ITHACA, N.Y. -- Senior quarterback Brian Grastorf (Niskayuna/Rexford) threw four touchdown passes to lead the #25 Bombers (2-1) past the visiting Widener Pioneers (1-1) 41-17 Saturday. Ithaca scored 24 straight points to blow open a seven-point game after the Pride pulled to within 17-10 late in the first half.
Grastorf completed a career-best 26 of 37 passes for 268 yards. In just his fifth career start he moved into eighth on the program's all-time passing yardage list; he's thrown at least three touchdown passes in four of his five starts.
Junior tight end Dan Higgins (Greece Athena/Rochester) caught seven passes for 74 yards and the first two touchdowns of his career and sophomore kicker Andrew Rogowski (Canisius/East Amherst) scored 11 points – including the two longest field goals of his career.
A Pride field goal, with 2:40 left in the first half, capped a 17-play, 88-yard drive and pulled Widener to within a touchdown at 17-10. Ithaca scored the game's next 24 points, starting with a career-long 43-yard field goal by Rogowski on the half's last play.
Rogowski's kick, which came after Widener called consecutive timeouts, was the longest by a Bomber in six years.
After punting on their first drive of the second half, the Bombers recorded three straight touchdown drives, with Grastorf throwing touchdown passes of 15 yards to sophomore wide receiver #Matthew Hannon# (Minisink Valley/Middletown), seven yards to junior wideout #Dan Ruffrage# (Notre Dame/Whitesboro) and eight yards to Higgins. Higgins caught a 10-yard touchdown reception to cap Ithaca's opening drive.
Junior running back Thomas Bergerstock (Webster-Thomas/Webster), who ran for a game-high 63 yards, scored on a three-yard second-quarter run.
Sophomore linebacker Ryan Clarke (Archbishop Spaulding/West Friendship, Md.) led Ithaca with eight tackles. Junior linebacker Eric Toporoff (Montville Township/Montville, N.J.) added seven. Sophomore linebacker Joe Gilfedder (Governor Livingston/Berkeley Heights, N.J.) made five tackles and intercepted a pass (for the second week in a row) to set up Higgins' second touchdown catch.
The Pride committed nine penalties, including a roughing the kicker call (on a successful field goal attempt) that came two plays before Grastorf's touchdown pass to Ruffrage.
The Bombers open Empire 8 play at Utica (2-1) next Saturday.
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