ICTV's Gridiron Report

Red Dragons rally in second half to claim first Cortaca Jug since 2006

gvncote — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 20:25:15 +0000

The Cortland Red Dragons (9-1) scored 17 unanswered points in the second half to rally for a 20-17 victory in the 52nd Cortaca Jug, claiming their first win in the series in four years. The Ithaca Bombers finish the season at 6-4.

The Bombers struggled to run the football again, gaining just 15 yards for the game.

Senior wide receiver Thomas Vossler led the Bombers with 8 receptions for 83 yards. Vossler finishes his career with 144 career receptions and finished 38 yards shy of becoming the all time leader in receiving yards at Ithaca College.

Rob Zappia completed 19 of 39 passes for 275 yards and a touchdown in the loss. Tightend Dan Higgins was the recipient of Zappia’s lone touchdown pass.

Junior linebacker Ryan Clarke led the Bombers with 13 tackles.

Tune in to the Gridiron Report tomorrow night at 9 pm for a full recap of the 52nd Cortaca Jug. Senior Running Back Dan Ruggiero joins me on the show, concluded an excellent career as an Ithaca College Bomber.

Bombers – Red Dragons Battle in 52nd Cortaca Jug

gvncote — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 13:49:50 +0000

The Ithaca College Bombers (6-3) have the chance to play playoff spoiler today when they take on the 8-1 Cortland Red Dragons in the “biggest little game in the country,” the Cortaca Jug.

The Bombers have won the last three Cortaca Jugs and a win today would mark the first time the Bombers have won four straight jugs since completing the feat with a victory in 1987.

Three teams, Cortland, Rowan, and Montclair State sit atop the NJAC standings at 8-1 heading in to this weekend. With the NJAC likely to only get one at large bid to the NCAA playoffs, today’s Cortaca Jug game has major playoff implications for the Red Dragons.

Follow the game live on twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/GridironReport.

Make sure to tune in to the Gridiron Report tomorrow night at 9 on ICTV Channel 16 (Tompkins County Region) or online at ICTV.org, for a full recap of the 52nd Cortaca Jug.

Bombers Take Aim At Empire 8 Title

gvncote — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 13:43:58 +0000

The Ithaca Bombers football team (6-2, 3-1 E8) can claim a share of the Empire 8 title today with a win at Alfred. The Bombers will need some help however, to earn the Empire 8′s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The St. John Fisher Cardinals hold the head-to-head tie break over the Bombers because of their 34-10 victory versus Ithaca. The Cardinals take on the Springfield Pride today in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Bombers senior wide receiver Thomas Vossler takes aim at history today as well. Th captain is three receptions away from becoming the all-time leading receiver in Ithaca history. Vossler currently has 129 career receptions. Abe Ceesay holds the current record of 131 career receptions.

Make sure to tune in to The Gridiron Report tomorrow night at 9 p.m. on ICTV Time Warner 16 (Tompkins County Region) or online at www.ictv.org, for a full recap of the Bombers E8 clash with the Saxons.

Bombers Fall On The Road To St. John Fisher

gvncote — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 14:44:16 +0000

The Ithaca Bombers (4-2, 1-1 E8) fell to the St. John Fisher Cardinals (6-0, 2-0 E8), 34-10 Saturday in an Empire 8 football matchup.

The Cardinals out gained the Bombers in total offense 473 to 219 en route to the victory. Rob Zappia passed for 226 yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted twice and sacked four times by a stingy Fisher defense. Senior Wide Receiver Thomas Vossler led the Bombers with six receptions for 54 yards and one touchdown.

For the Cardinals, QB Tim Bailey passed for 361 yards and a touchdown. Bailey was also intercepted twice. Spence White and Mike Conti recorded the interceptions for Ithaca, their second and third of the year respectively.

Tune in to The Gridiron Report Sunday night a 9 p.m. on Time Warner channel 16 (Tompkins County Region), or online at www.ictv.org (click “watch live”). Head Coach Mike Welch will be on the show to break down the game and Thomas Vossler will join me as the CFCU Player of the Week.

Full Length Zappia and Kuglar Interviews Online

gvncote — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 16:18:30 +0000

Full length versions of Gridiron Report correspondent Gregg Torlone’s feature interviews with Senior Quarterback Rob Zappia and Sophomore Defensive End Owen Kuglar are now available online.

Portions of these interviews previously aired on The Gridiron Report (Zappia week 3, Kuglar week 5) and can now be seen in their entirety.

Watch these in-depth interviews to see what did not make the cut and to learn more about these Bomber student- athletes.

Watch The Gridiron Report Online

gvncote — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 18:40:21 +0000

Miss this week’s edition of The Gridiron Report? Don’t worry, ICTV has you covered. Visit www.ictv.org/show/GridironReport/ to watch last Sunday’s episode (Hartwick).

Don’t forget to tune in this Sunday at 9 (channel 16 Tompkins county region or online at ictv.org) for a new edition.

Bombers defeat Hartwick 29-17 on Homecoming

gvncote — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 21:40:36 +0000

On Homecoming at Ithaca College, the Bombers (4-1, 1-0 E8) football team opened the game on a 22 to nothing run enrout to a 29-17 victory over the Hartwick College Hawks (2-2, 0-1 E8).

Along with an Andrew Rogowski field goal, Rob Zappia connected with Dan Ruffrage for two touchdowns and Dan Higgans for one, giving Ithaca an early 22-0 lead before Hartwick cracked the scoreboard.

The Hawks responded by rattling off 17 unanswered points, cutting the Bombers lead to five. Zappia responded by hitting Andre Jamison on a 43 yard pass, giving Ithaca the 29-17 lead. The Bombers defense would hold, shutting out Hartwick in the 4th to preserve the victory.

Rob Zappia threw for 251 yards and four touchdowns in the victory. Dan Ruffrage caught five of those passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns.

Bouncing back from last weekend’s -6 yard rushing performance, the Bombers tallied 131 on the ground, led by 108 yards from Clay Ardoin, who is the CFCU Player of the Week.

The Bombers defense pressured Hawk’s quarterback Dan Brainard all game, recording five sacks, including two from Defensive End Matt Dibble. Mike Conti recorded an interception and Josh Liemer picked off Brainard twice on the game.

Tune in to The Gridiron Report tomorrow night at 9 p.m. on ICTV Channel 16 (Tompkins County Region) or online at ictv.org for a full recap of the Bombers Empire 8 opening win. Head Coach Mike Welch joins me on the show as well as Clay Ardoin, as the CFCU Player of the Week.

Late Lycoming Field Goal Clips Bombers

gvncote — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 13:56:35 +0000

The #13/RV Ithaca Bombers dropped from the ranks of the unbeatens Saturday, after the host Lycoming Warriors hit a 23 yard field goal with seven seconds to play, edging the Bombers (3-1) 26-24.

Quarterback Rob Zappia passed the Bombers offense , completing 20 of 31 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns. Wide Receiver Dan Ruffrage recorded 100 yards receiving for the second straight game and had a touchdown catch. Tight End Matt Crandall also had 100 yards receiving, filling in for the injured Dan Higgins.

Sophomore Running Back Clay Ardoin caught his first career touchdown pass and kicker Andrew Rogowski contributed in the scoring, making all three pat’s and a 40-yard field goal.

Sophomore Linebacker Will Carter passed the Bombers defense with 14 tackles and an interception and is the CFCU Player of the Week.

Tune in to The Gridiron Report Sunday at 9 p.m. EST on Time Warner channel 16 (Tompkins County) or online at ictv.org for a full breakdown of Saturday’s game. Coach Welch joins me, as well as CFCU Player of the Week, Will Carter.

Bombers Improve to 3-0, Defeat Widener 31-7

gvncote — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 20:34:44 +0000

The Ithaca Bombers improved t0 3-0 on the season with a 31-7 victory over the Widener Pride. The Ithaca defense was stout once again, holding Widener to just 145 yards of total offense. CB Mike Conti recorded his second interception of the season.

Senior QB Rob Zappia threw for a career high four touchdowns on 23 of 34 passing for 252 yards. Dan Ruffrage was the recipient of eight of those passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns.

Tune in to The Gridiron Report (Channel 16, Tompkins County or online at www.ictv.org) Sunday night at 9 PM EST. Coach Welch will join me to break down the Bombers 3-0 start and Dan Ruffrage will join me as the CFCU Player of the Week!

Griddo is now on Twitter!

gvncote — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 20:42:14 +0000

Can’t follow the game? Get instant game updates from Gridiron Report correspondent Jason Rickel on our twitter page.