Get the free digest
Sports

Playoff-bound RPI football meets Union for Dutchman Shoes Trophy

(Jim Franco/Times Union) TROY - The RPI football team wants to head into the NCAA playoffs on the high of a Dutchman Shoes Trophy victory.

✦ Extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting•From 1 source•1 min read•Updated November 11, 2026, 9:10 PM UTC
Key points
  • Union coach Jon Drach, entering his third Dutchman Shoes game, has quickly learned why it's meaningful.
  • "I want to at least go out with a meaningful win in the biggest game of the year and take home the Shoes Trophy." He'd also like to keep the Engineers from running the table in league play.
  • "Key thing we have to do is play together and just focus on each player doing their own job, not trying to do too much." There is familiarity between some RPI and Union players.

RPI running back Kayden White looks for running room in front of Union College defender John Droggitis during the Dutchman Shoes Game on Saturday, Nov.

Additional details
  • Heading into the regular-season finale, the Engineers are trying to regain the Dutchman Shoes, which they lost 28-21 in Schenectady last year.
  • That season, RPI also clinched the league title and a NCAA Tournament bid going into the finale against Union in Troy.
  • People might think that since we won the league, we don't really care about this game, but both teams definitely care about this game a lot." A victory would give RPI the outright league championship.
  • "Obviously, we're out of it, but to say they didn't beat everyone outright would be nice to do that." RPI coach Ralph Isernia said he's telling his players a cautionary tale about the 2018 team.
  • He said the intensity of the Dutchman Shoes rivalry comes from the common ground the teams share.

How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →

Advertisement

Every article behind this summary — 1 article from 1 outlet

Yahoo SportsNovember 11, 2026, 9:10 PM UTC →

Related stories