Canandaigua graduate ready to make history with SUNY Cortland football
SUNY Cortland's football program will play for the Division III national title for the first time in school history, and a Canandaigua graduate is a major reason why.
Cody Aikey, a junior offensive lineman for the Red Dragons, will man the trenches when Cortland takes on North Central College (Illinois) in the Stagg Bowl Friday in Salem, Virginia.
The game presents a historic moment for the program, and for Aikey personally. Friday's game will mark the deepest in a calendar year he's played football.
"My birthday is coming up Thursday and I've never played football this long," Aikey said in a phone interview on Tuesday. "I feel good. We were a little banged up coming into the playoffs, but by playing longer your body gets a chance to rest. We feel really good going into this game."
Aikey graduated from Canandaigua Academy in 2021 following a standout interscholastic career. The former Section V star was a two-time second team All-Greater Rochester selection (2019, 2021) and helped the Braves to a pair of section championships.
His strong play continued at Cortland where he's been a starter since freshman year. In 2023, he was named All-Empire 8 first team and All-Region second team.
Little did Aikey know when he committed to Cortland, he'd eventually vie for a national championship.
"My freshman year we had good leadership and they passed down a strong foundation. They always talked about 'going to the natty.' And the past two years we've gone to the playoffs, so I had a feeling we'd get close," Aikey said. "But it's crazy to think it's actually happening now and we're here."
The Red Dragons (13-1) are the first collegiate team from New York state to reach the Stagg Bowl since Ithaca in 1991, and the first team from the East Coast to play for a title since Bridgewater (Virginia) in 2001.
The opponent, North Central, provides a stiff test. The Cardinals are 56-2 since the start of the 2019 season and have won two national titles (2019, 2022) during that span.
"When people hear North Central, they think they're unbeatable. But we're just different, I feel like," Aikey said. "We're a bunch of dogs here that can face adversity."
Section V football well-represented at Cortland
Aikey isn't the only former Rochester-area standout currently competing for national title-bound Cortland. Here are the others:
Alex DeRosa, defensive back (Webster Schroeder, class of 2022)
Ellis Einbinder, defensive back (Brighton, class of 2022)
Jon Kabes, offensive line (Honeoye Falls-Lima, class of 2020)
Jackson Cypher, defensive back (Brighton, Class of 2022)
Joey Leuzzi, wide receiver (McQuaid, class of 2022)
This article originally appeared on MPNnow: Cody Aikey ready for DIII national title football game with Cortland
