Chester, Pa. – The football team (3-0) stayed unbeaten, routing host Widener (1-2) 31-7 Saturday. Senior quarterback Rob Zappia (Greece Athena/Rochester) threw a career-high four touchdown passes.

Zappia also posted personal-best totals of 23 completions and 252 passing yards. He threw touchdown passes of four and three yards to senior wide receiver Dan Ruffrage (Utica Notre Dame/Whitesboro) and competed third-quarter scoring passes to a pair of tight ends: five yards to senior Matt Crandall (Cattaraugus-Little Valley/Cattaraugus) and 17 yards to freshman Evan Bull (Beekmantown/West Chazy).

The Bombers scored on three straight third-quarter possessions to pull away from a 10-0 halftime lead. Ruffrage's second touchdown reception of the day capped a seven-play, 51-yard drive that started when junior cornerback Mike Conti (Daniel Hand/Bradford, Conn.) intercepted a Widener pass and returned it to midfield.

The Pride fumbled their first play after Ruffrage's touchdown catch and senior linebacker Morgan Abdelnour (Somers/Somers) recovered to give Ithaca possession on the Widener 15-yard line. Three plays later Crandall's caught his first touchdown reception of the season.

Following a Widener three-and-out (one of six the Bomber defense forced on the afternoon), Zappia took Ithaca 59 yards in nine plays with Bull capping the drive with his first career catch.

Junior Andrew Rogowski (Canisius/East Amherst) kicked a 28-yard field goal in the second quarter and added extra points after all four Bomber touchdowns. He raised his career totals to 20 field goals and 152 points; he's the third Ithaca kicker to reach 20 field goals and ranks seventh among all Bombers in career scoring.

Ruffrage, whose first touchdown catch opened the scoring on Ithaca's first possession of the second quarter, finished with career-best totals of eight catches, 100 yards and two scoring receptions. He's the third Bomber in as many weeks to gain 100 receiving yards (joining Joseph Ingrao and Thomas Vossler); Ithaca hasn't had three different receivers reach that mark in consecutive games since Matt Buddenhagen, Abe Ceesay and Keith Bonser in 1998.

Junior linebacker Eric Toporoff (Montville Township/Montville, N.J.) and junior cornerback Spence White (Sleepy Hollow/Yonkers) recorded six tackles apiece to lead Ithaca's defense. Senior end Matt Dibble (Columbia/East Schodack) was in on a pair of tackles for loss.

The Bombers play a 1:30 p.m. game at Lycoming next Saturday.





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