The football team ended its season much like it started, playing a close game against a team it was expected to beat handily on its home turf. Unfortunately for Ithaca, the end result was not the same as its season-opening win over Lycoming College on Sept. 6.
The Bombers ended the 2008 season with a 26–21 loss to the stingy Curry College Colonels from Milton, Mass. But while junior running back Thomas Bergerstock said he feels the disappointment that comes with the team’s shortcomings, he remains eager for what lies ahead.
“The team has a bright future,” Bergerstock said. “We have a lot of young guys coming up who are real excited to get on the field and contribute on Saturday.”
Bergerstock was just one of many great stories for the Bombers this season. As the Blue and Gold came into the 2008 campaign not knowing who their starting running back would be, Bergerstock left no doubt inside the minds of the Bomber faithful.
In his first season as a starter, Bergerstock set the program’s single-season touchdown record, reaching the end zone a total of 20 times. Bergerstock’s record-breaking season is even more impressive because he played in just one quarter during the team’s final three games because of an injury.
Fortunately for Bergerstock, he ran behind a mammoth offensive line that opened up the holes all season long.
The line welcomed newcoming junior right tackle Jake Queener with open arms. He transferred from Football Championship Subdivision University of Maine and helped lead the entire offensive line to its first Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week award.
Joining Queener on the line were seniors Sean Mircov, Chris Gray and Eric Russo along with junior Ben Garvey. The offensive line helped lead a rushing attack that averaged just under 200 yards per game this season.
Bergerstock’s running game behind the offensive line proved to be the catalyst for the Bombers in the beginning of the 2008 season. They won their first three games against Lycoming, King’s College and Hartwick College, respectively, averaging more than 40 points a game.
Ithaca then hit a road block in its lone regular-season loss on the road at St. John Fisher College on Sept. 27, falling by a score of 37–6 to the Cardinals.
But much like in 2007, the Bombers finished the 2008 season strong, winning their final six regular-season games.
The Bombers followed the loss with a bye week before a win on the road at Norwich College. They then won three straight games at Butterfield Stadium against Frostburg State College, Utica College and Springfield College.
With a playoff berth within their reach, the Bombers went back on the road for the final two weeks of the season, picked up a win at Alfred University and topped off the regular season by capturing the Cortaca Jug for the second straight year in a convincing 35–13 win over the previously No. 7-ranked SUNY-Cortland.
Defensively, the Bombers dealt with many personnel changes throughout the season, but the defensive unit proved to be much more consistent in the second half. The Bombers allowed an average of only 15.5 points per game in its final six wins and did not allow a single touchdown to the Red Dragons in the Cortaca Jug game.
But it was the defense that allowed the game-winning score by the Colonels in the playoffs with 32 seconds left on the clock, which all but ended the Bombers’ 2008 run.
“We just didn’t execute,” junior defensive end Joe Goetz said. “We had them right where we wanted, but we just couldn’t make plays.”
But even in the face of defeat, it is hard to overlook the accomplishments of the 2008 Bombers. Ithaca finished the season at 9–2, winning six of its final seven games to win the Empire 8 and earn an automatic bid to the playoffs.
Senior quarterback Dan Juvan leaves the offense to up-and-coming junior quarterback Brian Grastorf. Juvan said his four years in the Bombers program helped him grow and establish values.
“There is a lot more to football than what you see on Saturdays,” Juvan said. “I learned a lot hanging out with [Head Coach Mike Welch] every day, and I feel blessed to have gone through this journey with this group of guys. It’s been a priceless experience.”
It is a bittersweet moment for Juvan and his fellow seniors, who came up short of their ultimate goal in their four-year tenure as Bombers. But the loss just keeps the team that much more focused for a run in 2009.
“This team is motivated more than ever,” Goetz said. “We’re all ready to get started working for next year.”