ONEONTA, N.Y. - Ryan Boyea (Scotch Plains, N.J.) nailed a career-long field goal and the Hartwick defense stuffed backup quarterback Tommy Hammel at its own three yard line in the final seconds as the Hawks upset fifth-ranked St. John Fisher 31-28 in front of 1,453 fans at Wright Stadium, Saturday evening.
After the Cardinals tied the game at 28-28 on a one-yard run by James Reile, the Hawks took the ball as their own 30 yard line and used a 10-play, 49-yard drive to get Boyea in position to boot a 40-yard field goal which cleared with no problem with 4:13 remaining. Key plays to that drive included a nine-yard run by Jason Boltus (Baldwinsville, N.Y.), and a 23-yard pass from Boltus to Jack Phelan (Slingerlands, N.Y.).
The Cardinals, who fell to 4-1, and 1-1 in the Empire 8, churned out a 15-play drive to get the ball down to the Hartwick 3-yard line with less than 10 seconds left. Fisher appeared to first be satisfied with a field goal attempt which could have sent the game into overtime. After Hartwick called a timeout to freeze the kicker, the Cardinals decided to go for broke and rolled out Hammel in shotgun formation. He was stuffed on a fourth and goal by a host of Hartwick players.
Hartwick, which extended its home field win streak to six with the win, broke out on top with 3:42 left in the first quarter as T.J. Rizzo (Highland, N.Y.) barreled his way over from three yards. The run capped off a 13-play, 62-yard drive that lasted nearly six minutes.
Fisher responded early in the second quarter as Rob Kramer darted for a six yard touchdown at 13:30.
It didn't take the Hawks long to answer, 112 seconds to be exact, as Lindy Crea (Binghamton, N.Y.) caught a 17-yard pass from Boltus and took it into the endzone. Hartwick's four-play, 65-yard drive was highlighted by back to back passes to Rizzo, including a 41-yard strike which set up the score on the following play.
Jordan Alger (Norwich, N.Y.) forced Kramer into a fumble and returned it to the Fisher 30-yard line where the Hawks started their final drive of the first half. On third and goal from the one, Boltus scored on a keeper. Hartwick led 21-7 at intermission.
The Cardinals took the second half kickoff and rambled right down the field to chop the deficit to 21-14. Fisher used Ryan Hanson the entire drive as he had gains of 10 and 20 yards, as well as a 24-yard reception from Kramer to give the Cardinals first and goal from the two-yard line. The senior punched it in from the two to cap off the four-play 56 yard drive.
St. John Fisher tied the game at 21-21 on another touchdown by Hanson, a four-yard run with 13:20 left in the fourth. The score was set up as Dan Pollock blocked a punt by Boltus and Steven Stepnick scooped up the ball and returned it to the Hartwick 13.
On its following possession, the Hawks responded in quick fashion. Following an incomplete pass from the Hartwick 44, Boltus connected with Phelan for a 56-yard scoring strike to once again give Hartwick the advantage at 28-21 with 12:59 left.
Hartwick, which ended a four-game losing streak to the Cardinals and stretched its home win streak to six games dating back to the 2006 season, generated 369 yards of offense. Boltus completed 22 of 32 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns, while Phelan finished with four catches for a career-high 124 yards. Crea tallied 51 yards on the ground and five grabs for 59 yards for the victorious Hawks.
The Cardinals collected 396 yards of offense, 294 of it coming on the ground. Reile had 29 attempts for 155 yards, while Hanson amassed 113 yards on 18 carries. Kramer finished completing 11 of 21 passes for 102 yards.
Joe Flaherty (Hastings, N.Y.) led the Hartwick defense with a game-high 12 tackles, while freshman Dan Contrastano (Hastings, N.Y.) and Colin Plass (Garden City, N.Y.) had 11 and 10 tackles respectively.
With the victory, Hartwick has successfully avenged three 2006 losses thus far this season. Hartwick was dumped by the Cardinals 57-16 last year in Rochester. Earlier, the Hawks tipped then #24 Ithaca 32-30 and then defeated Husson 35-27 to get their revenge.
Hartwick, now 3-1 for the first time since the 2002 campaign, will get another chance to avenge a loss from last year, as the Hawks travel to face Empire 8 rival Alfred, next Saturday. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m. Alfred dumped Hartwick 41-21 at Wright Stadium on October 7.
