Brockport, NY – The SUNY Brockport football program returns to the gridiron in 2022 to celebrate its 75
th anniversary season. The Golden Eagles begin the season by hosting Framingham State Saturday for a 12 pm kickoff at Bob Boozer Field.
DATE – TIME: September 3, 2022 – 12 pm
LOCATION: Bob Boozer Field – Brockport, NY
LINKS: Video |
Stats | Game Notes
ECAC Clayton Chapman Bowl: Brockport capped its 2021 season with a 20-7 victory over Washington & Jefferson in the ECAC Clayton Chapman Bowl Game. The win gave the team a mark of 8-3 overall and 4-2 in the Empire 8, as the program enjoyed its fifth consecutive year of postseason play. The Green and Gold defense held the opponent scoreless through three quarters, and only allowed nine rushing yards for the game.
Lawrence Jenkins was chosen as the game's Most Valuable Player, finishing the day with 2.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, five tackles, two pass breakups, two quarterback hurries, and two kickoff returns for 50 total yards.
Commanding the Troops: Entering year 10 as the leader of the program, Head Coach
Jason Mangone continues his incredibly successful tenure at Brockport. With a coaching record of 66-25 since taking over in 2013, Mangone has elevated the program to the national spotlight in recent years. Under Mangone, the Golden Eagles have accumulated three straight Empire 8 Titles, E8 Coaching Staff of the Year honors and NCAA DIII Championship appearances (2017, 2018, 2019). Heading into the 2022 season Coach Mangone shared his thoughts about the mood within the locker room ahead of the season opener.
"The guys are excited to get the games started; camp is a special time because it's the competing for spots on the depth chart which brings a level of comradery. Now we're excited to turn the page and compete as a team."
All-Time Against Framingham: Brockport is 3-0 all-time against the Rams of Framingham State University. Last season the squad traveled out to Framingham, MA to hand the Rams a 31-0 loss in the first game of the year. In 2019 the Golden Eagles shutout their opponent again, this time by way of a 14-0 victory at home. The first meeting between the two programs resulted in a 40-27 win for Brockport in the first round of the 2018 NCAA DIII Football Championship Playoffs.
Three-Time Preseason All-American: Standout defensive back
Raylens Boutin added a third consecutive D3football.com Preseason All-American selection this preseason. He adds Preseason All-American Second-Team honors to his career accolades after making the Third-Team in 2021 and 2020. Last season Boutin intercepted six passes, had nine pass breakups, 35 total tackles, three tackles for loss, and one sack. The Empire 8 named him the Brockport Football Player to Watch for the 2022 campaign.
All-Region Returners: The Golden Eagles are bringing back two of their five D3football.com All-Regions selections from last year. Offensive lineman
Luke Lodini returns for another go-around after earning his second straight First-Team All-Region honor in 2021. The 2019 All-American and two-time Preseason All-American helped pave the way for one of the top offensive units in the Empire 8 last season. Lodini allowed just two sacks and finished with a 95% coaching grade upfront. On the other side of the ball, Third-Team All-Region select
Jordan Harris is back on the defensive line. It was the first regional honor of his collegiate career, as he finished the year with a career-high 26 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks. Now as a senior, Harris looks to lead one of the toughest defenses in the nation.
All-Conference Returners: With 15 Empire 8 All-Conference selections in 2021, nine are ready to run it back this season.
Luke Lodini (1
st),
Scott Ochsner (1
st),
Nicholas Kalke (2
nd), and
James Altenburger (3
rd) were Brockport's All-Conference selections on offense.
Jordan Harris (1
st),
Ben Damiani (1
st), and
Ben Marshall (2
nd) return as defensive All-Conference players from a year ago. Finally,
Nate Wigent (2
nd) and
Dan Giangrasso (3
rd) are also back after earning All-Conference honors as the kicker and punter respectively last season.
2022 Team Captains: Brockport's three captains for this season include senior linebacker
Ben Damiani, senior offensive lineman
Scott Ochsner, and senior defensive back
Ben Marshall. All three captains were Empire 8 All-Conference selections last year. Damiani had a breakout year for the Golden Eagles as he finished the season ranked ninth in the conference with a team-best and career-high 69 total tackles. Ochsner, the 6-foot-8 320 left tackle, helped Brockport garner the second-best total rushing yards in the E8 last season with 1,734 yards on the ground. Marshall posted a career-high 38 tackles, 3.0 tackles for a loss, seven pass breakups, and two interceptions in 2021.
In the Trenches: All-Region and All-Conference defensive lineman
Jordan Harris leads the first line of defense for the Golden Eagles. Last year he consistently commanded two blockers and still had a career-high 26 tackles, 5.5 for a loss, and 1.5 sacks.
Hakeem Yaya is back in the trenches, lining up on the edge. Yaya posted 21 tackles, 6.5 for a loss, and 2.0 sacks in 2021.
The Front Line: A group of veterans make up the offensive line as all five are returners. This includes three All-Conference selections in
Scott Ochsner,
Luke Lodini, and
Nicholas Kalke.
Jacob Lucier and
Demetri Swann complete this large unit up front, which measures out with average size of over 6ft 3in tall and 308lbs. Playing behind the bigs, the Golden Eagle offense ranked second in the Empire 8 last year with 3,534 total yards coming from 1,933 rushing and 1,601 passing yards.
Ground & Pound: Brockport ran the ball more than any other team in the Empire 8 last year and ranked first in the conference with 175.7 rushing yards per game.
Rashad Law returns to the backfield for his junior season. In 2021 he netted 322 yards on the ground for three scores, including a two-touchdown day against E8 opponent Alfred.
Gino Fontanarosa is ready for year number two after leading the team a 5.7 yards per carry average as a freshman.
Meet the Linebackers: First-Team All-Conference selection and team captain,
Ben Damiani leads the linebacker group after a breakout year as a junior. He led the defense with a career-high 76 tackles, had 10.0 tackles for a loss, 1.0 sacks, two interceptions, and a forced fumble.
Ben Robinson,
John DeRidder, and Aiden Thomas round out the linebacking crew. Last season the Golden Eagles had the third best rushing defense in the country, allowing just 42.3 rushing yards per game.
Slinging the Rock: Brockport brought in Mount Union transfer
Todd Simonds to take over at quarterback for the 2022 season. Last year he posted the highest QB rating on the team at Mount Union with a 182.69. He completed 20 of his 28 passes for a 71.43% completion rate, 253 yards through the air, and three passing touchdowns.
Aerial Assault: All-Conference tight end
James Altenburger and wideouts
Jared Maurino and
Louis Usera headline the returning threats through the air for this season. Altenburger finished the year with 13 receptions for 167 yards, averaging 12.85 yards per catch. Maurino leads all returning receivers from last season, as he notched 176 yards on 14 receptions. His lone touchdown on the year came on a career-best 53-yard score in a win over Hartwick.
Derrick Chance and
Louis Usera both had at least 10 catches for 100 yards in 2021 and are back again this season.
Solid Secondary: The Brockport secondary features three-time Preseason All-American
Raylens Boutin at corner and All-Conference safety
Ben Marshall. Boutin finished last season with six interceptions and nine pass breakups, proving to be a lockdown corner for the Green and Gold. Marshall, who was named a team captain this season, had the best season of his career in 2021. He posted a career-high 41 tackles, 3.0 tackles for a loss, 1.0 sacks, eight pass breakups, and two interceptions.
Special Teams: The Golden Eagles are fortunate to be welcoming back All-Conference kicker
Nate Wigent and All-Conference punter
Dan Giangrasso. Wigent earned Second-Team All-Empire 8 honors after finishing the regular season ranked sixth in the nation with a .818 field goal percentage. Giangrasso was a Third-Team selection last year, ranking inside the top 50 nationally averaging 37.6 yards per punt.
Hitting the Road: After the season opener this weekend, Brockport will go without another home game until October 1
st to take on St. John Fisher in the Courage Bowl. The squad will play its next two games on the road. September 10
th marks a non-conference matchup with Ithaca down at Butterfield Stadium for a 1 pm start. Next the Green and Gold heads over to the University of Rochester for a 12 pm kickoff on September 17
th.
Looking at Framingham: The Rams from Framingham State University have consistently made runs into the postseason over the years and 2021 was no different. They finished with an overall record of 8-3 and an undefeated mark of 8-0 inside of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC). Framingham was crowned the MASCAC Champions, but its season came to an end by way of a 45-0 loss to Muhlenburg in the first round of the NCAA DIII Football Championship Tournament. Looking for a fourth straight conference title, the team is returning the 2021 MASCAC Offensive Player of the Year, Devaun Ford. Ford finished last season with 1,200 total yards and 10 touchdowns as the starting running back.
Following the season opener on Saturday at 12 pm against Framingham, the Golden Eagles will hit the road for next week's matchup. They have Ithaca up next on the schedule for a 1pm kickoff on Saturday, September 10
th.
