Christina Lee, Senior Photographer
Team 152 is making program history today as the first Yale squad to play in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs and as the first Ivy League team to take part in the postseason since the Ivy athletic conference was formed in 1945.
In Ohio, Yale (8–2, 7–1 Ivy) is taking on the 15th-seeded Youngstown State Penguins (8–4) in the opening round of the playoffs. Last weekend, the Bulldogs secured the Ivy League’s first-ever automatic qualification to the playoffs with its win over Harvard in the 141st playing of The Game.
“At this point in the season, the defense is still just trying to stack plays, stack days, and stack weeks,” cornerback Brandon Webster ’27 wrote to the News. “Honing in on that has been our top priority, and has led us to make the plays we should make. We just have to keep doing what we do well, worry about ourselves, and have an elite week of preparation.”
Read a full preview of the game here, and follow the News’ live updates below.
— Brody Gilkison, Staff Reporter
Christina Lee, Senior Photographer
11:40 a.m. | Youngstown, Ohio
Both football teams have finished warming up and left the field. As fans file into the stadium from outside, Youngstown’s marching band is spreading across the field to begin a pregame show and perform the national anthem.
While most YSU fans are sitting in the western stands, some YSU fans have joined Yale’s assigned visitor section in the eastern stands and are sitting feet away from Yale crowds.
— Sabrina Thaler, Staff Reporter
11:36 a.m. | Youngstown, Ohio
Several Yale football alumni have also traveled to Youngstown for the historic game.
Khalid Cannon ’17, who was part of head coach Tony Reno’s first recruiting class when Reno started his tenure at Yale in 2012, flew in from Orlando, Fla. on Friday night, he said.
Cannon recalled that when Reno first recruited him in 2012, Reno told Cannon that there was a chance the Bulldogs could make it to the playoffs during Cannon’s years with the team.
“It didn’t happen in the four years when I played, but here we are now, almost a decade later, fulfilling all those promises,” Cannon said. “He’s delivering on the program that he said he was going to build. And it’s just special to see it all from those early days, and it was just this vision he was putting together.”
At least six alumni who played on the football team in the early ’80s also traveled to the game.
Fred Leone ’82 said he made the decision to fly to Youngstown early Saturday morning, waking his wife up at 2:30 a.m. to announce he was flying to Ohio from New York.
“These kids have shown that we can really play,” Leone said, recalling the three Ivy league titles Yale won in 1979, 1980 and 1981 while he was on the team.
“Winning is contagious. These are lifelong friendships, largely due to a successful football program. It brings us together,” Bill Kirk ’82 said after snapping a photo with his former teammates outside the Yale tailgate.
— Sabrina Thaler, Staff Reporter
Christina Lee, Senior Photographer
11:14 a.m. | Youngstown, Ohio
On Friday, members of Yale’s cheerleading squad took a nearly 10-hour long bus ride from New Haven to Youngstown to support the Bulldogs. They were joined by a special guest — Yale’s mascot, Handsome Dan, who sat in a travel crate during the bus ride.
The cheer team typically only joins the football team on the road for the Yale-Harvard game, cheerleader Kenna Morgan ’26 said. The same goes for Handsome Dan, according to his handler, Kassandra Haro ’18.
“I hope he raises some Bulldog morale, and brings some good luck. And I hope the team is really excited to see him,” Haro said. “We just wanted to kind of mark this really special occasion in his history, in his tenure as Dan, too.”
— Sabrina Thaler, Staff Reporter
Christina Lee, Senior Photographer
11:01 a.m. | Youngstown, Ohio
Tailgates have been full swing in the parking lot outside Stambaugh Stadium since 8:30 a.m. A group of family members and football alumni are gathered around a white tent with drinks, coffee and a spread of catered food. Music is blaring from speakers inside the tent.
Ahead of the game, families of the football team participated in regular tailgate traditions, according to parent Jenny Fortner. Parents greeted the team as they came off of their bus to the stadium, and the moms of the team huddled in a prayer circle for the Bulldogs.
Fortner, her husband and at least 10 other family members came to the game to support Fortner’s son, Joey Fortner ’27.
“It doesn’t matter who they’re playing. The fact that it’s the first, I think everyone wanted to be here for that,” P. Jay Fortner, Joey Fortner’s father, said, referring to the Bulldogs’ first-ever playoff game set to kick off at noon.
— Sabrina Thaler, Staff Reporter
