CORTLAND (WBNG) — SUNY Cortland and Ithaca have been a rivalry for generations but none bigger than football. The 65th Annual Cortaca Pitcher kicks off on November 16th.

“There’s definitely some animosity there,” Ithaca College Senior Sports Media Major Alex Tchiprot said. “Cortland was able to come to Butterfield Stadium last year and win.”

“I’m a Yankees fan so I think I might hate them more than the Red Sox,” SUNY Cortland Junior Sports Management Major Casey Stoughton said.

The Red Dragons have lost just three games in the last three seasons and one of those will come to the Bombers in 2022. Ithaca is 6-3 this season and head coach Michael Toerper is looking to replicate the success he saw in Yankee Stadium two years ago.

“The purity of it is great, it’s what college football is all about because it’s two schools not far apart that are happy to support their teams in a lot of different ways,” Toerper said. “That’s really what college football is all about.”

The game returns to Grady Field for the first time in three years, rekindling the flames on the SUNY campus ahead of Saturday’s showdown.

“The team is very excited, the campus is jumping like it normally should be around Cortaca,” SUNY Cortland football coach Curt Fitzpatrick said. “It’s also going to be a really good football game so we’re fired up.”

Normally, if you ask, athletes will say that every game needs to be treated the same, but there’s no getting around the fact that both the Bombers and the Red Dragons have had this one circled on the calendar all season.

You’re not just playing for yourself, you’re playing for the name on the jersey you play for that city on the helmet,” said SUNY Cortland Senior Defensive Lineman Matt Ferrer.

“Got a bunch of texts from alumni leading up to this game,” Ithaca defensive back Jake Connolly said. “A bunch of kids from my classes have congratulated me and wished me luck with this game.”

The Bombers lead the series all-time with 43 wins to Cortlands 35, the game has been played since 1930, with the introduction of the Cortaca Jug to the competition in 1959. The game has not seen a back-to-back pitcher winner in four seasons.

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