ONEONTA, N.Y. – The Hartwick College football team battled SUNY Brockport through a low-scoring first half before the Golden Eagles pulled away in the second half, earning a 37-11 Empire 8 victory Saturday afternoon at Wright Stadium.
Hartwick held Brockport off the scoreboard for much of the opening half, but a fumble recovery for a touchdown with 2:40 remaining in the second quarter gave the Golden Eagles a 7-0 lead heading into halftime. Brockport took that momentum into the second half, and their offense found its rhythm to help give them the 37-11 win.
Senior wide receiver
Miles Perry (Illion, N.Y./Central Valley Academy) led the Hawks offensively with nine receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown. Freshman quarterback
Ty'lyn Blackwell-Williams (Nyack, N.Y./Georgia) completed 14-of-27 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for nine yards, while his counterpart, senior quarterback
Braden Moreau (Ilion, N.Y./Central Valley Academy) added 59 passing yards on 7-of-11 passing.
The Hartwick defense was led by a pair of 11-tackle performances from sophomore linebacker
Billy O'Connor (Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa) and senior linebacker
Joseph Algieri (Huntington,N.Y./Huntington). O'Connor also recorded a sack, while sophomore
Isaiah Sanon (Montebello, N.Y./Suffern) added a sack of his own. Junior
Christopher Acompora-Miller (Huntington Station, N.Y./Huntington) intercepted a Brockport pass and returned it 35 yards.
Penalties were a significant factor throughout the afternoon, with Hartwick being flagged 13 times for 114 yards. Brockport was penalized 12 times for 102 yards. The Hawks' penalties accounted for four first downs and contributed to a game in which Hartwick was limited to 203 total yards compared to 429 for the Golden Eagles.
With the loss, Hartwick falls to 1-3 (0-2 E8), while Brockport improves to 3-1 (1-0 E8). The Hawks return to action at home on Saturday, October 3
rd as they host Alfred University at noon in Wright Stadium.
After the anti-climatic, methodically played first half, Brockport opened the second half with a 64-yard touchdown pass to Nolan Slywka just 10 seconds into the quarter to extend its advantage to 14-0. A 22-yard field goal later in the quarter made it 17-0 before the Golden Eagles added another big play, a 74-yard touchdown run from Derrion Battle with 5:44 remaining in the third.
Hartwick answered on its next possession, marching 75 yards in 10 plays. Blackwell-Williams connected with Perry for a six-yard touchdown with 13 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Hartwick then successfully converted a two-point try, with Blackwell-Williams finding freshman
Miles Sinclair (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by the Sea) to cut the deficit to 24-8 and back to just two possessions.
Brockport responded with a 75-yard scoring drive early in the fourth quarter, capped by a 34-yard touchdown pass, to make it 31-8. The Golden Eagles added another touchdown on a 25-yard pass with 7:25 remaining, extending their lead to 37-8, before their extra point attempt was blocked.
Hartwick's final points came from freshman
Landon Smith (La Plata, Md./North Point), who connected on a 33-yard field goal with 1:50 to play.
Brockport's offense was led by quarterback Zymier Jackson, who completed 12-of-25 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns. Nolan Slywka hauled in five passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns, while Battle rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown, including a 74-yard scoring run.
