MORRISVILLE, N.Y. – The SUNY Morrisville football team dropped their Empire 8 league opener to visiting, and no. 16 ranked by d3football.com SUNY Cortland, Saturday afternoon by a final 52-15 on Drake Field in Morrisville.

THE BASICS:

• Final Score: Morrisville 15, #16 Cortland 52
• Location: Drake Field, Morrisville, N.Y.
• Records: Morrisville 2-3, 0-1 Empire 8; Cortland 3-1, 1-0 Empire 8

 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Host SUNY Morrisville dropped its league opener to nationally ranked 16 Cortland Saturday afternoon, by a 52-15 final score on Drake Field in Morrisville.
• Cortland outgained the Mustangs 659 to 281 yards in total offense on the day, including a significant advantage in the running game.
• Morrisville quarterback Steven Frerichs (Wilson, N.Y.) went 18-for-31 in passing for 240 yards and two touchdown scores, three completions to Alex McBurnie (Brooklyn, N.Y.) who collected 75-yards and a score in the receptions, while adding another 11 on the ground.
• Jarrell Chaney (Albany, N.Y.) reined in two for 70-yards and a score, while Connor Marriott (Waterville, N.Y.) added 48 yards behind his five catches.
• Evan Salvaggio (Geneseo, N.Y.) led Morrisville's defensive efforts with 13 tackles, eight solo stops, while a trio of Mustangs each collected eight, including Anai Brake (Carteret, N.J.) who registered seven solo and one assisted tackle.
• Darrius Fulton (Rochester, N.Y.) and Eric Sparkman (Syracuse, N.Y.) also had eight, three each recorded as solo stops.
• Morrisville won the toss, and drove into Cortland territory, but turned the ball over on downs as they were stopped short of the marker.
• It didn't take long for the Red Dragons to put numbers up on the board, with the first strike coming on their first play with Zac Boyes hitting CJ Messina over center for the 70-yard touchdown.
• Morrisville responded on their ensuing possession, marching downfield with gains of 10- and 15-yards before Frerichs hit McBurnie who danced down the home sideline for the 49-yard score, putting the game even at seven after Owen Cole (Maspeth, N.Y.) sent the point after through the uprights.
• Cortland scored 17 unanswered points in the second to carry a 24-7 lead into the halftime break, before opening the third with another tally and three-possession advantage just five minutes into the third.
• Morrisville got one back on their following possession, taking advantage of a Cortland penalty to move the ball forward 15-yards, before Frerichs hit Chaney on the deep middle bomb for the 65-yard scoring strike.
• The Mustangs added to their score with a successful pass attempt from Frerichs to Quamel Jarvis (Rochester, N.Y.) in the back of the endzone to cut the visitor lead in half.
• That's as close as Morrisville would get, however, as Cortland posted the final three scores of the day, two more in the third frame.
• Boyes finished with 294 yards and four touchdown throws on 22-of-29 completions, hitting JJ Laap for 120 yards on seven tosses.
• Ashton Campone registered a Dragon best 125 yards on 18 carries, while Boyes added another 111 on 10 attempts and two rushing scores.
• Jack Winey led the defense with seven tackles.

 
WHAT'S NEXT:
 

• Morrisville hits the road next Saturday, traveling to Alfred University for a 2 p.m. Empire 8 kick-off in Alfred.

 
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