UTICA, NY - The Pioneers' losing streak ran to five in a row as Empire 8 conference competitor St. John Fisher handed Utica a 27-10 loss on Saturday afternoon at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium.

St. John Fisher, which ranked 18th in the latest d3football.com national poll and first in the Upstate New York Division III Football poll, jumped out to an early 14-0 lead on a pair of first-quarter touchdown passes. Cardinal quarterback Curt Fitzpatrick connected with Make Kallfelz from seven yards out just three minutes into regulation to cap off an eight-play, 65-yard opening drive, and found Noah Fehrenbach on a 41-yard end zone delivery at the 9:56 mark.

The Pioneers wrapped up all first-half scoring with a safety, courtesy of senior defensive end Jon Griffith (Cambridge, NY/Cambridge), late in the first quarter.

The second half featured three consecutive Cardinal scores on two Will Bean field goals (32-, 31-yards), and a four-yard touchdown pass from Fitzpatrick to Craig Fitzpatrick.

Senior quarterback Nick Martin (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy), who completed 26-of-36 passing attempts for 183 total yards, accounted for the Pioneers only offensive score of the afternoon, completing a nine-play, 56-yard drive with a one-yard quarterback sneak. The late fourth-quarter touchdown was followed by a successful two-point conversion pass from Martin to junior fullback Paul Hart (Whitesboro, NY/Oriskany).

The Utica offense, which held an advantage in time of possession, generated 183 yards through the air and 80 yards on the ground. St. John Fisher finished the contest with 148 yards passing and 189 yards rushing.

The Pioneer defense was credited with holding one of the nation's top rushers, Mark Robinson, to only 87 yards on 19 carries. Sophomore defensive back Marcus Maroney (Utica, NY/Lockport) highlighted the unit's outing with a game-high 11.5 tackles and two pass breakups. Sophomore linebacker Jim Tedesco (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) and senior defensive back Anthony Venturino (Utica, NY/DeSales) finished with the afternoon with 7.5 and 6.5 hits each, respectively. Senior defensive lineman Bryon George (Geneva, NY/Midlakes) smothered the Pioneers' only fumble recovery of the contest and managed three tackles.

Hart aided the Pioneer offensive effort, collecting a game-high eight receptions for 53 yards, and taking three carries for 18 yards. Freshman receiver John Slopnick (Mohawk, NY/Mohawk) also assisted with six receptions for 64 yards, including a long of 30 yards.

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