By Mario Sacco

CORTLAND AND ITHACA, N.Y. -- Thirty-two teams began their journey to Salem, Va., this weekend with aspirations of winning Stagg Bowl XXXVI.

I too took a journey, that led me to see first half white outs, last second thrillers, and an upset we will be talking about all week. I began the day trying by to uncover my car from the dusting of snow we got in upstate New York (a dusting to citizens up here is anything less than two feet). A brief trip down I-81 from Syracuse, N.Y., I settled into the friendly confines of the SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex.

With the weather dipping into the high teens I took a lap around the parking lot to see if any brave souls were tailgating. I wasn't let down as I saw Red Dragon fans throwing back some “sodas” and hot dogs well throwing the pigskin around. I would have joined them but shortly after getting out of my car my feet and hands became numb.

Into the stadium I went to enjoy what would be a very entertaining and close first half of football. First off, the facilities at SUNY Cortland are very impressive. If any athletic director would like to take notes on how a new facility should be put together follow SUNY Cortland's lead. I chose to sit on the Plymouth State side of the stadium, first though I had to brush the foot of snow off the bleachers just to find my seat.

I realized early on in my trip though that I had made a few crucial mistakes. You see, I am from and have always lived in the western Pennsylvania area. When I decided to attend Syracuse University in Upstate New York I didn't believe people who said “just wait for the snow.” Boy did I find out first hand what lake effect snow is all about! With three layers of clothes and three layers of socks I thought that I would be fine ... wrong.

Also, never try to write with a pen in 20 degree weather.

So as my butt froze to the metal bleacher I settled into enjoy my first ever East Region playoff game. The first half for Cortland State was the Andrew Giuliano show. Thirteen of the first 15 plays went Giuliano's way in the first half. I give Plymouth State credit though as the Panthers held their ground until late in the second quarter, when Ray Miles hit Hajnos on deep post for a 39-yard pitch-and-catch. That set the score at 14-6 and Plymouth State would get no closer.

The Red Dragons of Cortland were constantly putting eight guys in the box. The only real pass that DeMarco completed in the first half was a scrambling bomb down the sidelines. It seemed like three Cortland State defenders had a chance at DeMarco during the play but a decleating block from Zac Duval sprung DeMarco free from the rush. It set up the only score in the first half for the Panthers, as he capped off the drive on an option keeper around the left end.

I enjoyed my short stay in Cortland, getting to know a few of the fans from Plymouth State. I give them credit, some waking up at the wee hours of the morning to take the drive and bear the cold to take it what turned out to be the last Panthers game of the season. I was very surprised as to how kind I was treated by the New Englanders since I was wearing my Pittsburgh Penguins stocking cap. In all seriousness, the crowd was probably 75 percent Cortland fans but there was at maximum 500 people in the stands.

At halftime I hit Rte. 13 with the heat on full blast as I made my journey down the road to Ithaca, N.Y., to catch what turned out to be the shocker of the first round. Twenty-five minutes later and my feet and hands back to room temperature I settled into Butterfield Stadium.

I was taken back to my high school days at Butterfield Stadium. I personally thought that the field looked in great shape for a game played on grass in late November, but on the field the players struggled with footing all day. Fans, if you have not been to Ithaca to take in a game like I haven't you are in for a different atmosphere. The field sits sort of like a bowl with bleachers on either side on the tops of the hill. It was set up great for viewing the action, as you were up high enough that you could see everything happening.

The teams traded blows in the second half as Curry took a brief lead only to let it escape with 2:16 left in the third as Brian Grastorf hit Kyle Crandall from 10 yards out for the score.

Clinging to a 21-18 lead the Bombers not once but twice had the ball inside the 35 yard line of the Colonels but failed to score. I am never one to second guess a coach's decision but twice coach Mike Welch of Ithaca decided to punt deep in Curry territory. Both times Ithaca gained minimal yardage on the changeover on downs. The Colonels then played the field position game as they drove to the 50 only to stall with five minutes left to play. Curry punted and then got a big defensive stand.

With just over two minutes on the clock the Colonels marched down the field for what would be the game-winning drive. Time after time on the drive Van De Giesen came up big finding his wideouts on quick slants and short hitters. The touchdown was skinny post for 12 yards out as Van de Giesen hit Norman Landry who beat the one-on-one coverage for the score.

Out of pencils to write with (had to change over since the weather was drying up all the ink) I started to hit the walkway back down to my car. I quickly stopped though as the Bombers of Ithaca drove inside Curry territory in a hurry. A pass-interference call in the end zone on Curry set Ithaca up with 15 seconds left and 25 yards to go. Grastorf had a shot on first down as he had a wide-receiver split the secondary of Curry only for the pass to sail high and out of play. One last-ditch pass down the sidelines fell incomplete and the Colonels pulled off, as some in Curry football fans told me, the biggest win in school history.

As stood in the end zone witness for the second consecutive year an underdog pull off a stunner (I was at the W&J game last year when they got upset by North Carolina Wesleyan) I could not help but crack a smile. You're not going to see any of the highlights on SportsCenter but for one day 52 players and their fans had a memory that will last them a lifetime.

This is what fans of D-I football will never feel -- that moment when your team has worked all season and for one Saturday afternoon on the grand stage of the national playoffs they pull off an instant classic. My journey this past Saturday was not about who won and lost but to see first hand once again how splendid football at the D-III level can be.

Mario Sacco is a Washington and Jefferson graduate studying broadcast journalism at Syracuse.