Team Effort Leads Hartwick Past Pioneers

The Hartwick Hawks got contributions from both sides of the ball as they defeated Alfred State 45-0 in the Pioneers home opener.

The Hawks defense accounted for the first points of the contest as Mark Hackett intercepted a pass seven minutes into the game and returned it 13-yards for the score. The interception was the first of two on the night for Hackett.

Hartwick would put together quick scoring drives in four of their next five possessions in the 1st half. All four drives featured Billy Pine finding Brad Garcia for scoring passes. The duo hooked up for scores from 23, 37, 20, and 15 yards to give the Hawks a 35-0 lead at halftime. Pine would finish the day 13 for 21 for 247 yards while Garcia caught six passes for 129 yards.

Tito Pichardo, who finished with 128 yards rushing on the night, accounted for the lone points in the 3rd quarter with a 3-yard scoring run and Brian McGovern connected on a 25-yard field goal with just over 10 minutes left in the game to cap the scoring. 

Hartwick gained 567 total yards and held Alfred State to just 77. The Hawks recorded five sacks on the day with Joe Tecklenburg leading the charge with six tackles and two sacks. Hackett chipped in five tackles with his two interceptions.

Brandon Davis (Lansing) led the defense with 11 tackles while Austin Parker (Port Byron) finished with nine.

The Pioneers travel down 390 next week for a Noon kickoff at the University of Rochester.