Pioneers Open up Home Slate vs. Hartwick

Hartwick (0-1) at Alfred State (0-1)

3rd meeting, Hartwick leads 2-0, they defeated Alfred State 49-24 last year

September 14 * 5 p.m. * Pioneer Stadium

Scouting Alfred State:

• The Pioneers will look to bounce back from an opening season loss at UMass Dartmouth last weekend. Dashown Wilson connected with Darrius Nichols on a 38-yard pass play with just under 12 minutes remaining in the game to account for the lone score of the game for the Pioneers. Ronnie Clark rushed for 96 yards on 15 carries including a long of 36 yards while Taj Harvey rushed for 42 yards on seven carries. Andrew Pierre-Paul and Paul Portorreal led the Pioneers defense with nine tackles each. Elijah Rimpel registered three of the teams five sacks on the day while Rylie Van Fleet intercepted a pass.
• The Pioneer defense recorded five sacks on the day led by Eli Rimpel who had three. 
• Freshmen Andrew Pierre-Paul, Rylie Van Fleet, and Paul Portorreal made real impacts in their collegiate debuts.
• Ronnie Clark led the offense with a near 100-yard game rushing. He averaged 6.4 yards per carry and had a long of 36 yards. Taj Harvey also made an impact as he averaged 6.0 yards per carry on seven attempts.
• The Pioneers will look to get the passing game going this week. They were held to just five completions on the day and limited to just 71 yards passing.

Scouting Hartwick:

• The Hawks dropped their opener 38-21 to Wilkes. Hartwick scored on their first possession but the Colonels outscored them 17-0 for the rest of the half and never gave back the lead. Kishaun Bell caught eight passes for 147 yards and three scores (He was named Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week). Quarterback Grant Harman was 22 for 39 for 241 yards while Davien Kuinlan was 3 for 5 with 63 yards. Kyle Kessler and Cameron Conrad led the way with seven tackles each. Jack Colbath recorded the Hawks lone sack.
• Hartwick struggled on 3rd down opportunities last week (3-13) while Wilkes was 7 for 12. They did convert 4 of 6, 4th down attempts.
• Developing more offensive balance will be a key for Hartwick this week. Last week they averaged just 2.6 yards in their 20 carries. In the match-up last year, Hartwick rushed for over 200 yards and five touchdowns.

Last Year's Meeting:

Hartwick used a balanced attack as they defeated Alfred State 49-24 on Saturday evening. Hartwick accumulated 522 total yards (321 passing and 201 rushing) in the contest. The Pioneers offense racked up 423 yards in the contest.

Hartwick started off fast building a 35-3 lead at halftime. The Pioneers put together two scoring drives to start the 2nd half. Ronnie Clark (Phiadelphia/Indian River) dove in from one-yard out to cap a 13-play drive on the opening drive. After forcing a Hartwick punt, Alfred State put together a 10-play drive capped by 23-yard scoring pass play from Dashown Wilson (Bronx/DeWitt Clinton) to Ricky Hagins (Rochester/Eastridge). Hartwick stopped any Pioneer comeback thoughts with a pair of scoring drives in the 4th quarter.

Wilson finished the day 19-38 for 262 yards and a score. He also rushed for 60 yards on 17 carries. Clark rushed for 89 yards on 16 carries. 

Around the ECFC:

Current Standings:

Maritime 1-0

Alfred State 0-1

Anna Maria 0-1

Castleton 0-1

Dean 0-1

Gallaudet 0-1

Players of the Week:

Robert Wheeler - QB Maritime - Offensive Player of the Week, Justin Snuffer - DB Maritime - Defensive Player of the Week, & Justin Gagliardi - K/P Maritime - Special Teams Player of the Week

Games this week:

Friday 9/13: Maritime @ Mass Maritime

Saturday 9/14: Union @ Anna Maria, Castleton @ Fitchburg State, Hartwick @ Alfred State, & Dean @ Western Connecticut State

Game Day Information:

• Live Stats
• Live Video
• Tickets: $5 for Adults, $2 for Seniors, Free for Alfred State Students/Faculty & Staff, and youth under 13.
• Tailgating in Lot 20 will open at 9 a.m. - Tailgaiting Rules and Regulations

Up Next: The Pioneers begin back-to-back games on the road next Saturday when they head to the University of Rochester for a Noon kickoff. Hartwick hosts King's College next week.