BROCKPORT, N.Y. – The worst-case scenario occurred for the Geneva College football team in its ECAC Robert M. "Scotty" Whitelaw Bowl at SUNY Brockport on Saturday afternoon when star quarterback Caleb Romano went down with an injury early in the game, and the Golden Tornadoes could never recover in falling 46-10. The loss brings an end to an exciting season that saw Geneva return to the postseason for the first time since 2009, as well as the close of the tremendous head coaching career of Geno DeMarco, who wrapped up his 33rd and final season along the sidelines on Saturday while leading Geneva to a winning record in his last year at 6-5.
Geneva took an early lead after the Golden Tornadoes received the opening kickoff and marched down the field, with senior Ryan Reitler capping off the drive with a 32-yard field goal.
The Golden Tornadoes struggled to contain Brockport's standout running back, Isaiah Simmons, who came into the game as the 6th leading rusher in Division III. On Brockport's second play from scrimmage, Simmons ran 65 yards for a touchdown to put Geneva behind.
Romano went down after being sacked a few minutes later, and he was never able to return to the game, allowing Brockport to take command of the game. Simmons ran for a second touchdown early in the second quarter, and with the Golden Tornado offense unable to do much without Romano, the Golden Eagles added three more scores before the end of the half in taking control of the game, 32-3.
Simmons added two more touchdowns to his total in the third quarter to wrap up the scoring for Brockport.
The Golden Tornadoes did eventually find the endzone late when freshman quarterback Jace Saunders connected with freshman receiver Makuei Dau for a six-yard touchdown pass to close out the 46-10 Brockport victory.
Senior receiver Seth Tyson had the best day offensively for the Golden Tornadoes, finishing with eight catches for 92 yards. Geneva finished with just 99 yards of total offense as Brockport totaled seven sacks in the game.
Senior Nicholas Ciriello led the defensive effort once again, posting 12 tackles to bring his season total to an impressive 120 stops. Senior Reed Gordon and sophomore Noah Hutcherson each added 10 tackles for the Golden Tornadoes. Gordon's total also pushed him over 100 tackles for the season.
Simmons led the SUNY Brockport offense with 271 yards rushing on 21 carries, while scoring four times. The Golden Eagles finished with 466 yards of total offense.
Through purposeful learning in a community reflecting the full spectrum of God's kingdom, a Geneva College experience inspires students to discover a faith-life calling in service to God and neighbor. Offering 195+ traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality and affordability. Geneva was founded and is governed by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) and is a founding member of both the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and the International Association for Christian Education (IACE).
