No. 4 Brockport bests St. Lawrence, 65-12 in Homecoming Showcase

BROCKPORT, N.Y. – The No. 4 College at Brockport football team dazzled in front of a packed Homecoming crowd on Saturday, taking care of business against Saint Lawrence University, posting a strong 65-12 win. The Golden Eagles remain unbeaten in 2018, improving to 3-0 while the Saints fall to 1-2 to start their season. The Brockport offense shined while the defensive unit was relentless, holding SLU to a mere one-yard rushing and only 135 total yards of offense. The Green and Gold defense also had two pick-sixes, a forced fumble, and a blocked field goal while wreaking all-out havoc on the Saints. The Golden Eagle offense had a sound day at the office, posting 670-yards of total offense, including 372 through the air and 298 on the ground and went six-for-seven in the red zone. Head coach Jason Mangone's squad was in complete control of the contest, from start to finish, posting back-to-back scores within the first three minutes of play. In the first Green and Gold drive of the game, Joe Germinerio led a three-play drive to the end zone, featuring a pass completion to Tyree Brown for 43-yards and a seven-yard completion to Eamon Gillespie for the TD. Jason Hellwigpulled double duty, sending the extra point through the uprights to take the early 7-0 lead. On the ensuing SLU drive, the Brockport defense got on the board, when on the first Saints play, Matt Arita picked up the Cedric Campbell III forced fumble, and took it to the house for the 14-0 lead. The Brockport offensive machine continued to churn, posting a pair of quarterback keeper touchdowns. Germinerio put the scoring exclamation point on a 10-play, 84-yard drive, taking it into the end zone himself for the 21-0 lead to close the first quarter. He did it again to put the Golden Eagles up 27-0 to start the second quarter, this time capping a 70-yard drive with the score. The scoring wasn't done for the Golden Eagles, as defense turned into offense, with Rashad Baker picking off a pass, leading to another Green and Gold TD. After just one play from the offense, a 16-yard Germinerio to Gillespie connection, Brockport pushed their lead to 33-0 with 10 minutes to play in the half. Despite the Saints using a pair of Brockport penalties to their advantage to post a touchdown, the Golden Eagles had the final say of the half as they charged down the field on the ensuing drive to take a 40-6 cushion into the break. The scoring onslaught continued in the second half, with Hellwig getting action under center, leading the Golden Eagles on a 79-yard drive that ended in points. Hellwig connected with Joseph Ortiz for the 27-yard score, and it was quickly followed by another Brockport score, this time by the defense, when Kareem Leaver returned a pick for a TD and the 52-6 lead. Joe Benedict found his time to shine in the fourth quarter, picking up major yardage and finding the end zone on two different occasions. His efforts capped a high-scoring affair for the Golden Eagles, putting the finishing touches on the 65-12 win. Leading the Brockport defense was Matt Szymanski, who posted eight tackles on the day, including a tackle for loss. Aaron Pilgrim had a solid day, posting five tackles, including two for loss and a six-yard sack. The Golden Eagles will enjoy a break in week four as they gear up for Courage Bowl XIV. The Green and Gold will host St. John Fisher College on Sept 29, with kick off slated for 6 p.m. Be sure to stay up to date on all your Golden Eagle news, scores, and awards by following @BportAthletics on Twitter and by like the "Brockport Golden Eagles" Facebook page.