McPherson, Kan. – On a chilly Senior Day in McPherson, the Bulldog football team took down the Southwestern College Moundbuilders 10-7 in the final game of the 2014 season. Mac ended the year at 4-7 overall and 4-5 in the KCAC.
The longest drive of the night for SWC, in terms of number of plays, came on their opening possession; the Builders took 12 plays to go just 36 yards, giving it up after a failed fourth down conversion. The rest of the first quarter was played mainly between the 30s.
The second quarter was where the fun happened. The 'Dogs were the first to get on the board as Christian Guerra-Barbosa kicked in a 27-yard field goal in the early minutes of the period. Midway through the quarter, Southwestern took advantage of a Mac miscue and scored their lone points after a five play, 20-yard drive to go on top 7-3. Following a Moundbuilder interception, the 'Dogs drove 71 yards and scored their touchdown with just 16 seconds left in the half; Cody Groff hit Michael Ramos with a four-yard pass. David Anderson intercepted SWC as they attempted to get yardage before the break but could only get the ball down to the 12-yard line and time expired during his runback.
Up 10-7, MC got the ball to start the second half. A drive made up of some nice Miles Balthazor runs stalled out and following the punt, a good portion of the period was played in Southwestern territory. The Builders made it out once late in the quarter and got down to the McPherson two but a blocked field goal attempt by Trenton Forrester kept the Bulldogs ahead.
Mac started the fourth by again driving into enemy territory but was forced to punt. On their next possession, the 'Dogs were backed up to their 6-inch line and had to punt from the seven. The Moundbuilders tried to get into field goal range down the stretch but the defense of McPherson wouldn't allow it, preserving the 10-7 MC victory.
There were not many yards gained by either team and the majority of the Bulldogs' 275 came on the ground; the accumulated 237 on 49 attempts. Balthazor netted 110 on 27 carries and was followed by quarterback Groff who had 88 on 18 rushes; Groff threw 79 yards on 12-of-21 with two picks and a touchdown. Ramos totaled a team-high six grabs for 36 yards and the score. Justin Fagan was second with his four receptions for 23.
The Bulldog D gave up a mere 153 yards with 46 coming on one play. Dalton Whitfield, Evan Clary, and Forrester each had eight total tackles with Forrester racking up the most solo stops with four; Clary had half a sack which he shared with Grant Narcisse. Ben Kimbrough tallied four tackles including a 10-yard sack in his final game for the 'Dogs.
McPherson will graduate 13 seniors from their 2014 squad. Coach Fox and his staff will now begin the preparation for 2015.
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McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
