Long Island will be well represented in Cortaca Jug football game between Cortland and Ithaca at Yankee Stadium

It may be the biggest football game any of them will ever play.

So, it is fitting that it is being held on one of the grand stages in all of sports and it will have a distinct Long Island flavor.

“To have a chance to compete in Yankee Stadium, it’s really special," SUNY Cortland head coach Tom Blumenauer said during a Zoom call Wednesday to preview the 67th iteration of the Cortaca Jug rivalry football game between his Red Dragons and Ithaca.

Dubbed “the biggest little game in the nation” by Sports Illustrated in 1991, the rivalry between the two upstate Division III programs dates back to 1930, and beginning in 1959 the Cortaca Jug was awarded to the winning team every year save for 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ithaca is 39-27 in 66 all-time Jug games. Ithaca beat Cortland in last year's game, 26-21.

Saturday’s contest is the second time in its history that the teams will play at Yankee Stadium. Ithaca won the previous matchup at the ballyard in the Bronx, 34-17, in 2022.

For a select few, the game will be a homecoming of sorts. A total of 50 players between the two Division III programs are from Long Island. Cortland boasts 42 Long Islanders while Ithaca has eight on its roster.

The Bombers are led by junior Davin Foote (Hicksville) and senior Carson Ciancuielli (Oakdale), who spearhead a defensive line for Ithaca that is allowing only 2.3 yards per rush.

Foote has played in every game for the Bombers, recording 31 tackles – 13 solo – and 1½ sacks. Ciancuielli has 18 total tackles and two sacks in five games. The St. Anthony’s product had missed four games earlier in the season.

“Davin’s been a steady force that has had to jump inside and had to play positions that probably aren’t something he enjoys doing: Kicking down into three technique but he’s definitely physical enough, quick enough, and strong enough to play it. So he did what was best for the team,” said Ithaca coach Brandon Maguire, before transitioning to Ciancuielli.

“Carson coming back just brings a little bit to the group that allows us to be more free in our substitutions. He’s great on the sidelines as a leader. He’s even better on the field because he plays exactly how he is on the sideline: Fire and passion. That shows up on the field and it’s easier to feed off of that when you’re standing next to it. It's in the trenches with you, so both of those have been fantastic for us this year.”

Whereas Foote and Ciancuielli are the nucleus of Ithaca’s defensive line, Cortland has built its secondary around Hayden Lovinsky (Deer Park) and Nazair Jean-Lubin (Freeport).

Lovinsky, a sophomore, is credited with 20 tackles, a forced fumble, and leads the team with eight pass breakups. The senior Jean-Lubin has a team-high three interceptions, seven pass breakups, and 19 tackles.

“Those guys, they’re both having great seasons,” Blumenauer said. “You’re not surprised by how those guys play because of their practice habits. Those are two guys that had a great off-season. They’re the [ultimate] competitors throughout the practice week on top of being talented. So [they are] two guys playing really good football and they’re doing their best to continue to grow each and every day.”

So, too, do their teams.

Cortland (9-0, 7-0 Empire 8) and Ithaca (7-2, 6-1 Liberty) are almost mirror images of the other statistically. Over the course of the season, Cortland has outscored opponents 397-106, whereas Ithaca has a 262-point differential (363-101) in its favor.

“Our guys are excited to get down to Yankee Stadium and kind of rebound from what happened last week and get out there and just play football again,” said Maguire, referencing the Bombers’ 14-10 loss to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute last Saturday. “The season started off with that [30-21] loss against Johns Hopkins and then went on a little seven-game run and our guys are playing really well. Last week, we just weren’t able to get it done against RPI and really in a pseudo conference championship game, so that one stung a bit. But practice so far has been great and [we’re] excited to get out there and go against one of the top teams in the country and put our best foot forward.”

To that end, as the near-hour long availability came to an end, Maguire grew bold and made a guarantee of sorts

“Plays will be made on both sides. That’s what happens in these kinds of big games,” Maguire said. “... Both sides are going to let it rip. They’ll have fun, especially in that venue.”