McPherson, Kan. – It was a beautiful day for Senior Day at McPherson Stadium, sunny and a crisp 60 degrees. The Bulldog football team had one of their stronger overall showings but it wasn't enough as they fell to Sterling College 35-7.
"Some real positives to build on for next week," said Coach Mierkiewicz. "To play a 7-7 second half, that was good for us. One more week to go as a family and then we'll keep working on next year."
Mac had a rough first half as they were only able to tally 43 total yards; most of which came on a late run with just a few seconds left in the second quarter. Defensively, Sterling took advantage of some good field position; three times the Warriors got the ball in MC territory including once inside the five-yard line. At halftime, McPherson trailed 28-0.
In the second, the Bulldog D stepped up, allowing just one touchdown to SC which came in the opening minutes of the third quarter. McPherson's offense also began to churn out some drives including one that went for 14 plays; unfortunately that one was cut short on downs. Mac's lone touchdown came in the closing minutes of the contest as backup quarterback Christian Johnston hit Erik Corona for a 36-yard strike in the back of the end zone with just five seconds left in the game; Johnston racked up 63 yards passing in the final drive of the day.
The 'Dogs tallied 205 total yards of offense with 88 on the ground and 117 through the air. Jackson Goodmiller took the ball a team-high nine times for 23 net yards; he had a long of 19. Quarterback Chris Linnin rushed eight times for 16 yards. A highlight of the game for MC was a fake punt, direct snap that offensive lineman Calon Bibbs took 16 yards for a first down. Linnin ended the game completing 5-of-20 for 54 yards with a long of 16. Johnston was 3-of-3 for 63 yards and the score. Senior wide receivers Ste'fon Walker and Michael Ramos combined for four catches for 45 yards in their final home game.
McPherson allowed 380 yards to the Warriors with 315 coming on the ground to the run-heavy unit; they did force five fumbles. Michael Rabara led all players in tackles with 13; he had six solo and seven assisted. Dalton Whitfield racked up 12, split evenly and netted a sack as well. Also hitting the double-digit mark was Braden Bush who led the team in solo stops with nine. Freshman Alwin Crawford had a standout performance as the defensive back not only had six solo tackles, three that were for a loss, but also had three forced fumbles and a blocked field goal.
MC's final game of the year is up the road at inter-county rival Bethany College; start time for the November 14th contest is set for 1:30 p.m. (CT) in Lindsborg, Kansas.
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McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
