Cortland (10/20/07) - Cortland scored the game's final 33 points, including a 27-0 margin in the second half, as the Red Dragons maintained their lead in New Jersey Athletic Conference with a 43-13 victory over nationally 15th-ranked Montclair State. Cortland is 6-1 overall and 5-0 in league play, while the Red Hawks slip to 5-2 and 2-2.

Junior quarterback Ray Miles (Port Byron) completed 13-of-22 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns. Senior cornerback Greg Steward (Elmont/Sewanhaka) intercepted two passes, returning one 87 yards for a touchdown and the other 28 yards to the 2-yard line to set up a touchdown.

Red Dragon tailbacks Dustin Bowser (Jamestown/Southwestern) and Andrew Giuliano (Thornwood/Westlake) combined for 134 rushing yards on 26 carries. Bowser ran for 74 yards on 14 attempts and Giuliano carried 12 times for 60 yards. Giuliano also threw a 6-yard touchdown pass on a halfback option. Senior kicker Matthew Mintz (Lawrence) made all three of his field goal attempts, including a career-best 41-yarder. Freshman linebacker Brian Haas (East Aurora/St. Francis) made a game and career-high 14 tackles and junior safety Matt Berman (Scarsdale) recorded nine tackles.

Montclair senior quarterback MICHAEL JUMP (Toms River, NJ/Toms River South) completed 22-of-42 passes for 276 yards and one touchdown, but was intercepted three times. Sophomore running back JEFF BLISS (New Milford, NJ) rushed 27 times for 78 yards and a touchdown. Montclair's usual starting tailback RYAN MCCOACH (Rockaway, NJ/Morris Hills), the NJAC's second-leading rusher at 97.5 yards per game, did not dress for the game sitting out with an injury..

On Montclair's first possession of the game, Cortland senior Brian Bert (Massapequa Park/Massapequa) blocked a punt that teammate Ricky Case (Rochester/Gates-Chili) recovered at the Red Hawks' 10-yard line. Three plays later, Miles hit senior Keith Greene (Brentwood) on a 4-yard pass to give the Red Dragons a 7-0 lead. Montclair answered on its next possession, driving 80 yards on 10 plays for the tying score. Junior JEFF PAPCUN (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) completed the drive with a diving 21-yard touchdown catch with 5:51 left in the first quarter.

Cortland regained the lead on its next drive with Mintz's 41-yard field goal. Montclair responded with an impressive 15-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that featured 22-yard and 20-yard completions to senior BRANDON FRONJIAN (Palisades Park, NJ) and ended with a 1-yard Bliss run. The extra point failed, however, and the Red Hawks led 13-10 with 12:15 left in the half. Fronjian finished with five catches for 74 yards. The Red Hawks failed to add to their lead when a 42-yard field goal attempt by MARCO CAPOZZOLI (Bloomfield, NJ/St. Joseph's) hit the left upright with 1:12 left in the half.

Cortland took over on its own 25-yard line and methodically drove to the Montclair 22-yard line. A holding penalty moved the ball back to the 32-yard line and the Red Dragons briefly considered attempting a 49-yard field goal with 3.1 seconds left.

Instead, Cortland kept its offense on the field and Miles threw up a Hail Mary pass that sophomore Zacc Guaragno (Lansing) leapt and caught for an apparent 32-yard touchdown. Guaragno, however, was called for an illegal shift on the play and the Red Dragons received one untimed play to end the half. Miles tossed up another Hail Mary to the right side of the end zone, and Guaragno once again came down with the ball for a 37-yard touchdown and a 16-13 Red Dragon lead. Mintz's extra point, however, was blocked by junior JEREMY MERCER (Leonardo, NJ/Middletown South), ending Mintz's school record of 70 successful consecutive PAT kicks. Mercer has blocked six kicks this season, including four PATs.

The second half was all Cortland's as the Red Dragons held Montclair to 128 yards of total offense, including five net rushing yards, over the final 30 minutes. Montclair did, however, hold a 334-295 advantage in total offensive yardage for the game. Cortland's first drive of the second half initially stalled at its own 28-yard line, but Montclair fumbled on the punt return and the Red Dragons recovered at the Red Hawks' 28-yard line. Three plays later, Giuliano tossed a 6-yard pass to senior fullback Mike Sveda (Smithtown) and Cortland led 23-13.

Mintz's 35-yard field goal with 7:30 left in the third quarter extended the lead to 26-13. Early in the fourth quarter, Steward intercepted a pass and returned the ball 28 yards before being stopped two yards shy of the end zone. On second down, Giuliano bounced off a tackle and dove in for a score and a 33-13 lead. Montclair's next drive ended on its first play when freshman safety Colan Shue (Theresa/Indian River) intercepted a pass at the Red Hawks? 43-yard line. That led to a Mintz 33-yard field goal and the lead was 36-13.

Montclair drove to the Cortland 24-yard line on its next possession, but Steward intercepted a pass at the 13-yard line, made a winding return and eventually dove just inside the right pylon of the end zone for an 87-yard touchdown with 4:40 remaining. The play was the second-longest interception return in school history behind Steve Armstrong?s 94-yard return versus New York Tech in 1981.