Bombers Playoff Bound

(Photos: Courtesy Ithaca Journal)

I was ready to do a wrap-up from the Cortaca Jug game on Saturday but figured I'd wait until Ithaca's playoff opponent was chosen. That took place on Sunday at a little after 3 PM when the Division III Selection Committee elected to give the Bombers the #2 seed in the East Region bracket and a match-up with Curry College at home this coming Saturday.

First, let's recap a bit from the Cortaca Jug. If up until game time, and literally up until the 4th quarter, you told me that the Bombers defense wouldn't give up a single touchdown, in the 50th annual Jug game, at SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex, against an undefeated Red Dragons team, I would've thought you were crazy. But that's just what happened. Ithaca's D shut down one of the best offenses in the 7th ranked Red Dragons, especially in the 2nd half when they forced 4 interceptions and a lost fumble.

If you also told me the final score would have been 35-13 Ithaca, I would've given you a strange look because these two offenses are so high powered that 70 points combined would've been low in my mind. I guess that's the product of a strong defensive effort.

On the offensive side of the ball, all the credit has to go to junior quarterback Brian Grastorf. He became the first Ithaca QB to make his first career start in the Cortaca Jug, and he could not have played much better. Grastorf was 19 for 28 through the air, throwing for 273 yards and 3 touchdowns, along with rushing for 2. His decision making was fantastic, and aside from one poor throw on a deep, off-balanced pass to Kyle Crandall that was intercepted, he was near perfect. The funniest thing was that he completed pass after pass despite throwing balls that were far from a perfect spiral. However, the receivers adjusted, made the catches despite a driving rain, and scored points. It all comes back to Grastorf's leadership which was clearly strong in this game.

So now, with the Cortaca Jug still in Ithaca's hands, the Bombers return to the playoffs for a second-straight season and face a much easier opponent. The Curry Colonels, out of Milton, Massachusetts, went 9-1 on year, earning an at-large bid as Plymouth State, the only team they lost to, earned the New England Football Conference's automatic bid at 10-1. However, the NEFC is a much weaker conference than the Empire 8, and it shows in strength of schedule. Ithaca's is ranked 9th, Curry is 149th. The fact that the game is at Butterfield Stadium helps too. Either way, keep your eyes posted for a preview of the game later this week.

Here are some links to important information regarding the Cortaca Jug and Playoffs. You can find a recap of the Jug game from the Bombers website here, from Cortland's website here, and from the Ithaca Journal here. For information on Ithaca's playoff game vs. Curry, you can read this. For a downloadable and printable bracket, visit this site (it is a pdf file). To see the rankings for strength of schedule, you can see this page. And finally, for pictures from the Cortaca Jug game, you can go here.

--Michael Polak