadium in a crucial Empire 8 football game Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The Hawks enter the game with four straight wins and the Bombers are the defending conference champions and are ranked in the national polls.
           Hartwick has victories over Morrisville, Salve Regina, Norwich, and Becker thus far in 2009. The Hawks' offense is averaging 40 points per game led by quarterback Brian Radley (Herkimer, NY/Dolgeville), wide receiver Noah Koreman (Albany, NY/Albany), and running back Tosh DeMulder (Unadilla, NY/Unatego). The 'Wick passing attack ranks first in the Empire 8 thus far this season with an average of 272.75 yards per game, and Radley ranks 26th in the country in passing efficiency (159.35) throwing for just under 1000 yards and 10 touchdowns in the first four contests. 
         Koreman has hauled in over 151 reception yards per game which puts him 4th in the national rankings. He is also tied for 17th in scoring with eight touchdowns. Tied for the national scoring lead is DeMulder who has rushed for 10 touchdowns and caught passes for two more scores for the Hawks. The senior back is also 27th in rushing averaging 116 yards per outing. 
         The 'Wick defense has also impressed after allowing just 10 points in the last two games. Last weekend's 55-3 pounding of Becker marked the fewest point allowed by a 'Wick team since 2002. The Hawks rank 19th nationally in sacks with 15 thus far this season. Jordan Spirou (Westbury, NY/W.T. Clarke) leads the team in tackles with 46, while Ben Tomaino (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta) has accumulated 8.5 tackles for a loss and five sacks, and Chad Rockefeller (Delhi, NY/Delaware Valley) has notched 6.5 TFL and 4.5 sacks.      
         The Bombers are ranked 19th in the latest AFCA national poll and 20th in the d3football.com rankings. After blowing out St. Lawrence 45-0 to start the season, Union shocked the Bombers 24-21 a week later in Schenectady. IC got back on track with a 41-17 romp of Widener before coming from behind to defeat Utica last week in the team's conference opener. Trailing 24-17 in the fourth quarter against the Pioneers, Andrew Rogowski hit a 29-yard field goal and Thomas Bergerstock capped a 3-play, 51-yard drive for the go-ahead score with nine minutes left following a Utica interception. The Bombers rank 12th in turnover margin this season and already have 15 takeaways against their first four opponents. Quarterback Brian Grastorf has thrown for 1019 yards and 10 TDs with five different receivers registering at least 10 receptions and one touchdown.      
          Ithaca leads the all-time series with a 12-5 record. In the last meeting between the two teams on Sept. 20, 2008, IC won 69-42 at Butterfield Stadium. Ithaca bolted out to a 14-0 lead with less than three minutes elapsed and never trailed in the game. Both teams combined for 1,067 yards of offense on the day. Jason Boltus (Baldwinsville, NY/Univ. at Albany) finished the game with 460 passing yards to eclipse Dan Pincelli's all-time passing yardage record at Hartwick. Thomas Bergerstock was the big story on the Bombers' sideline as he rushed for 268 yards and five touchdowns, including a 75 yard-touchdown run for the game's final points.
         The last time the Bombers played at Wright Stadium on Sept. 15, 2007, 'Wick prevailed 32-30. Boltus passed for 301 yards and had a hand in all five scoring drives for the Hawks. He rushed for a team-high 107 yards, including a 16-yard scamper on a fake punt on a fourth and one to cement the victory.
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