Springfield junior quarterback Jacob Silvester is stopped by several Ithaca College Bombers defenders during their NCAA tournament game Nov. 18. The Bombers would go on to defeat the Pride, 21–7.
The No. 19 Ithaca College football team traveled to Springfield, Massachusetts on Nov. 18, for a first-round matchup with the Springfield College Pride. After coming out victorious over the Pride in the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2022, the Bombers once again proved their dominance with a 21–7 win to survive and advance.
Defensively, the Bombers held the Pride scoreless until the final quarter of the game. Junior defensive back Jake Connolly led the team with 12 total tackles while junior defensive lineman Joshua Miles and first-year defensive lineman Carson Ciancuielli each added seven tackles. Graduate student defensive back Derek Slywka earned six stops and two tackles for loss — the Bombers finished with five tackles for loss throughout the game.
Senior running back Jalen Leonard-Osbourne led the team with 165 yards through 20 carries, while first-year quarterback Colin Schumm boasted 63 yards on 16 attempts. Leonard-Osbourne also led in receiving yards with 26 as Schumm went 7-for-10 in passing.
The Bombers will next travel to Ashland, Virginia, where they will take on the No. 8 Randolph-Macon College Yellow Jackets in a second-round matchup at noon Nov. 25.
Senior running back Jalen Leonard-Osbourne rushes down the sideline while Julien Deumaga, graduate student wide receiver for the bombers, tries to block Will Aviles, first-year student defensive back for Springfield. (Nolan Saunders)Senior running back Jalen Hines break free from a host of Springfield defenders for the Bombers’ second touchdown. (Nolan Saunders)Nicholas Lang, first-year student wide receiver for the Bombers, reaches up for a pass with sophomore defensive back Tyler Paladino in coverage. (Nolan Saunders)Junior offensive lineman Connor Schmitt lifts up Darren Brunner, junior linebacker and punter, after he pinned the Springfield offense deep within their own territory. (Nolan Saunders)From left, first-year student defensive linemen Aidan Parry and Carson Ciancuielli celebrate after Parry recovered a Springfield fumble to give possession over to the Bombers offense. (Nolan Saunders)Leonard-Osbourne bounces off an attempted tackle from Springfield’s Paladino to tip-toe into the endzone for the Bombers’ third touchdown of the day. (Nolan Saunders)Derek Slywka, graduate student defensive back, makes a solo tackle on sophomore running back Blane Hart. (Nolan Saunders)
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