Football hopes to end season with .500 record
by Adam Tobin
Last Saturday the Quaker football team fell to Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) by a score of 20-7, but hopes to end the season with a win and a .500 record.
This was the team’s second-to-last season game, and the loss diminishes the team’s chances of finishing the season within the top four conference teams.
Head coach Gerry Keesling emphasized that his team was unable to reach the end zone on several plays, failing to bring any further scoring opportunities.
“We got into the red zone four times, but couldn’t score,” he said. “If we had gotten the ball in the end zone, we could’ve changed the momentum of the game entirely. Our defense played exceptionally well and our kicking game was good, but Max [Crumley-Effinger] didn’t have many opportunities.” Crumley-Effinger is a senior kicker.
The Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops, who had as many conference wins as the Quakers going into the game, took advantage of many offensive plays in the second quarter as they scored three touchdowns within a five-minute period, dealing a major blow to the Quaker defensive line.
OWU freshman quarterback Mike Bashioum ran for the first two touchdowns and threw for another touchdown to shut down the Quakers after the first half.
The Quaker’s offensive line pulled itself together at the end of the first half with a major play. OWU senior John Romano punted the ball, but Quaker freshman wide receiver Dakota McElley blocked the punt while his teammate, freshman running back Kevin Powers, quickly recovered the ball and ran 15 yards for the Quakers’ first and only touchdown of the game.
Junior running back Nick Cummings, who finished the game with 63 yards in rushing, commented on the defensive line’s performance.
“We really got things going in the second quarter, but once we got into the red zone we couldn’t capitalize,” he said. “You can’t expect to win a game without putting the ball in the end zone. Overall though, the entire defense played really well with a few exceptions in that second quarter that made all the difference. We practiced hard all week, we should’ve beat them.”
Senior defensive back Jake Carr, a crucial member of the defensive squad who led the Quakers with 10 tackles, also commented on both offensive and defensive performances.
“I think that the defensive line played well. OWU tried to spread us out, but I think that our defensive line did a good job getting penetration and disrupting plays in the backfield,” he said. “The offense did a good job of getting itself into scoring opportunities, but just didn’t finish drives like we had hoped. The OWU defense deserves credit for being able to make the stops in the red zone when they needed them.”
Although this notched another loss to the team’s conference record, players are still looking forward to competing against Denison University tomorrow, hoping to finish their season on a high note.
Carr spoke of the team’s desire to beat Denison. “We are gonna prepare for this game like any other. We’re gonna watch our film and study just as hard as any other week to give us a chance to win the game. Denison is a pretty good team, but if we play like we can and should, we will win this weekend.”
Cummings stated, “We have a chance to go over .500, which our program hasn’t done in quite some time. It would be big for our seniors, but this would also mean a lot for our program. We want to leave the NCAC with a relatively good standing.”
He further noted that Manchester College, an HCAC participant whom the Quakers beat earlier in the season, holds a high rank in its respective conference.
“The HCAC has a few strong teams, but we’ll fare better in the Heartland. Because Manchester is ranked high, it gives us a stronger chance of getting a conference championship,” he said.
Keesling echoed the importance of beating Denison and finishing the season with a .500 record.
He said, “We were picked ninth in the conference the last two years, but we defied everyone’s expectations by finishing third last year and they still picked us ninth again this year. To have another good finish would be nice. We need to go into the off season with feel-good momentum. I want the seniors to leave feeling good.”
The Quakers (4-5, 2-4) will travel to Denison for a 1 p.m. match tomorrow.
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