Brockport, NY – The SUNY Brockport football 75th anniversary season began with a 27-7 win over Framingham State on Saturday. In a full team effort, Brockport more than doubled the total yardage of the visiting Rams with 384 yards of offense on the way to a 1-0 start.
Brockport (1-0) has now taken down Framingham in each of their last four meetings, making the record 4-0 all-time against this opponent. The crew hits the road next week for a 1pm kickoff against the Bombers of Ithaca on September 10th. After the loss the Rams open the season 0-1.
The Golden Eagle defense held their opponent to just 191 yards and came away with two interceptions. Senior linebacker John DeRidder provided a highlight in the fourth quarter, putting the game away with a 21-yard pick six. On top of his first interception wearing the Green and Gold, he added four solo tackles and a sack.
Transfer quarterback Todd Simonds made his Brockport debut, connecting on 14-of-23 passes to total 208 yards with a touchdown. He also carried the ball 13 times for 36 yards on the ground. Simonds linked up with Jared Maurino for the first Golden Eagle touchdown of the season in the first quarter. Maurino caught the ball outside the numbers, turned up field, and took it 67 yards for the longest touchdown reception of his career.
Following behind the big guys up front on the line, the Brockport offense pounded the rock 48 times on the ground. Rashad Law was the lead back, racking up 66 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Gino Fontanarosa broke off the longest run of the game of 25 yards on his way to 50 yards on eight carries.
The defensive unit held the Framingham offense to just 60 yards rushing on 27 attempts. Team captain Ben Damiani led the team with seven tackles and added a pass breakup from his linebacker position. Fellow captain Ben Marshall stepped up aggressively from the secondary to make six stops on the day.
Jared Maurino's one catch for 67 yards and a score led all-receivers in yardage on the day. Derrick Chance and Louis Usera each had three catches for a combined 83 yards through the air. James Altenburger also came away with three grabs for the Golden Eagle offense, totaling 36 receiving yards.
The Rams were unable to get anything going consistently in the passing game due intense pass rush and coverage from the Green and Gold. The two Framingham quarterbacks, Noah Leonard and Nicolas Goffred, combined for 12-for-25 passing, 131 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions.
John DeRidder contributed to both the pass rush and solid coverage, posting a sack and a 21-yard interception return for a touchdown. Hakeem Yaya had one of his game-high three quarterback hurries, helping setup the DeRidder pick six. Aidan Thomas recorded the other sack for the Brockport defense and Purcelle Brown picked off a pass in the second quarter. Ben Robinson provided more pressure for the opposing signal callers with two hurries.
Kicker Nate Wigent made each of his attempts count, going 2-for-2 on field goals and 3-for-3 on extra points. Wigent opened up the scoring for the 2022 season with a 27-yarder in the first quarter and hit his long of the day from 33-yards out in the fourth. Noah Panepinto kicked the ball into the end zone for one touchback, totaling 297 yards in five kickoffs for an average of 59.4 yards.
Dan Giangrasso handled the punting duties for Brockport, averaging 40 yards a punt with a long of 44 yards on three punts. Quarterback Todd Simonds stepped in for a quick kick in the second quarter, recording a 22-yard punt. Derrick Chance had three opportunities for a return on Framingham punts. The senior total 64 return yards and set up Brockport's first score of the game with a 42-yard scamper in the opening quarter.
The Golden Eagles shut out Framingham in the first half, taking a 17-0 lead into the locker room at halftime. Chance's big punt return set the table for Wigent's 27-yard field goal to get a 3-0 lead in the first. The team's first touchdown of the year came in the second thanks to Maurino's 67-yard receiving score. Rashad Law helped close out the first half strong with a 3-yard rush near the goal line to make it a three-possession game.
Framingham was able to get on the board midway through the third, by way of a 38-yard touchdown pass from Noah Leonard to Manny Lara. After the point after touchdown went through the uprights, the score read 17-7. Wigent tacked three more points onto Brockport's total with his 33-yard field goal early on in the fourth. Finally, John DeRidder's 21-yard pick six put the game out of reach at 27-7 which allowed Brockport to kill clock to secure the win.
The Golden Eagles take the win to start their 75th anniversary season at home over the Rams. They now begin to prepare for another non-conference battle with the Ithaca College Bombers on Saturday, September 10th. Kick-off is scheduled for 1 pm at Butterfield Stadium.