After outscoring opponents 109-17 since the bye, Brockport Golden Eagles football hosted the Alfred Saxons looking to win its third game in a row. Brockport won in all three phases of the game, totaling 507 yards while holding Alfred to 107 in a 51-0 shutout victory.
Last year when these two teams met, Alfred pulled out a 23-14 victory. It was on the minds of the Golden Eagles that this game meant more.
“Yeah we wanted to get our get back for sure,” junior running back Isaiah Simmons said. “This was a big game for us and we were ready for it.”
Leading the way for the Golden Eagles offensively were Simmons and senior wide receiver Daniel Manneh. The junior running back posted 236 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries, averaging 10.7 yards a run while Manneh finished with nine receptions for 125 yards and one touchdown all in the first half.
The duo came into the game as the second and third ranked athletes in the Empire 8 in all-purpose yards and only added to their totals today.
“When you watch film, you know you have to stop those two guys and we’re going to try to get them the ball in multiple ways and usually when they have it, it’s usually a good thing,” Brockport Football Head Coach Jason Mangone said. “They’ve been outstanding since they’ve got here and we expect more of that as we go on.”
Brockport was up 30-0 with 10 minutes to go in the third quarter, but after a muffed punt by the Golden Eagles, Alfred had a chance to score with the ball starting at Brockport’s one-yard line. But the top 10 defense in the nation did not give up an inch, forcing a goal line stand giving Brockport the ball back.
“I mean every single play it’s they don’t get nothing, that’s our mentality,” junior linebacker Darius Cervi said. “It doesn’t matter who we’re playing. Our coaches always put that in our mind. So, that’s the mindset we go in with every single time we’re out there.”
That momentum carried into the offense as on the first play of the following drive, Simmons took the ball 99 yards to the house to give Brockport a 37-0 lead and put the game away. It’s the longest rushing touchdown in program history and longest since Joe Massi in 1957 who held the record for 68 years with a 95-yard touchdown run.
“I mean…insane right,” Simmons said. “That fired us up, seeing the defense do something like that and we kept it going. So it’s always great to respond like that.”
In the first half, it was all Brockport. Despite only scoring three points in the first quarter, the Golden Eagles put up 20 points in the second quarter to take a 23-0 lead heading into the half Brockport did not relinquish.
Heading the offensive charge was Manneh who got all his yards and receptions in the first 30 minutes of play. To go along with great returns on special teams, the senior finished with 181 all-purpose yards on the day.
Simmons scored a 11-yard rushing touchdown in the quarter as well and back-to-back Empire 8 Special Teams Player of the Week junior Zach McGowan went 3-for-3 on field goals in the first half, with a new career-long of 41 yards to cap off the 20-point quarter.
The defense complimented the offense. Through seven weeks, the Brockport defense ranked second in the nation in total yards allowed (1390) and yards per game (198.6), fourth in rush yards per play (1.8), fifth in rush yards per game (49.6), second in first downs allowed (77), 15th in points allowed (12.6), 17th in pass yards allowed per game (149) and 20th in opponent third down conversion percentage (29.3%).
The Golden Eagles proved they’re one of the best defenses in the country once again as Brockport did not allow a first down in the half. To go along with that, the Golden Eagles held the Saxons to just 15 total yards in the opening 30.
On the day, the Golden Eagles defense only allowed 107 yards, 46 on the ground and 61 through the air. The dominant defense allowed just seven first downs, forced nine punts and posted a 7.7% third-down conversion rate as Alfred went just 1-13 in third down situations.
After the 99-yard run, sophomore quarterback Zymeir Jackson found the back of the endzone on a 17-yard read option score and defensive back Kyle Slywka blocked an Alfred punt for a scoop and score to cap off the day.
To go along with Simmons and Manneh, junior quarterback Ben Gocella finished 18/26 for 158 yards and one touchdown, posting a 69.2 completion percentage, only increasing the Empire 8 leading stat for the junior. Sophomore wide receiver Nate Williams added three receptions for 26 yards while sophomore running back Mason Ennist ended the day with 49 yards on nine carries.
Defensively, leading the way were linebackers Luca Friedman and Cervi. Friedman totaled five tackles including three for loss and two sacks while Cervi finished with four tackles and a strip-sack fumble.
“We prep every week, hustle to the ball every single play,” Cervi said. “Obviously, I know my teammates do their one-eleventh and I’m going to do mine. Trusting my DBs to guard receivers, and if I can keep running and the quarterback stops I can make the big play and that’s thanks to them. So shout out to my teammates and coaches.”
To go along with that, freshman linebacker Nazhier Wilson added five tackles while Slywka ended with four. Defensive back Elijah Grooms notched three tackles and two pass breakups while Liam Nealy and Aaron Gollnitz picked up three tackles and a pass breakup apiece.
McGowan ended the day 3-for-3 on field goals and totaled 627 yards on 10 kickoffs with five touchbacks as the junior continued to stay hot in the special teams department.
Since the bye, Brockport has now won three in a row, outsourcing opponents 160-17 in that stretch. To go along with that it is the Golden Eagles third shutout of the season and second at home as Brockport remains undefeated at Bob Boozer Field with a 4-0 record.
“Obivously those losses, they shut us down a little bit, but I know they went to OT and we know we could do better,” Cervi said. “So every single time we played, we were just focusing on getting better and every single time we kept getting better. We just build and build upon weeks and every single game we take that, combine it and keep moving forward.”
With just two games left in the season and the Empire 8 Championship up for grabs, the mentality remains the same: win, win, win.
“It’s what we want,” Simmons said. “It’s what we look forward to, it’s the games we need, so let’s make it happen.”
The Brockport Golden Eagles improved to a 6-2 overall record and 4-1 in conference play, tied for second with the Utica Pioneers. With Empire 8 championship aspirations on the line, the Golden Eagles travel to take on the reigning champs of the Empire 8, the Cortland Red Dragons after falling last year 29-28 on a game-winning field goal in the title game.
Brockport looks for revenge with kickoff scheduled for noon on Nov. 8th.
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