Photo by Junior Silva
McPherson, Kan. – For the first time since 2010, the McPherson College football team will finish the season above the .500 mark. The Bulldogs wrapped up 2021 with a convincing 42-28 win, at home on Senior Day, over the Sterling College Warriors.
The Bulldogs kicked off first, and the Warriors went 66 yards in nine plays, culminating in a ten yard touchdown run to go up 7-0. Late in the first quarter, the Bulldogs got their first points of the afternoon on a 20 yard field goal from Caden Bush. At the end of the first, the Warriors led 7-3.
In the second quarter, with the win in his face, Sterling quarterback, Ethan Richardson connected with former Warrior quarterback, Chance Whitehead for a 78 yard catch and run for the score to put the Warriors up 14-3. The Bulldogs answered on their next drive, marching 56 yards in eight plays resulting in an eight yard touchdown pass from Tristan Szabo to Jonathan White. Szabo almost led his receiver too far on the swing pass, but White was able to reach out his left hand and make a spectacular one handed grab for the TD.
Late in the second quarter, the Bulldogs caught a couple of nice breaks. With just over a minute left in the half, Kaleb Hamblin picked off Richardson at the McPherson 30 yard line, and then returned the ball 70 yards for the score to give the Bulldogs their first lead of the game 17-14. On the ensuing kickoff Whitehead fumbled the ball at the Sterling 31 yard line giving the ball back to the Bulldogs with 53 seconds on the clock. The Bulldogs capitalized, going 31 yards on five plays with Szabo finishing the drive with a 12 yard strike to Michael Banks. The Bulldogs went into the locker room at halftime leading the Warriors 24-10.
The Bulldogs got the ball to start the second half and promptly marched 74 yards in seven plays ending with a two yard touchdown run from White. Bush missed the extra point and the score remained 30-14. The Warriors were forced to punt on their next possession, but the pinned the Bulldogs deep, forcing them to start the next drive from their three yard line. On the ninth play of the drive, White scored his third touchdown of the day, this time on a 30 yard run. The Bulldogs tried for two, handing the ball off to Bailey Sites, a senior who joined the program as a running back but was converted to safety, early in his career. Sites was stopped short of the goal line and the score remained 36-14.
The Warriors found the end zone for the first time in the second half, midway through the fourth quarter, on a 21 yard run by Micah Snoddy to cut the lead to 36-21. The Bulldogs immediately answered with a 23 yard touchdown pass from Szabo to J'Kobi Reddick. After another failed two point try, the scoreboard read 42-21 in favor of the Bulldogs.
The Warriors added another touchdown on their final drive of the game, to cut the Bulldog lead to 42-28 with 17 seconds left in the game. On the ensuing kickoff, Melvin Reid picked up the ball on the five yard line and then went 95 yards for the score. The Bulldogs tried for two again, but the pass from Szabo intended for senior offensive lineman Dalton Womack was knocked down at the line of scrimmage making the final score 48-28.
The Bulldog offense racked up 507 yards of total offense, including 293 yards on the ground and 214 through the air. The defense gave up 417 yards to the Warriors, but forced two turnovers.
Szabo finished his freshman campaign going 20-29 with 214 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. He did a nice job of spreading the ball around, hitting nine different receivers. His favorite target on the day was Reid, who caught eight passes for 57 yards.
On the ground it was the Jonathan White show. He had 18 carries for 191 yards and two touchdowns. Szabo was the second leading rusher, calling his own number eight times and tallying 57 yards from scrimmage.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Bulldogs were led by senior Kollin Goering who recorded 13 tackles, with a sack fumble, and two and a half tackles for a loss. The big play for the defense was the 70 yard pick six by Hamblin late in the first half.
Coach Fiscus summed up the win by saying, "I am very proud of our team, and very proud of our seniors. This is the first winning season in 11 years, a big step for the culture of the program. I am very, very appreciative of the seniors, especially for the ones here when I first got here three years ago. Those guys endured a lot, not knowing what to expect. They showed great leadership and have helped shape this program. I am very proud of the progress we have made, and I like our momentum moving forward, recruiting in the offseason."
After being picked to finish the season in 7th in the pre-season polls, the Bulldogs end the season at 6-4 and all alone in fifth place in the final standings. Their four losses came at the hands of the teams that finished ahead of them. Before Saturday's game the team honored 15 seniors, who have left an indelible mark on the program. The Bulldogs have some big holes to fill heading into the 2022 season, but for now they head into the off season on a high note, and with a lot of momentum.
