MOUNT VERNON – Cornell's young football team ran into a seasoned squad from Coe Saturday, falling 56-6 in Saturday's season opener at Van Metre Field at Ash Park.
 
The Kohawks (1-0) struck quickly with long touchdown passes on their first two series and kept momentum the rest of the way in the 132nd game of the oldest college football rivalry west of the Mississippi.
 
Junior Trey Birdsong had a big day in the return game for Cornell (0-1), racking up 234 all-purpose yards and accounting for the Rams' lone TD. He totaled 163 yards on seven kick returns and added 56 yards on a pair of punt returns.
 
Birdsong put Cornell on the scoreboard late in the third quarter with a nifty 55-yard touchdown return off a Kohawk punt, trimming the margin to 35-6.
 
Junior linebacker Nicholas Sells led Cornell's defense with a game-high 12 tackles, including 10 solo stops. Sophomore Perry Wilson III intercepted a pass, while Bruce Harris and Luca Schoensee had six tackles apiece. RJ Sutton and Trey Gohlmann each recorded one tackle for loss.
 
The Kohawks limited the Rams to 115 total yards. Sophomore Reggie Swinton Jr. paced Cornell's rushers with 21 yards on six attempts.
 
Cornell quarterback John Smith went 11-of-25 passing for 64 yards. Gavin Soukup had 21 yards on five receptions.
 
Coe's high-powered offense accumulated 315 yards on the ground and 410 through the air. Top wideout Dominic Shepardson had seven receptions for 182 yards and four TDs. Jacob Brecht rushed for 184 yards on only eight carries.  
 
The Kohawks built a 28-0 lead at halftime. They countered Birdsong's TD with three more touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
 
Cornell's Tony Gomez had a productive day punting. He averaged 41.4 yards on 11 attempts, highlighted by four punts inside the 20-yard line.
 
Coming up – The Rams open Midwest Conference play next Saturday, Sept. 9, with a 1 p.m. kickoff against Lawrence in Mount Vernon.