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Cornell University Athletics

Sprint football plays against Chestnut Hill during the 2025 season at Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, N.Y.
Darl Zehr/Cornell Athletics
31
Winner Cornell COR 1-7 , 1-4
14
Penn PENN 2-6 , 0-4
Winner
Cornell COR
1-7 , 1-4
31
Final
14
Penn PENN
2-6 , 0-4
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
COR Cornell 0 14 10 7 31
PENN Penn 7 0 7 0 14

Game Recap: Sprint Football | | Jeremy Hartigan, Senior Associate Director of Athletics for Communications

All Three Phases Contribute In Sprint Football's 31-14 Win At Penn

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The Cornell sprint football team blocked two punts and intercepted four passes to pick up a win in its season finale, defeating Penn 31-14 on Friday evening at Franklin Field. The Big Red ended its season 1-7, while the Quakers finished at 2-6.

The Big Red scored 24 unanswered points from late in the second quarter into the fourth to pull away and pick up its first victory over Penn in 12 tries and its first triumph in Philly since 2009.

After Penn took a 7-0 lead on a 36-yard touchdown pass late in the first, Cornell answered with two second-quarter scores — a 15-yard strike from Stefano Luis to Andrew Lay and a 9-yard keeper by Kyle Melkonian — for a 14-7 halftime edge.

Special teams tipped the game. Derek Marrero's block set up a short field late in the second, and in the third quarter Alexei DiDonato blocked a punt that Dan O'Malley recovered in the end zone for a 21-7 lead. Sumner Roberts added a 28-yard field goal with 22 seconds left in the third to push it back to a two-possession game at 24-14.

Senior Anthony Rambino capped a nine-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, the first of his career, at 1:11 of the fourth to seal it. Rambino finished with 92 rushing yards on 18 carries. Melkonian added 58 yards and a score and also completed a 29-yard pass. Luis went 17-of-24 for 140 yards and a touchdown, ending the season with 1,411 passing yards - good for second on the school's single-season list. Lay caught five balls for 40 yards and a touchdown, his fifth of the year. Roberts hit all four PATs in addition to his field goal and ended the year tied with Lay in scoring with 30 points.

Cornell's offense piled up 315 yards and 20 first downs 

Cornell's defense limited Penn to 36 rushing yards, recorded four sacks and four interceptions — by Dylan Leaird, Carter Aime, O'Malley (on a return after a fumble recovery sequence) and Thomas Shegogue — while Ben Roerden logged 10 tackles and a sack. 

Penn's Jake Wang had six receptions for 108 yards and a score, and the Quakers' only other touchdown came on a 36-yard catch by Jason Sheairs.
 
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