GENEVA, N.Y.—For the third year in a row, Hobart College will raise money for Honor Flight Rochester. The Statesmen host Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in a key Liberty League football game at noon on Saturday, Oct. 24 on Boswell Field at the Caird Center for Sports and Recreation.
 
Hobart will donate Saturday's ticket sales to Honor Flight Rochester, which provides free transportation to America's veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the monuments dedicated to their service and sacrifices. Additionally, during the second quarter, Hobart student-athletes will "pass the hat" for fan donations to Honor Flight Rochester. Hobart's Honor Flight game has raised approximately $2,800 over the past two years.
 
Representatives of Honor Flight Rochester as well as World War II veterans will be Hobart's honored guests during the pregame ceremonies. U.S. Army Air Corps veteran Jay Bourne, who served in World War II, will perform the pregame coin toss.
 
The idea for the fund-raiser came from Statesmen Head Coach Mike Cragg. During the summer of 2013, his father-in-law, Ed Smaldone, a U.S. Army veteran of World War II with service in the European theatre, went on an Honor Flight and visited the World War II Memorial, as well as other Washington landmarks. Smaldone's 69th infantry division met up with the Soviet army at the Elbe River on April 25, 1945, and is credited with hastening the arrival of V-E Day.
 
On the field, Hobart is 4-2 overall and 2-1 in Liberty League play. The Statesmen had a week off following a 35-13 loss at Springfield on Oct. 3. The loss to the Pride snapped the team's 24-game conference winning streak.
 
Hobart leads the nation in pass defense, allowing just 89.8 passing yards per game. The Statesmen are also 10th in the country in total defense, yielding just 231.0 yards per game.
 
Rensselaer brings a 5-2 mark to Geneva. The Engineers improved to 3-1 in league play following a 35-21 win over Rochester last week. RPI leads the league in total offense (414.3 yds/g) and scoring defense (16.0 ppg).
 
The game will be the 59th gridiron meeting between the two schools with Hobart holding a 29-28-1 advantage, including a 14-12-1 mark in Geneva.
 
The game will be broadcast by WEOS-FM (89.5/90.3 in Geneva). Fans can also follow the action online with All-Access Video and Live Stats.