Ithaca tops Cortland to win Cortaca Jug; next year's game at Yankee Stadium

Michael Reed threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as host Ithaca reclaimed the Cortaca Jug from archrival Cortland, 26-21, on Saturday.

Reed threw both touchdown passes to Nicholas Lang, going for 44 and 7 yards.

Reed’s 10-yard scoring run late in the third quarter gave the Bombers (8-2) a 26-14 lead.

Cortland (8-2) got back within five points early in the fourth quarter when Jacque LaPrarie (Smithtown West) caught a 63-yard touchdown pass from Mike Rescigno.

LaPrarie had four receptions for 131 yards.

Reed was 14-for-23 for 177 yards with two TD passes. And he ran 25 times for 98 yards and the one TD.

Rescigno was 16-for-24 for 242 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He rushed 12 times for 67 yards.

Cortland’s Joe Iadevaio (Massapequa) caught a 6-yard scoring pass from Rescigno in the first quarter. Iadevaio had five catches for 42 yards and rushed twice for 8 yards.

The Red Dragons twice had narrow leads: 7-6 after Iadevaio’s touchdown with 2:07 left in the first; and 14-12 after Ethan Gallo’s 1-yard run with 6:38 left in the second quarter.

Ithaca reclaimed the lead on both of Lang’s TD catches. The 44-yard touchdown made it 12-7 early in the second quarter and the 7-yard score with 3:48 left in the third quarter gave the Bombers a 19-14 advantage.

Ithaca leads the celebrated Division III series between the two teams, 44-36-3. The jug did not come along until 1959.

“It’s an awesome rivalry,” Ithaca coach Michael Toerper said. “It’s so pure, the kids love it, the alumni love it, the administration loves it. It’s what college football is all about.”

Next year’s Cortaca Jug game will be played at Yankee Stadium on Nov. 14.