On Senior Night, and in its final game of the season, the sprint football team put up a strong performance against Mansfield to end its year on a high note.

In a season that had been filled with ups and downs, fantastic performances and a few unfulfilled expectations, the Red notched one final win for their graduating class with a 31-14 result over the Mounties on Friday at Schoellkopf Field.

With the win, Cornell finished the 2009 campaign with an overall record of 4-3, 3-2 in conference play. Mansfield ends the season 2-5, 1-5 CSFL.

“It’s always important to get the last win for the seniors,” said junior quarterback Elliot Corey. “It was good to go out there and get the win for the seniors and get everyone in and have a chance to play.”Going out in style: Senior running back Dan Rowoth (3) ended his Red career with a touchdown and 66 total rushing yards in the home win on Saturday.

One key player who was absent from action was junior starting tailback D.J. Schiavetta, who was sidelined due to a shoulder strain. In his absence however, Red rushers picked up the slack, as junior running back Matthew Pierce had 125 yards rushing on 12 carries. In total, the Red had 258 yards on the ground, ending the season less than 30 yards away from breaking Cornell’s single-season record.

Senior wide receiver Upal Sarker had an excellent performance, finishing with five receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown. Corey had a solid game, throwing for 80 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 52 and another score on the ground. He was relieved by sophomore backup quarterback Tim Bruhn in the second half.

Cornell picked up an early 10-0 lead in the first quarter when Corey led a touchdown drive by throwing for 29 yards through the air and rushing for 23 more on the ground. Senior running back Daniel Rowoth scored his second career touchdown on the final play of the drive.

The Red extended their lead to 17-0 when Sarker made a superb leaping catch over a Mansfield defender to come down with the ball in the corner of the end zone.

After missing the season opener, Sarker returned to the Red and quickly established himself as a consistent and reliable receiver in the Cornell offense. “Upal pretty much turned into my go-to guy,” Corey said.

Cornell maintained control throughout the rest of the game, notching their final score when Bruhn completed a 19-yard pass to senior Chris Stanton, who was able to maintain control despite a hard hit to the turf.

As it has been all season, the Red defense was strong throughout the contest. The Big Red Wall surrendered only five yards rushing and five total first downs, while holding Mansfield to only 1-of-14 on third-down conversions. Cornell also forced five turnovers.

In the final game of an illustrious All-CSFL career, senior linebacker John Parke finished with four tackles. Sophomore linebacker Tim Dooley led all Red defenseman with five.

In a season that ended with mixed results, the team is looking “Next year, I’d say anything less than a championship would be a disappointment,” Corey said.