Football | 11/16/2013 6:01:00 PM
Box Score
Winfield, Kan. – Bulldog football ended the 2013 season with back-to-back 37-7 victories; on a breezy Saturday, Mac took down Southwestern College in Winfield. The 'Dogs close out the year with a 5-6 overall record and were 4-5 against KCAC teams.
McPherson started the game with a touchdown drive on their opening possession as
Havelock Pomele (San Jose, Calif.) punched his first TD in on a one-yard run. Following a second three-and-out by the Moundbuilders, the Bulldogs got the ball back after a short punt courtesy of the wind. Nine plays later and MC found pay dirt again, this time with freshman
Isaiah Franklin (Wichita, Kan.) squeezing in.
The Builders finally got on the scoreboard early in the second quarter but a third score was tallied by the 'Dogs on the next possession, a
Gerald Hardridge (Tulsa, Okla.) scamper, moving their lead back to 14 with just over five minutes left in the half. With time winding down, Mac's quarterback
Jordan Hoffman (McCordsville, Ind.) hit
Tremon Robinson (Dallas, Texas) from eight out bringing the halftime score to 28-7.
Coming out of the locker room McPherson scored again, this time on a 38-yard field goal into the wind by
Mike Phillips (Spring Branch, Texas) A couple long non-scoring possessions by the Bulldogs drained some clock in the third quarter, bringing the final 15 minutes of the 2013 season. A missed 40 yarder FG by Phillips kicked off the quarter. The next time they got the ball, MC cashed in with Pomele's second touchdown, this one from 22 yards out; Phillips kicked the extra point wide right.
SWC got the ball one more time but could not convert a fourth and one, giving the ball back to Mac with under five to play. The 'Dogs then ran out the clock, completing the 37-7 pummeling.
It was a windy day for football, limiting both team's passing attacks. With a northbound breeze, the two teams rarely threw when heading south; two of Mac's touchdowns were scored while heading against the wind. The Bulldog offense accumulated 475 total yards with 256 coming on the ground. The leading rusher for MC was Pomele who netted 126 on 21 attempts. Scott Thibodeaux tallied 71 on 13 rushes and was followed by Franklin who had 46. Hoffman went 15-of-24 for 219 yards and a touchdown; Hoffman created a new MC record at the conclusion of the game as he tallied a 63.6 completion percentage for the year, topping Shane Mascarenas' 2010 mark of 62%. Robinson continued to be a favorite target for the quarterback, pulling down seven balls for 140 yards and a score; with his seven grabs, Robinson ended the season with a KCAC leading-64 receptions.
Jon White (Aurora, Colo.) logged four catches for 43 yards in his final game of his career.
McPherson's defense allowed just 251 yards and only 95 rushing. They forced three fumbles, recovering one; they also tallied two interceptions.
Dominique Henderson (Wichita, Kan.) led the way in tackling for the Bulldogs, totaling nine tackles with seven being solo stops.
Cole Long (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) added seven to his yearly total with five unassisted tackles.
Phillip Wilson (Long Beach, Calif.) and
Tyler Bruton (McPherson, Kan.) each had an interception on the day while
D'Andre Sampson (San Diego, Calif.) had the fumble recovery.
"This game was as much about our seniors as it was trying to create momentum heading in the off-season," said Coach Sterbick. "We have a great group of guys leaving us and I'm really happy they went out winners. We will miss them and their commitment to our program."
With the conclusion of Saturday's games, 2013 has come to a close for Mac; spring ball is next on the docket for the returners.
