On a rain-soaked day, the Ithaca College football team earned a hard-fought victory, downing the Union College Garnet Chargers by a final score of 17–9 at Bertino Field at Butterfield Stadium.
After both sides started the game with a three-and-out, the Bombers started the scoring. The South Hill squad put together a five-play drive spanning 65 yards of the field. The drive was capped off with a touchdown pass from graduate student quarterback A.J. Wingfield to graduate student wide receiver Julien Deumaga in double coverage. Following the PAT from junior kicker Derek Baldin, the Bombers were up 7–0 with 9:44 remaining in the first quarter.
The Garnet Chargers responded strongly. Senior quarterback Donovan Pacatte started the drive off strong with a 37-yard completion to sophomore wide receiver Landers Green, pushing the ball past midfield and into Bombers territory.
The momentum was short-lived, as two plays later, on a rushing play from junior running back Jonathan Anderson, the ball was knocked loose on the play and recovered by graduate student defensive back Derek Slywka on the Bombers 19-yard line.
The rest of the 1st quarter was a defensive affair, with both offenses unable to put any points up on the board.
Following a three-and-out on the Garnet Chargers’ first drive of the second quarter, The Bombers put together a 12-play drive, spanning 40 yards of the field in four minutes and 32 seconds in the second quarter.
It seemed as if the Bombers would punt the football away following an incomplete pass from Wingfield to first-year wide receiver Nicholas Matos; however, a roughing the passer against senior linebacker Miguel Rodriguez kept the drive alive.
The Bombers then pushed the ball well into Garnet Charger territory, but the drive stalled at the opposing 23-yard line. Baldin converted the 40-yard field goal and pushed the Bombers’ lead up to 10 with 7:59 remaining in the second quarter.
The defense stood tall again, forcing another three and out for the Garnet chargers; however, the Bombers could not capitalize on the defensive stop. The Bombers hurt themselves with costly penalties, with a holding call on senior wide receiver Sam Kline and an offensive pass interference call on Matos.
The Bombers punted the ball away, and the Garnet Chargers produced their best offensive drive of the half. Pacatte utilized his legs to help push the ball into Bomber territory and down into the red zone. Pacatte struggled to pass the ball on the drive, like he did all first half, and forced the Garnet Chargers to settle for a field goal, cutting the Bombers’ lead to seven heading into the half.
The Bombers stifled the Garnet Chargers passing game in the first half, only allowing two completions on 13 attempts from Pacatte, only allowing 50 yards on the day.
After the Garnet Chargers’ first offensive drive of the second half stalled, they kept the offense out on 4th and 24. They ran no play, as Pacatte punted the football away, but the punt landed at the Bombers’ 3-yard line and pinned the Bombers against their goal line.
Three plays mustered negative one yards for the Bombers, and junior punter Darren Brunner was forced to punt from the back of the end zone. Brunner got the kickoff but only made it to the 35-yard line.
Starting at the Bombers 35-yard line. The biggest moment of the drive came on a fourth and two on the Bombers 16-yard line. Pacatte dropped back to pass and found Green for a nine-yard completion, moving the chains and keeping the drive alive.
The Bombers defense, however, stood tall in a goal-to-go situation. The Bombers forced two negative rushing plays on first and second down, and graduate student linebacker Ben Stola killed the drive with a six-yard sack against Pacatte.
Junior kicker Max Gluck trotted out onto the field for the Garentt Chargers, looking to cut the lead to four. Gluck was able to get the kick up but missed the 34-yard attempt, keeping the game at 10–3 with 6:29 remaining.
The hype was short-lived for the Bombers, as on their first play of the ensuing drive, Wingfield fumbled the ball after a nine-yard gain, and senior linebacker Cole DaSilva recovered the ball at the Bombers’ 29-yard line.
On the first play, Pacatte completed a 21-yard pass to junior wide receiver Tommy Leonard, putting the ball on the eight-yard line. The play was followed up by a seven-yard rush by Anderson, setting up a second and goal at the one-yard line. Pacatte took the ball up the middle, punching it in for the touchdown, only needing a field goal to tie the game. Gluck, however, missed the PAT, and the game stayed a one-point Bombers lead with 5:06 remaining.
As the fourth quarter started, and the Bombers were still up by one, Wingfield and the offense got the ball back with 13:50 remaining in the contest. Facing a third and four at midfield, Wingfield found a wide-open Kline in the middle of the field, completing a 33-yard pass before Kline slipped on the field but moved the ball into the red zone.
Four plays later, senior running back Jalen Leonard-Osbourne took the ball in for a six-yard touchdown run. Following a Baldin PAT, the Bombers led by eight with 9:36 remaining.
After the Bombers’ defense forced another punt by Garnet Chargers senior punter Andrew Lau, the Bombers had the chance to take more time off the clock and put the game away.
On a third and four at the Garnet Chargers 49-yard line, Wingfield rushed the ball for a loss of two. However, after the play, Wingfield stayed down on the ground. Needing the help of his teammates and the training staff, Wingfield walked off the field without putting any weight on his ankle.
Following an emotional speech at the end of the game, head coach Michael Toerper called Wingfield the best quarterback to come through this program.
“He’s the heart and soul of this program,” Toerper said. “I’m just really proud of him, his warrior mentality, and how he keeps this team together. He’s gonna continue to keep this team together even though he won’t be out there on the field.”
The Garnet Chargers needed a touchdown to keep their hopes alive. Facing a fourth and ten with 2:07 remaining, Pacatte threw a pass down the right sideline but overthrew his intended target and was picked off by Slywka, ending the Charger’s hopes and keeping the Bombers undefeated in Liberty League play.
In a defensive battle, Toerper applauded how his unit played against the Garnet Chargers offense that has scored more than 20 points in all their games this season.
“We were incredibly confident in our game plan because of our preparation and how we went in every day,” Toerper said, “Just making sure we corrected any errors we had, and we had so much clarity as a defense going into this game. I’m proud of their efforts and how they played all day.”
The Bombers will hit the road again, traveling to the University of Rochester for a noon kickoff on Oct. 21 at Edwin Fauver Stadium.
