For senior quarterback Brian Grastorf, it all came full circle. His first career start under center was much like his last — a win in the Cortaca Jug.

“It was nice to get those last two wins,” Grastorf said. “Finishing off strong as seniors was a great way to go out on top.”

The football team’s seniors finished off their careers at Ithaca, winning three of four Cortaca Jug games and seeing the playoffs in two of their four seasons. But with three losses in 2009, the Bombers failed to make the playoffs. Grastorf said the team’s fatal flaw this season was inconsistency.

“We didn’t play full games offensively and defensively,” Grastorf said.

The Bombers’ first loss came at the hands of Union College on Sept. 12 in the final seconds of the game. It was an upset loss in which the Bombers’ defense allowed nearly 200 rushing yards.

The South Hill squad bounced back nicely, winning three straight games before falling 40–17 to rival St. John Fisher College on Oct. 10 for a fourth straight time. Two weeks later, the Bombers lost their second straight conference game on Oct. 31 to Springfield College. It was a game during which Ithaca’s defense allowed a season-worst 47 points.

One of the Bombers’ biggest problems in the games they lost was not making proper second-half adjustments. In the losses to Fisher and Springfield, Ithaca was outscored by a combined 41 points in the third and fourth quarters.

But the Bombers’ defense came through at the season’s end, stringing together solid performances in the season’s final two games. After allowing an average of 23 points per game through the first eight games, and 34 points per game against winning teams, Ithaca allowed a total of just 30 points in its final two contests. Those final two games came against two of the better teams on the Blue and Gold’s schedule.

Head Coach Mike Welch attributes his team’s improvements in defense to several players stepping up in the final two games of the season.

“[Sophomore] Ryan Clarke had two really outstanding games,” Welch said. “We were better on third downs and also created more turnovers. A lot of it also had to do with special teams.”

Clarke is one of the eight starters who will return for the Bombers’ defense in 2010. Offensively, the Bombers are projected to return six starters. Sophomore cornerback Mike Conti said the last two games of the season helped build toward the team’s future.

“People were questioning our toughness, and we proved to the naysayers that we have what it takes,” Conti said. “Those last two wins give us a lot of off-season momentum.”

But Conti, who started in all 10 of the Bombers’ games in 2009, said he is aware that no starting position is safe.

“There is competition every day,” Conti said. “In spring ball, there is going to be competition. Come next year, a freshman could be starting. But between the youth and depth we have, we will be in a position to win.”

This depth allowed the Bombers to complete their 39th straight winning season with a 7–3

record in 2009, which is the second-longest streak in all of college football. The talent the team will return in 2010 leaves the program looking forward to a promising future.

 

Box Score - Cortland vs Ithaca (11/14/09 at Ithaca, N.Y.)