The crowd volume had been reduced to a whisper in the SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex on a dark, gloomy, Oct.30 2010 afternoon as the first half was nearing a close. Cortland quarterback, Dan Pitcher, had been intercepted by Montclair State cornerback, Kevin Cloghessy, returning it 23 yards to the Cortland 25 with 39 seconds remaining. The Red Dragons trailed 9-0 as the Red Hawks looked to ice the contest on a momentum shifting defensive turnover.
“Going into the half you want to go in with some type of lead,” said senior cornerback, Joe Lopez. “As unfortunate as it was for Pitcher to throw that pick, with our defense this is what we’ve been doing all year regardless if we’re put easy or hard situations. We make plays.”
(2009 Season at West Conn via Dan Padavona)
Coming up with a big play in times of desperation is what makes up the caliber of a championship defense. Two plays into the drive coming off the Cloughessy interception, Montclair State quarterback Tom Fischer, looked to his left and decided to take a gamble by lofting a desperation heave throw to the end zone where Lopez was awaiting his pass.
“I kind of want to say it was a gift because when you look it over, the quarterback for Montclair (Tom Fischer) wasn’t even looking to my side,” said Lopez. “They were just looking at the front side, which I consider the backside of the play to me. There was no where to throw it to, so he just wanted one last heave-ho to the end zone and I was able to make a good break on the play. It was good. I really didn’t think about it until after the game because we held them to no points and it was a momentum shift there when they could have easily settled for a field goal.”
On that Saturday, Lopez intercepted William Paterson’s Ryan Gresik returning the pass back for a 26-yard touchdown. The interception broke a school record with an interception in five straight games while adding to his total of seven on the season. It has been a magical senior season for the cornerback from Port Jeff Station, New York. Lopez as well as senior captain, Evan Wyler, were selected to the Division III Senior Bowl Classic played on December 3rd, 2010 at 7 p.m.
The Collegiate Development Football League (CDFL) presents the opportunity to showcase and recognize the best senior laden D-III football talent on a center stage during the first week of December over the last two years in Salem, Virginia. The “D-III Football Senior Classic” will bring players who represent D-III football programs, to a North vs. South format all-star format according to their official website.
Lopez described the feeling of being selected to the second annual Division III Classic, as “It’s a nice accomplishment. My parents were ecstatic. I think I got my Dad to cry over the phone when I told him. It was kind of funny and cool.”
A challenge that presents itself with being selected to the D.III Senior Bowl Classic is that the contest is player run meaning the participants of the game have to foot the costs of traveling, lodging and playing themselves. The game is also played during the D.III postseason meaning some of the players may not even play in the contest after accepting the events.
“It’s player run, so we do have to cover the fees ourselves,” said Lopez. “I’m not too worried about it; I’m trying to get some exposure and start some funding, so I can pay for some of it. It’s a great opportunity to play some of the best Division III senior football players in the country and see where I stand amongst them,” said Lopez.
The man wearing number one on the Red Dragons defense attributes the successes of his 4-year career in part due to the culture brought on by the coaching staff.
“One thing about our coaches and all our players, we do a great job of staying on task and staying focused. The biggest thing is about keeping it fun,” said Lopez. “I realized through this season being my senior year that it’s not worth playing the game unless you’re having the time of your life. All of our coaches do an amazing job keeping us out there and having fun. We’re just having the time of our lives. I’m going out there with a smile on my face. Not everyday you see football players going out there with smiles on their face.”
The Lopez family also plays a huge role in what Joe believes is the reason he has done so well as he stands at the pinnacle of his Cortland career.
“For the amount of traveling my parents do each week to come and see me a play game each week that really goes a long way. I use it as motivation,” Lopez said. “I look at them in the stands I’m just so thankful for everything they’ve done for me to be where I am. I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for them.”
If there is one motivation to keep in the rearview mirror that helps the senior defensive back stay calm as Cortland takes the field, Lopez thinks of a quote he read in Sports Illustrated from Mark Sanchez.
“I love the quote by Mark Sanchez in the second week of the 2010-11 season in NFL,” said Lopez.” He said ‘We’re a grown group of men playing a kids game.’ I read that somewhere. I think it was Sports Illustrated and I thought about it. I’m 21 years old and I have the opportunity to play a game that is played by kids and I’m having the time of life with it. That’s the biggest thing from my standpoint on the defensive side. We just have fun doing what we do.”
Steven Cuce 