Smith Catches Three TD Passes as Cortland Rolls Past Hartwick, 56-3

ONEONTA, N.Y. - Jake Smith (Albany/Guilderland) caught seven passes for 176 yards, including a school record-tying three touchdowns, and Cortland finished with a 608-145 advantage in total offense as the Red Dragons defeated host Hartwick, 56-3, in an Empire 8 contest. Cortland won its fourth straight game to improve to 6-1 overall and 4-1 in league play. The Red Dragons have scored at least 33 points in all seven games this fall, including more than 50 points four times. Brett Segala (Webster/Webster Schroeder) finished 22-of-32 passing for 326 yards and four touchdowns and also ran for a 37-yard score. Tommy Heuer (Oceanside) went 6-of-7 through the air for 91 yards and a score as Cortland rolled up 417 passing yards. Smith's three TD catches ties a school single-game record achieved 12 times previously, most recently by current teammate Nick Anderson (Saratoga Springs) versus Brockport last fall. Smith has now caught at least one TD pass in eight straight games, tied for the second-longest streak in school history, and his 29 career TD catches are one shy of tying the school record. John Babin holds both of those school records with 30 career TD catches (2010-11, 13-14) and nine straight games with a TD catch (2011, 2013). Coincidentally, both Babin's nine-game streak and Smith's current eight-game run carried over from two years previous due to missing a full season because of injury. Alex Wasserman (Closter, NJ/Northern Valley Demarest) caught six passes for 57 yards and a score and Trevor Ash (Auburn) had five catches for 65 yards and a TD. Cortland was also effective on the ground with 191 rushing yards on 31 carries. Segala led the way with 44 yards on three runs. Tai-Sean Dodd (Wappingers Falls/Roy C. Ketcham) and Johnnie Akins (Roosevelt) each ran for 40 yards on five and nine rushes, respectively, and Roy Harvey (Jamaica/Campus Magnet) carried four times for 32 yards. Akins and Harvey each registered TD run. The Red Dragon defense recorded seven sacks, including two each by Dan Appley (Herkimer) and Gregory Alfieri (Hawthorne/Westlake). Appley finished with three total tackles for loss among his four overall stops. Max Jean (Lakeview/Malverne) ended with five solo tackles and two pass breakups, Isaac Hicks III (Staten Island/Curtis) made five tackles, and Dylan Studer(Chenango Forks) intercepted a pass. Grant Harman was 10-of-22 passing for 72 yards and Bryce Macina went 4-for-10 for 52 yads for the Hawks (2-5, 0-4 Empire 8). Jack Steinman caught four passes for 43 yards and Corey Sachs ran five times for 26 yards. Cameron Conrad led Hartwick with nine tackles, all solo. Dylan Williams-Bachman and Stephen Junjulas each intercepted a pass. Cortland scored touchdowns on each of its first four possessions and led 28-0 midway through the second quarter. Smith caught a 25-yard TD pass from Segala 3:10 into the game and Akins capped a 77-yard drive with a 7-yard TD run later in the first. Smith grabbed an 18-yard scoring toss early in the second and Segala ran for his 37-yard TD with 6:51 left in the half. The Red Dragons' next drive ended by interception, but Cortland closed the quarter on a Wasserman 9-yard TD catch with 30 seconds left and led 35-0 at halftime. Junjulas' 31-yard interception return set up Hartwick at the Cortland 9-yard line less than a minute into the third quarter. Cortland's defense, however, held the Hawks to a Kevin Roberts 27-yard field goal that made the score 35-3. On the Red Dragons' ensuing drive, Smith caught a 51-yard TD pass from Segala to push the lead to 42-3. Ash caught an 8-yard TD pass from Heuer later in the third to extend the lead to 49-3, and Harvey closed the scoring with a 4-yard TD run with 13 minutes left in the game. Cortland will host St. John Fisher next Saturday at 2 p.m.