ALFRED, NY - There can only be one.
The No. 23 Utica University football team continued its historic start to the 2026 season on Saturday afternoon, cruising past Alfred State College, 58-13, to win the "Pioneer Bowl" and improve to 4-0 for the first time since 2023. The victory marked the Pioneers' first game and first win as a D3football.com-ranked team, as the orange and blue made their debut at No. 23 in the national poll earlier this week, which marked their second time ranked, but their first time ranked during the regular season.
Saturday's matchup also carried a unique place in program history, as Alfred State was Utica's opponent for the first varsity game in program history on September 8, 2001. The Pioneers won that inaugural meeting 29-7, and 25 years later, Utica returned to Alfred State and delivered another dominant performance. The Pioneers now hold a perfect 4-0 record all-time against Alfred State.
Utica wasted little time establishing control, scoring 28 points in the opening quarter and taking a 42-6 advantage into halftime. The Pioneers began the afternoon by halting a promising Alfred St. drive, before
Gabriel Zawolo (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit) opened the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown reception from
Tyler Szalkowski (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute). On the ensuing kickoff, the Pioneers forced a massive fumble, recovering the ball before
Tyshawn Taylor (Syracuse, NY/Syracuse Institute of Technology) hauled in a 31-yard touchdown pass just 56 seconds later. Alfred State answered with a 72-yard touchdown run by Noah Currier, scoring back in just one play, but the Pioneers immediately responded with a one-play drive of their own, as
Drevariis Yeomas's (Victor, NY/Victor) 56-yard touchdown run broke the game open once again.
Logan Frederick (Little Falls, NY/Little Falls) added an 18-yard touchdown reception to cap a wild opening quarter.
The second quarter belonged to the Pioneer rushing attack.
Eze Frazier (Garnerville, NY/North Rockland) found the end zone twice, scoring on runs of four and six yards, as Utica added 14 more points to its lead. The Pioneers continued to control the game after halftime, with
Nico Duarte (Kearny, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) connecting on field goals of 31, 20, and 38 yards to finish a perfect 3-for-3 afternoon.
Micah Davis (Fredonia, NY/Fredonia) added a 15-yard touchdown run with five seconds remaining to cap the scoring and bring the game to its final tally of 58-13.
Saturday Spotlight: After being held in check by Hobart one week ago, the Pioneer rushing attack came roaring back to life against Alfred State.
Utica finished with 282 rushing yards on 38 attempts, averaging 7.4 yards per carry while scoring four touchdowns on the ground. The 282-yard performance marked the Pioneers' highest rushing total since September 21, 2024, when Utica ran for 292 yards against Lycoming.
Leading the way was
Drevariis Yeomas (Victor, NY/Victor), who broke through for the first 100-yard rushing performance of his career. Yeomas carried the ball eight times for 110 yards, averaging 13.6 yards per attempt, and ripped off a career-long 56-yard touchdown run. His breakout performance has pushed his season average to 6.5 yards per carry and provided another explosive element to an already dangerous Pioneer offense.
Eze Frazier (Garnerville, NY/North Rockland) continued to provide a steady presence in the backfield, rushing 13 times for 91 yards and two touchdowns. Frazier averaged 6.9 yards per carry and found the end zone on runs of four and six yards, while
Tyler Hall (Holbrook, NY/Sachem North) added 54 yards on seven carries.
Micah Davis (Fredonia, NY/Fredonia) contributed 22 rushing yards and a touchdown on four attempts.
The running back room's performance was particularly notable coming off a week in which Hobart limited Utica to just 78 rushing yards. One week later, the Pioneers nearly quadrupled that total while averaging more than seven yards every time they ran the football.
The rushing attack also helped Utica remain nearly perfect whenever it reached the red zone. The Pioneers went 8-for-8 in red-zone opportunities, scoring five touchdowns and three field goals.
Offensive Highlights: The No. 23 Pioneers finished with 589 total yards, including 282 on the ground and 307 through the air. The Pioneers recorded 32 first downs and averaged 8.2 yards per play while holding the ball for 36:28.
While the running game stole the spotlight, the Pioneer passing attack continued to produce at a high level. Szalkowski completed 22-of-29 passes (76%) for 307 yards and three touchdowns, while
Gabriel Zawolo (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit) continued his remarkable breakout senior season.
Zawolo recorded seven receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown, marking his third consecutive game with at least 100 receiving yards. He has now recorded a receiving touchdown in every game this season, giving him five receiving touchdowns on the year. Before the 2026 season, Zawolo had never surpassed 50 receiving yards in a game. He has now gone over 100 yards in three straight contests, establishing himself as one of the most productive receivers in the Empire 8 and one of the breakout performers of the season for the Pioneers, currently leading the team in receptions (34) and receiving touchdowns (5).
Tony Dorozynski (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) added three receptions for 52 yards,
Tyshawn Taylor (Syracuse, NY/Syracuse Institute of Technology) recorded two catches for 46 yards and a touchdown, and the aforementioned Frederick added three catches for 31 yards and a touchdown.
Defensive Highlights: The Pioneer defense once again produced a disruptive performance, forcing four turnovers while holding Alfred State to just two offensive touchdowns. Utica intercepted Alfred State quarterback Chase Shepanski three times and added eight pass breakups for a total of 11 passes defended. The 11 passes defended mark the most by the Pioneers in a single game since October 5, 2024, when Utica recorded the same total against Hartwick.
Nathan Hernandez (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville) led the turnover-producing effort with an interception that he returned 32 yards, while
Tahjir Fernand (Fort Lauderdale, FL/New Rochelle) added a two-yard interception return, and
Logan Clarey (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) recorded a 13-yard interception return. Fernand was particularly disruptive, adding two pass breakups to his one interception, for a total of three passes defended to go along with six tackles, one of which was for a loss. The Pioneer defense also recorded eight tackles for loss and two sacks while limiting Alfred State to just 194 passing yards.
Isaiah Thomas (Kingston, NY/Kingston) led the Pioneers with 10 tackles, while
Joseph Gentile (Utica, NY/Thomas R. Proctor) added seven.
Andrew Lake (Johnstown, NY/Johnstown), Fernand, and Hernandez each recorded six tackles, while
Jack Lamphere (Chittenango, NY/Chittenango) added five tackles and a pass breakup.
The Pioneer defensive front also consistently pressured Shepanski throughout the afternoon.
Nicholas DeForrest (Rome, NY/Holland Patent) recorded a sack and forced a fumble, while
Jerome Nembhard (Valley Stream, NY/Valley Stream) added a half-sack, combining with Thomas to take down Shepanski. Additionally,
Jack Bosinski (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) and
Tyler Hall (Holbrook, NY/Sachem North) each forced fumbles, which were recovered by
Nick Graziano (Albany, NY/Shaker) and
Miguel Herrera (Plattsburgh, NY/Beekmantown), respectively. Herrera's recovery ended the matchup.
The defense's ability to create pressure and produce turnovers helped Utica turn Alfred State's mistakes into 28 points.
The Specialists: Duarte continued his remarkable season with another perfect afternoon. The senior kicker connected on all three of his field goal attempts, converting from 31, 20 and 38 yards. Duarte also went 7-for-7 on extra points, giving him 16 points on the afternoon.
Duarte is now a perfect 11-for-11 on field goal attempts this season, keeping him at a 100-percent conversion rate while also remaining perfect on PAT attempts. His three field goals against Alfred State helped Utica complete an 8-for-8 performance in the red zone.
Zawolo also had a stellar return on the Pioneers' only kick return attempt of the afternoon, bringing the ball back 34 yards to set up Yeomas' long touchdown run.
Up Next: The Pioneers return home next Saturday, October 3, for Homecoming as they host SUNY Cortland at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium. This matchup could very well be the biggest game of the week in all of Division III football, as both teams will enter ranked and at 4-0. It will be the Pioneers' first-ever ranked-vs-ranked matchup. Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM.
Scoring Summary:
1st Quarter
6:02 | 7-0 UTC | Gabriel Zawolo (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit) – 12-yard pass from Tyler Szalkowski (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute) (Nico Duarte (Kearny, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) kick) – 8 plays, 73 yards (5:16)
5:06 | 14-0 UTC | Tyshawn Taylor (Syracuse, NY/Syracuse Institute of Technology) – 31-yard pass from Tyler Szalkowski (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute) (Nico Duarte (Kearny, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) kick) – 3 plays, 36 yards (0:48)
4:50 | 14-6 UTC | Noah Currier – 72-yard rush (kick missed) – 1 play, 72 yards (0:10)
4:31 | 21-6 UTC | Drevariis Yeomas (Victor, NY/Victor) – 56-yard rush (Nico Duarte (Kearny, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) kick) – 1 play, 56 yards (0:10)
0:28 | 28-6 UTC | Logan Frederick (Little Falls, NY/Little Falls) – 18-yard pass from Tyler Szalkowski (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute) (Nico Duarte (Kearny, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) kick) – 4 plays, 53 yards (1:47)
2nd Quarter
8:49 | 35-6 UTC | Eze Frazier (Garnerville, NY/North Rockland) – 4-yard rush (Nico Duarte (Kearny, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) kick) – 5 plays, 16 yards (1:15)
2:37 | 42-6 UTC | Eze Frazier (Garnerville, NY/North Rockland) – 6-yard rush (Nico Duarte (Kearny, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) kick) – 7 plays, 98 yards (3:07)
3rd Quarter
9:37 | 45-6 UTC | Nico Duarte (Kearny, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) – 31-yard field goal – 10 plays, 49 yards (5:23)
3:36 | 48-6 UTC | Nico Duarte (Kearny, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) – 20-yard field goal – 7 plays, 52 yards (3:33)
1:39 | 48-13 UTC | Xzavier Patrick – 1-yard rush (M. Perry kick) – 7 plays, 76 yards (1:50)
4th Quarter
6:20 | 51-13 UTC | Nico Duarte (Kearny, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) – 38-yard field goal – 8 plays, 52 yards (5:31)
0:05 | 58-13 UTC | Micah Davis (Fredonia, NY/Fredonia) – 15-yard rush (Nico Duarte (Kearny, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) kick) – 8 plays, 49 yards (2:18)
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