ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell sprint football team will attempt to close out the 2022 season on the winning side when it visits Saint Thomas Aquinas on Friday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. at the Torne Valley Sports Complex in Hillburn, N.Y.
At 1-5 on the season, the Big Red is playing its best football of the season after topping Chestnut Hill 28-14 two weekends ago and dropping a 40-20 contest at Caldwell, a game that was tied early in the fourth quarter.
On offense, quarterback Xavier Martinez has thrown for 931 yards and seven touchdowns with his favorite targets being Colton Kotecki (14 catches, 315 yards, three touchdowns), Colin Boyle (18 catches, 246 yards) and Luke Verzella (16 catches, 219 yards, two touchdowns). Ralph Fleuranvil is the top threat in the run game, rushing for 305 yards in six games. Defensively, Will Anderson leads the way with 38 tackles, while Billy Turner has 32 with 2.5 tackles for loss and two pass breakups for head coach Terry Cullen's team.
At 2-4, the Spartans will attempt to end its season with consecutive wins after last weekend's 27-14 triumph over Chestnut Hill. Head coach Matt Barry's team features Donnell White, who leads the team with 39 tackles, including 8.0 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks, as well as Kasey Sullivan, who also has 39 stops with two interceptions and a pair of pass breakups. The defense surrenders 337.5 yards per game, while the offense picks up 196.8 yards per contest - a majority through the air. Eight of Saint Thomas Aquinas' nine touchdowns have come by way of the passing game with the final one an 80-yard interception return by Erick Campbell. Hassan Blakney has been the top offensive weapon for quarterback Ryan Kenny, catching 25 passes for 274 yards and three scores. Kenny has passed for 614 yards and eight scores while competing 50 percent of his passes.
Cornell leads the all-time series 2-1 after posting a comeback 30-27 win last season, scoring 20 points in the final period to overcome a 27-10 deficit. The two teams first met in 2018, a 30-15 triumph, with the Cougars winning in 2019, 39-19.
