ONEONTA, N.Y. - Hartwick College's Jason Boltus (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) passed for 301 yards and had a hand in all five scoring drives as the Hawks upset #24 Ithaca 32-30 in Empire 8 Conference football action Saturday afternoon at Wright Stadium.
Hartwick, 1-1 on the year, outscored the Bombers 12-7 in the second half to end a six-game winless streak against Ithaca. The Bombers fell to 2-1 overall.
Boltus 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. In addition, the junior completed 17 of 23 passes and two touchdowns.
Ithaca got on the board at 11:34 of the first quarter as Jamie Donovan capped off an eight-play 54-yard scoring drive with a four-yard run. However, the Hawks answered back on their opening possession as Boltus rushed for the first of three touchdowns on the afternoon, a seven-yard run, to knot the game at 7-7. Following the kick-off return, the Bombers forged back in front 21 second later as Dan Juvan connected with Kyle Crandall for a 43-yard strike. The first quarter ended with Ithaca leading 14-7.
After the Bombers added a 36-yard field goal by Dillon Dwyer at 12:37, the Hawks cut the deficit to 17-14 as Lindy Crea (Binghamton, N.Y.) caught a 60-yard scoring pass from Boltus at 11:44 of the second. Ryan Boyea (Scotch Plains, N.J.) successfully kicked the extra point.
At 7:39, the Bombers answered Hartwick's score when Dan Juvan connected with Dan Ross from six yards out, but Ithaca's extra point failed.
The Hawks ended the first half scoring as Boltus crossed the goal line on a 10-yard run with 58 seconds left to pull Hartwick to within 23-20.
At 9:37 of the third quarter, Boltus gave the Hawks the lead for good as he capped off a six-play 65-yard drive on a one-yard plunge to make the score 26-23. Hartwick's extra point attempt was blocked.
The Hawks added to the lead on the first play in the fourth quarter as Jack Phelan (Slingerlands, N.Y.) caught a 17-yard pass from Boltus to punctuate a 10-play, 80-yard drive giving Hartwick a 32-23 advantage. Again, Hartwick's extra point was missed.
Ithaca made things interesting down the stretch. Juvan directed the Bombers down the field with a short passing game, a drive which went for 69 yards on 16 plays. With 3:12 remaining, Juvan rushed in from the four yard line to bring Ithaca to with 32-29. Dwyer connected on the extra point.
After taking the kick-off and getting to its own 42 yard line, the Hawks were faced with a third and one at its own 42. Ithaca's Phil Byers and Kyle Scharles stuffed Boltus on a rush forcing fourth and one. Hartwick then burned back-to-back timeouts. With Boltus back in punt formation, the junior received the snap and darted to the right side for a 16-yard gain. The Hawks polished off the game on a 28 yard run by Crea to get the ball to the Bomber 13 yard line in the closing seconds.
In the victory, Crea etched his name in the record books becoming the all-time Hartwick leader in all-purpose yards. With his 218 all-purpose yards against the Bombers, the senior moved past former Hawk standout A.J. Pittorino for the all-time lead. Crea, who has 6,113 all-purpose yards in his career, needed only three yards to enter the books. He finished with 59 yards rushing on 14 carries; caught five passes for 112 yards, and returned two kick-offs for 37 yards.
Hartwick out gained Ithaca in total offense 475-401. The Hawks averaged 7.4 yards from scrimmage per play.
Freshman Dan Contrastano (Hastings, N.Y.) led Hartwick defensively with 13 tackles including a tackle for loss, while honorable mention all-Empire 8 honoree, Justin Oelgeschlager (Highland, N.Y.) added 11 stops in the victory.
For the Bombers, Donovan finished with 117 yards on 22 carries, while Juvan completed 27 of 37 attempts for 247 yards.
In the victory, the Hawks posted their first win over Ithaca since bringing back its football program in 1992. Hartwick's last previous success was winning four straight games in 1941, 1942, 1946, and 1948.
The Hawks return to action next Saturday as they host Husson. The game is set for a 1 p.m. start at Wright Stadium.
HARTWICK 32, ITHACA 30
Score By Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score
Ithaca 14 9 0 7 30
Hartwick 7 13 6 6 32
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
IC 11:34 Jamie Donovan 4 yard run (Dillon Dwyer kick)
HC 8:19 Jason Boltus 7 yard run (Ryan Boyea kick)
IC 7:58 Kyle Crandall 43 yard pass from Dan Juvan (Dwyer kick)
Second Quarter
IC 12:37 Dwyer 36 yard FG
HC 11:44 Lindy Crea 60 yard pass from Jason Boltus (Boyea kick)
IC 7:39 Dan Ross 6 yard pass from Dan Juvan (kick failed)
HC 0:58 Jason Boltus 10 yard run (kick failed)
Third Quarter
HC 9:37 Jason Boltus 1 yard run (Kick Failed)
Fourth Quarter
HC 14:53 Jack Phelan 17 yard pass from Jason Boltus (kick failed)
IC 3:12 Dan Juvan 4 yard run (Dwyer kick)
