Author: Jacques Slaughter

Cardinal football strikes again, winning against Williams in overtime to take the Little Three Championship and to continue Wesleyan’s run of success this year. David Estevez ’22 was the star player this week, scoring all four of Wesleyan’s touchdowns: two rushing, one passing, and one from a kickoff return. But this victory was not easily won. Williams looked like the more complete and formidable side for large stretches of the matchup. Despite Williams’ tough fight, Wesleyan managed to persevere throughout the game while the Ephs struggled during the latter stages.

The Red and Black offense scored when it needed to during the fourth quarter and overtime but struggled to maintain drives and keep possession. Unlike in other matches this season where offensive production was well balanced between passing and rushing, Wesleyan only had 65 yards on the ground—a season low.

The Cardinals, however, have not been a rushing team this season; once again, the passing game was vital in winning the match. Quarterback Ashton Scott ’22 threw for over 150 yards on 31 attempts, but it was Estevez who gave the team the spark they needed. A versatile athlete, Estevez was featured heavily in the backfield, even playing quarterback at times.

By throwing a 52-yard touchdown to Delando Clarke ’21, who had 67 yards on the day, Estevez opened the scoring for Wesleyan in the second quarter. Estevez also scored two rushing touchdowns. The first was in the fourth quarter with only 17 seconds left on the clock, which tied up the game and took it to overtime; the second came in overtime to win the match.

Despite Estevez’s successes, the offense struggled against Williams’ defense. The offensive line allowed four sacks, matching the season-high number against Middlebury—the best team in the league at pressuring the quarterback. Moreover, the Cardinals did not convert a single third down during the game and only one fourth down. Thus, they were forced to punt seven times during the game and had significantly less time of possession compared to Williams.

This match was similarly taxing and difficult for the defensive side of the ball. The Ephs gained a hundred more yards on offense compared to the Cardinals. They also managed to convert 8 of their 17 third downs, and 1 of their 5 fourth downs, throughout the match. The Red and Black kept up a decent presence when defending against the pass, allowing only eight completions and an average of 4.4 yards per pass attempt. It was a different story against the Williams running game; Williams rushed for as many yards as Wesleyan gained in total, 296.

This was also the first game of the season where the defense did not gain a sack or an interception. But they also held Williams scoreless after the fourth quarter, forcing their offense off the field in every drive following the Ephs’ touchdown in the third quarter. Though they may have allowed a fair amount of yardage, the defense stepped up to the plate when required and stopped Williams in their tracks during the latter half of the match.

Once again, Estevez was the highlight of special teams this week with a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown during the last minute of the second quarter, evening the score at 14–14. But aside from that spectacular play, little happened on special teams: only one punt return for a yard and little else. This was also one of the few games this season when Wesleyan committed more penalties than their opponents and lost more yards to penalties.

The Cardinals only have one more game left in the season, which is against Trinity this Saturday. It will not be an easy match, as the Bantams have shown themselves to be a formidable team. They’ve got the highest-scoring offense in the NESCAC and the second-best defense in the conference.

Despite these intimidating stats, the Red and Black have a better overall record and have beaten two of the teams that defeated Trinity. With a final matchup under their wing, the Cardinals look to take second in the conference after undefeated Middlebury.

 

Jacques Slaughter can be reached at jslaughter@wesleyan.edu.

After a difficult loss to Middlebury last week, Wesleyan has returned to victory with a double overtime win over Amherst, 31–28. The Cardinals nabbed the awards for both Offensive and Defensive NESCAC Player of the Week, as wide receiver Matt Simco ’22 (two touchdowns and five catches for almost 150 yards) and defensive back Danny Banks ’22 (two interceptions as well as three tackles) each put in extraordinary performances.

Though not an exceptional performance, the offensive side of the ball played well and didn’t let up until the final minute. Thanks to Amherst’s strong rushing defense, the ground game did not contribute as much as during other matches of the season, but still put up a respectable 150 yards on the day.

Glenn Smith ’21 was the leading rusher with 80 yards, accounting for more than half the team’s total, but both David Estevez ’22 and Charlie McPhee ’22 contributed 22 yards, with Estevez also rushing in for a touchdown during the second quarter. The sophomore also played a large part in the aerial attack against Amherst, gaining over 50 yards and a touchdown.

But the stars of the show were quarterback Ashton Scott ’22 and Simco. Scott threw for over 280 yards and three touchdowns, with a completion percentage of 60 percent, while Simco played exceptionally well, with his highlight obviously being the 62-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter that took the game into overtime.

The Wesleyan offense dominated in time of possession, with almost 58 minutes to Amherst’s half an hour. This is especially impressive as Amherst’s defense is the most dangerous defense in the conference when it comes to takeaways. They lead with 20 on the season, but the Wesleyan offense did not give up the ball the entire game.

However, the Red and Black offensive effort was not perfect. The Red and Black struggled to consistently maintain drives, as they only converted 6 of their 17 third down conversions during the game and were forced to punt six times throughout the match.

Though it has devastated weaker teams in the conference, the Cardinal defense adopts a more bend-don’t-break attitude when playing against teams of Amherst’s caliber. This was on perfect display last weekend; the Mammoths put almost 400 yards of offense on the day but fell behind in time of possession and still lost the game. The Red and Black utterly stifled Amherst’s passing attack, holding them to only 160 yards during the match, and kept their star receiver James O’Regan to only 20 yards. They did not have the same success with the rushing attack, but Amherst is one of the best in the NESCAC on the ground, and only so much can be done when a team rushes over 40 times during a match. Banks now leads the NESCAC with four interceptions as part of the most dangerous passing defense in the league, with 14 interceptions on the season and the third-lowest amount of passing yards allowed.

Sam Kirk ’20 also had an interception during the game, taking his season total to two, and Babila Fomuteh ’21 had Wesleyan’s only sack on the day. Wesleyan still boasts the most sacks as a team (19) and Nick Livingston ’21 still leads the NESCAC in sacks. Though these individuals shone, the Red and Black defense’s group effort brought home the victory, as they did not allow a single point in the final quarter of the game or in either of the two overtimes.

Once again, the Cardinals were able to maintain their composure throughout the game, only giving up three penalties for 16 yards compared to Amherst, who committed six fouls for 40 yards. Special teams were slightly more inconsistent this week, with Mason von Jess ’23 making all four extra points but also missing two of his three field goal attempts. Von Jess nailed his last kick, making the game-winning field goal in double-overtime. Sam Han ’20 played well, with six punts going for over 200 yards for no touchbacks and three landing inside the 20-yard line, which is impressive.

Despite the difficulties of playing against Middlebury and Amherst, the Cardinals have proven themselves to be in the elite class of the NESCAC this year, but the season is far from over.

On Saturday, Wesleyan faces Williams for homecoming weekend. This will be another tough match, as they also have a 6-1 record, with their only loss being to Middlebury. They boast a potent offense that is not too reliant on either the ground or air attack, with two of the five leading rushers in the league and the most prolific receiver in the NESCAC. They can also lay claim to an elite defense, with less than 10 points allowed per game. It is clear that this will be a difficult match for both sides, but hopefully it will be an entertaining matchup for the families visiting this weekend.

 

Jacques Slaughter can be reached at jslaughter@wesleyan.edu.

When the rest of the school left for fall break, the football team travelled to Vermont to play the team’s biggest remaining competitor for the NESCAC Championship: Middlebury. Before this past weekend’s matchup, both the Cardinals and the Panthers were undefeated at 5–0, and stood tied for first place in the conference.

Even after much anticipation of the tough matchup, the Red and Black failed to preserve their record and fell at the hands of Middlebury, 45–21.

It was not that the Cardinals’ offensive performance was lackluster; they put up 350 yards, and they scored consistently throughout the game. Middlebury, however, outplayed Wesleyan on both sides of the ball.

Ashton Scott ’22 threw for over 250 yards and three touchdowns on 30 attempts. This was more than Scott had thrown in any other game this season, also matching a season-high for touchdown passes. Yet Scott was sacked four times; before last weekend’s game, he had only been sacked four times the entire season.

Once again, the passing attack was evenly spread out between the Red and Black receivers. Delando Clarke ’21, Matthew Simco ’22, and Glenn Smith ’21 all gained at least 50 yards and a touchdown during the game.

While the passing attack was mostly successful, the team struggled with an up-and-down ground game, failing to gain more than 80 rushing yards combined during the match. Although David Estevez ’22 put together an efficient stat line, gaining 89 rushing yards, due to sacks, the Cardinals were unable to put up big numbers between the tackles.

Defensively, Wesleyan struggled. There was not a quarter where Middlebury failed to score, and the Panthers managed to put up 45 points against what had been the second-stingiest defense in the league. No team had managed to pass for more than 230 yards against the Red and Black defense until Middlebury passed for 360 yards.

This was Wesleyan’s first game without a takeaway, as Middlebury was able to convert third-downs 40 percent of the time and completed all the fourth down conversions they attempted.

However, there were some bright spots. Chase Pratt ’20 and Nick Helbig ’23 both sacked the Panthers’ quarterback for a dozen yards each. While Middlebury was able to gain 170 yards thanks to their potent rushing attack—they have the conference leading rusher and two players have rushed for five touchdowns apiece—it took them 50 carries to reach that gaudy number. It’s a testament to Wesleyan’s strong run defense that they were able to hold Middlebury to a pedestrian 3.4 yards per carry. Furthermore, they managed to force Middlebury to punt seven times during the game, which was no easy feat.

Wesleyan outgained Middlebury in one aspect of the game: return yards. This is slightly more impressive if you consider Wesleyan had to punt nine times throughout the match and scored another three times.

Nevertheless, the Red and Black were the less disciplined team on the day, losing five penalties for 43 yards. In the end, the Cardinals could not sustain drives long enough to find themselves in scoring positions. Wesleyan’s failure to string together many successful drives left the defense on the field for over 32 mins. Facing a potent offense for an extended period of time, any defense would tire out.

Unfortunately, this week’s result puts the NESCAC Championship almost out of reach for Wesleyan, unless Middlebury falls unexpectedly before the end of the season.

The next few games will definitely be the toughest stretch of the season. This Saturday, the Cards play Amherst at home, who are currently fourth in the conference; then Williams, whose single loss to Middlebury puts them in third; then the season is finished at the always-competitive Trinity. All of these teams are in the top half of the NESCAC with both potent offenses and strong defenses.

On the whole, last Saturday wasn’t the best result, but the Cardinals need to find the positives in the match to get back to the high quality of play that led to such strong victories during the beginning of the season. Wesleyan will no doubt work to recover from this tough defeat and bounce back, hopefully returning to their excellent form from the beginning of the season when they steamrolled opponents.

If they do just that, they’ll be ready for Amherst next week in the return of the Little Three rivalry in 2019.

 

Jacques Slaughter can be reached at jslaughter@wesleyan.edu.

Last Saturday, the football team continued their undefeated streak with a comeback victory over Tufts. With the win, the Cards maintain their position at the top of the NESCAC.

Though not at the top of the conference this year, Tufts has been a decent team all season, losing only to Amherst (who’s in the running for the championship) and Williams, who’s also been in the running for a top-three finish this season.

Thanks to his immaculate kicking during Saturday’s game, Mason von Jess ’23 was named as the NESCAC special teams Player of the Week for the second time this year. Von Jess converted all his extra point attempts and made two field goals from 37 and 27 yards.

Similarly, the defense played well throughout the matchup, recording four sacks and two interceptions.

Though not Wesleyan’s best offensive performance, they put points on the board when they needed to and scored the vital game-winning touchdown with just six seconds left to play.

The offense was able to gain somewhat consistent yards both on the ground and through the air. Running back Glenn Smith ’21 was the team’s leading rusher with 46 yards on 10 attempts. Quarterback Ashton Scott ’22 gained another 39 yards on the ground, contributing to the the team’s more than 110 total rushing yards.

However, it was Cardinals’ effective passing that gave Wesleyan the victory on Saturday night. Scott threw for over 200 yards and two touchdowns with a 57 percent completion rate. Delando Clarke ’21 and Matt Simco ’22 were the standout receivers for the Cardinals, with a touchdown apiece. Simco gained 130 yards during the match and was definitely the centerpiece of the offense.

But the offense struggled to maintain drives, as they only converted two third downs throughout the game and failed half of their fourth-down conversions.

In the end, the Red and Black had to punt seven times throughout the game. More importantly, the Cards had some trouble protecting the ball. Scott threw an untimely interception in the fourth quarter that allowed Tufts to march down the field into field goal range. Luckily, Tufts was stopped, forcing them to take a field goal. The Tufts kicker missed, but it was a close call for an offense that doesn’t usually give up a lot of turnovers.

Though it was the offense’s flashy game-winning drive that won the game with time running out, the defense was the real star of the match. The Cards’ defense held the Jumbos to three points in the second half and forced Tufts to punt five times throughout the game. The Red and Black stopped 12 third-down conversions and contained the opposition to only one touchdown and 54 rushing yards. Ben Thaw ’20 has continued his dominant season with his third interception of the season (only one away from his career high of four, with another four games to play). Eli Blair-May ’20 also grabbed an interception.

Nick Livingston ’21 continued his fantastic season with another sack and a half, which made him the NESCAC sack leader for the season with six. Will Kearney ’20, Isaiah Miller ’22, Connor Krusac ’21, and Nick Helbig ’23 all chipped in as well on the defensive line with at least half a sack.

The Cardinals have continued their defensive dominance, boasting the most sacks (16) and the most interceptions (11) in the conference while being second in points allowed and third in yards allowed.

Next week comes the greatest test of the season so far.

While the rest of campus rests for fall break, the Cardinals face up against the only other undefeated team left in the NESCAC: Middlebury. It will be a challenge as the game will be played at the frozen tundra of the Vermont campus.

The Panthers are unbalanced offensively and heavily reliant on their passing attack, which bodes well for the Red and Black, who arguably have the best passing defense in the league. In the same vein, Middlebury lacks a top-tier defense in the conference, while Wesleyan has one of the most potent offenses. The Cards are also fairly balanced between rushing and passing, which gives them a fair amount of flexibility to outwit Middlebury. It is also worth mentioning that the Middlebury defense relies a lot on generating sacks, but Wesleyan has only given up five sacks throughout the season.

We’ll have to wait for until Saturday to see which team will remain undefeated at the top of the NESCAC.

 

Jacques Slaughter can be reached at jslaughter@wesleyan.edu.

Cardinal football continues its hot streak as the team trounced Bates last weekend, 48–12. This final score is even deceiving, as Wesleyan put up 34 points before Bates had even scored once. The Red and Black also scored in every single quarter of the matchup. Bates only managed 117 total yards of offense in comparison to Wesleyan’s 394. It was nothing short of complete domination throughout the game.

Ashton Scott ’22 was named as the NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week but was not alone in terms of stand-out play. Danny Banks ’22, Julian Ross ’21, and Chase Pratt ’20 all snagged interceptions during the match while sophomores Matthew Simco and David Estevez and junior Joe Scancarella all gained over 35 yards on the day. Simco and Scancarella both caught touchdowns for the Red and Black.

Statistically, it is clear that Bates was completely outmatched at every step. The offense gained 212 yards through the air and 182 on the ground. Glenn Smith ’21 was the leading rusher for the Cardinals with 118 yards and two touchdowns. Wesleyan gave up one turnover, a fumble in garbage time, compared to the opposition’s three interceptions and two fumbles (which Bates both recovered).

In addition, Wesleyan had three sacks by Nick Livingston ’21, John Lewis II ’21, and Babila Fomuteh ’21. In fact, Livingston is tied for the most sacks in the NESCAC with three and a half, while Scott leads the conference with eight passing touchdowns. Sophomore Isaiah Miller also had a strong performance, with 2.5 tackles for loss.

Wesleyan is tied for first place in the conference, along with Amherst and Middlebury. The Cardinals could be the best team of the three, however, as the Birds boast not only the highest scoring offense, averaging 35.3 points a game, but also the best scoring defense, 10.7 points per game. The Cards also have the most takeaways in the conference, with 12.

Wesleyan may have not scored on the opening drive of the game, but when Pratt was able to intercept Bates on their first drive, the Red and Black quickly got on the board with an Estevez rushing touchdown.

The next stretch of play was less dynamic, as both defenses managed to contain their opposing offenses well. Fomuteh and Lewis II combined for a devastating strip sack. Although the Bobcats recovered, Bates was pushed back 18 yards. Unfortunately, the Cardinals could not recover the loose ball, but Bates were forced to punt in a bad field position. Once again, Wesleyan quickly marched up the field to finish the drive off with another Estevez touchdown on the ground.

As the first quarter came to a close, Bates continued to go nowhere on offense. Fomuteh once again sacked their quarterback. The Bobcats were forced to punt, and with the ball on the opposition’s 31 yard line, Scott completed a deep shot to Simco for a beautiful 30-yard touchdown pass to cement the lead at 21–0.

The Bobcats tried to pull together a drive in response, and while it was definitely an improvement, they failed to get out of their own half and were forced to punt again. However, their defense had gotten more into rhythm, so when the Cardinals were making their way into the redzone the Wesleyan offense was forced to take a field goal, making the score 24–0. The Bobcat’s offense continued to be a disappointment, going on a three-and-out and taking a sack to give the Red and Black excellent field position. It only took three plays for Scott and Scancarella to score yet another touchdown. In less than a blink of an eye, Wesleyan had the ball again when Banks grabbed the second interception of the day as the Cardinals continued their superb 2nd quarter. The offense kept rolling as they moved towards the end zone, but had to settle for another field goal to extend their lead to 34–0.

By the third quarter momentum had shifted. Bates put together a consistent, steady drive to score their first points of the day with a rushing touchdown from one yard out. But the Wesleyan defense had other plans. Ben Thaw ’20 blocked their extra point attempt to make the score 34–6. Likewise, the offense wanted to continue their dominance, and put together their own field-spanning drive to score again, thanks to Smith. Wesleyan pulled firmly ahead 41–6.

After this flurry of activity, the game settled until at the beginning of the fourth quarter, when Smith rushed for a 47-yard touchdown from practically the half-way line. Bates would manage to score once again within garbage time, but the game was basically already over.

The Red and Black have dominated all three phases of the game this season, from offense to special teams. Admittedly, two of the three games have been played against some of the worst teams in the conference (Bates and Colby), but Hamilton is just behind Wesleyan in the NESCAC standings. The easy streak does continue for another week against Bowdoin, but then Wesleyan will face Tufts at home in another installation of “The Night Game.”

After Tufts, the Cardinals have two other real competitors for the championship: Amherst and Middlebury. Those games will be the real test of the season. However, while the Cards face Bowdoin next week, Middlebury will be facing Amherst. The latter matchup should be a good indicator of who the Cardinals should watch on their attempt to take their first conference title since 2013.

 

Jacques Slaughter can be reached at jslaughter@wesleyan.edu.

Cardinal football continues its strong start to the season with another big victory, this time over Hamilton, 28–10. This improves the Red and Black to a 2–0 overall record, and avenges Wesleyan’s humiliating loss to the Continentals last year on Family Weekend. Both wins were scored against conference competitors.

The offense did not play as well against Hamilton as they had in the season opener against Colby the week before, but they still controlled the game. The Red and Black continued to lean on the run offense heavily, rushing 39 times throughout the game.

Quarterback Ashton Scott ’22 led the way in the rushing attack, with 21 attempts for over 80 yards. Wide receiver and quarterback David Estevez ’22 also helped the effort with another 10 rushes for over 55 yards. However, Hamilton had a stout run defense and while the Cardinals’ rushing attack did some good work, their production on the ground was not as successful as last week or much of last year.

The aerial attack, led by Scott, was the decisive blow against Hamilton. He finished 10–16 passing for 170 yards, 3 touchdowns, and a 111.98 passer rating.

Scott posted a very satisfactory accuracy percentage of 62.5 while spreading the ball to his receivers. In fact, no player caught more than three passes, while five players gained over 15 yards on the day. Joe Scancarella ’21 caught the first score of the day with a 30-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter while Connor Gregoire ’22 caught two touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters, both in the red-zone.

However, there were some issues on offense, as Scott threw an interception in the second quarter. Wesleyan can no longer boast a perfect turnover ratio. In addition, the Red and Black offense was forced to punt six times throughout the matchup, and only converted three of their nine third downs.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Cardinal defense was able to stop 11 of 18 third down conversions and three of four fourth down conversions. Hamilton had to punt five times.

Sam Kirk ’20 set the pace of the game when he caught a pick in the first quarter. Though he fumbled the ball, Wesleyan kept possession and went on to take the lead with the first touchdown of the game on the very next drive.

John Lewis II ’21 and Isaiah Miller ’22 also got interceptions in the fourth quarter to cement the lead. Ben Thaw ’20 then stole the show with a pick six in the fourth quarter from 30 yards out to seal Wesleyan’s victory.

Jackson Eighmy ’21 contributed eight tackles with a sack and another tackle for loss on the defensive line, with Nick Helbig ’23 and Nick Livingston ’21 both contributing a sack and a half each.

The Red and Black defense is now the second best in the conference, behind only Middlebury for points per game. No other team comes close in turnovers; Wesleyan has had eight takeaways in two matches while the closest teams can only claim to having four.

Special teams were more a mixed bag this week than last. Mason von Jess ’23 missed his only field goal attempt but went four for four in extra points. Disregarding interception returns, Wesleyan dominated in return yardage, gaining 85 yards to Hamilton’s 56. This is even more impressive considering that Wesleyan punted and kicked off to Hamilton far more.

Moreover, Wesleyan was significantly more disciplined than the Continentals, only giving up 3 penalties for 25 yards in comparison to Hamilton’s six penalties for 70 yards. Both the penalties and the special teams success helped mitigate inconsistency on offense to grab this important victory.

This Saturday, the Cardinals will be playing Bates at home. Bates boasts the worst scoring offense in the conference and the second-worst defense, missing out on last place to Bowdoin, the team’s next matchup on Oct. 5.

 

Jacques Slaughter can be reached at jslaughter@wesleyan.edu.

Football started off their season with a superb result when they handily defeated Colby 30–10 on home turf.

Wes was powered to victory with strong offensive performances from wide receiver Delando Clarke ’21, quarterback Ashton Scott ’22, and kicker Mason Von Jess ’23. Von Jess was also the NESCAC Special Teams Player of the Week as he single-handedly outscored the Mules 12 to 10. He nailed field goals from 38, 39, and 40 yards.

Meanwhile, on defense, cornerbacks Ben Thaw ’20 and Danny Banks ’22 both snagged interceptions, and linebackers Chase Pratt ’20 and Nick Livingston ’21 each sacked the Colby quarterback. Julian Ross ’21 and Nick Helbig ’23 each registered a forced fumble that Wesleyan recovered. Overall, it was a strong performance with some new faces stepping into the spotlight and dominating the game.

Wesleyan was an offensive juggernaut throughout the game as they cruised to victory at home. Not only did the Cards outproduce the Mules on offense by 90 yards, but they were also able to sustain drives more easily than Colby. The Red Birds went 7 of 17 on third down, compared to Colby’s sole successful conversion out of 11.

Furthermore, Wesleyan did not give up a single turnover throughout the match, while Colby gave up possession four times. Wesleyan may have passed for fewer yards than the Mules, but the Cards were more efficient, completing 65 percent of their passes to Colby’s 55 percent, and Scott was not sacked once during the game.

Matthew Simco ’22 and Clarke were breakout players of the game, as they both racked up 60 yards receiving and at least one touchdown—Clarke scoring two. Neither player had been particularly prominent offensively before this season, but the two show a lot of potential for the rest of the season.

On the ground, Scott seems to be following in the footsteps of his powerful predecessor Mark Piccirillo ’19. He led the team in both rushing attempts and yards, gaining 76 yards on the day.

Both running backs, Charlie McPhee ’22 and David Estevez ’22, ran for over 50 yards to garner a team rushing attack that gained 240 yards on the ground.

The defense was formidable as they stifled Colby throughout the match, forcing four punts and another two turnovers on downs. The Red and Black defense continued where it left off from last season with four turnovers and two sacks. Though it is still early on in the season, Wesleyan already has one of the best defenses in the NESCAC with the second-least points allowed after only Tufts. Wes is also tied with Amherst for the most turnovers forced.

Rankings are obviously subject to change, but as on offense, the fact that players who hadn’t previously dominated on the field are making game-defining plays is a positive sign for the Cards. Players are stepping up to the plate; Banks who got his second career interception during the matchup and Ross forced his first career fumble.

This defense demonstrated a great amount of depth in their lineup even considering all the players who did not get a chance to showcase their talents. This is specific to defensive lineman Taj Gooden ’21, who was disqualified on one of the first plays of the season. Gooden, one of the team’s best defensive players, will hopefully make his presence felt next week against Hamilton.

The Cardinals were able to get a good amount of yards through both punt and kick returns; however, the Red Birds struggled slightly with Colby’s kickoff returns, as they were able to gain an average of 19 yards from each return. In addition, Wes was more undisciplined than the Mules as the Cardinals gave up more penalties for more yards.

Next week’s matchup against Hamilton is set to be more contentious than the Colby game. It’s been a decade since the Cards last lost to Colby, but Wesleyan’s matches with the Continentals have been significantly more balanced. Last year, Hamilton upset the Red and Black on their home field, 33–29.

In addition, Hamilton running back David Kagan won the NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week in the season opener after running for three touchdowns and almost 200 yards. It will therefore be vital for the Cardinal defense to be proactive and aggressive next weekend. Moreover, Hamilton was able to put together a 16-point fourth-quarter comeback to win the game. The Red and Black will have to play until the final whistle to ensure success on the road next week.

 

Jacques Slaughter can be reached at jslaughter@wesleyan.edu.

Football will begin their 2019–2020 season on Saturday, Sept. 14 at home against NESCAC competitor Colby. The Red and Black had a mixed bag of results last season and come back hoping to take on more of the ’CAC this fall. While the team had some convincing wins against solid opponents like Middlebury and Williams in Fall 2018, Wesleyan struggled against the very top of the conference, against teams such as Tufts, and lost a close game against Hamilton—even though the Continentals had the third-worst defense in the league. Even if they weren’t able to put up points, the Cardinals boasted the fourth-best defense in the league, and much of the strong defensive backbone will play again this season.

Many important players graduated last year, leaving big shoes to fill if the team wants to succeed and improve upon their 2018 record, 5–4. Veteran quarterback Mark Piccirillo ’19 provided a large amount of the impetus on offense with canny scrambling, consistent contribution to the rushing attack, and leadership to keep the team’s wheels moving. Similarly, Evan Hull ’19 was a dependable part of the passing attack last season. Both Piccirillo and Joe Wilson ’19 made the All-Conference Second Team on offense.

On defense, the terrifying linebacker duo of seniors Cole Harris ’19 and Brandon Morris ’19 both graduated having contributed over 110 tackles, 4 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, and 2 forced fumbles between the two of them last season. Furthermore, Jude Lindberg ’19, KJ Laguerre ’19, Bobby Nevin ’19, and Sam Green ’19 all produced consistently on the defensive line while Zak Foster ’19 and Pat Leone ’19 helped out in the secondary.

That being said, many important pieces still remain on campus and will hopefully contribute to a successful season. Junior defensive lineman Taj Gooden is the star of the show on defense, having made the All-NESCAC First Team with 35 tackles—17 and a half being tackles for a loss—and 9 sacks. Gooden had the second-most sacks in the conference, behind only the defensive player of the year at Amherst. In addition, Gooden was named a Preseason All-American by D3football.com and was nominated for the Cliff Harris Award, an award for small school defensive players.

Likewise, defensive back Ben Thaw ’20 took strides last year, making almost forty tackles and totaling two interceptions, which lead the team. His efforts also garnered him a spot into the All-Conference Second Team. Defensive lineman Jackson Eighmy ’21 and defensive backs Danny Banks ’22 and Eli Blair-May ’20 all had good seasons in 2018 and will look to build on their success this year.

On offense, Dan Smith ’21 is the most experienced quarterback, having played in a few stretches during last season. Junior running backs Glenn Smith and Sean Penney contributed to the Cardinals’ rushing attack last season and were prolific scorers. Together, they managed four touchdowns each and almost four yards per carry. The core of the passing attack last year will all return to the field this season, including wide receivers Dario Highsmith ’20, Hallvard Lundevall ’20, David Estevez ’22, Joe Scancarella ’21, and Matthew Simco ’22, while Smith also contributes as a pass catcher out of the backfield. Each receiver racked up at least 140 yards across the nine-game season. Highsmith, Smith, and Lundevall will all be crucial this year, as they contributed both in the air and in the end zone. Lundevall’s the favorite to look out for; last year, he scored four touchdowns and was a frequent target for Piccirillo in the red zone. Kicker Patrick Wolff ’21 will also be returning after a strong sophomore season. Wolff scored 44 points off six field goals, including one from 42 yards away. He also held a perfect record on extra points: 26 for 26.

This season is somewhat of a blank slate for the Cardinals. After Piccirillo started as quarterback for years, the team will need to find a new offensive identity in order to compensate for his scrambling, especially to find yards when the pass may not have been open. Luckily, the running attack has two great players available to help supplement that. The receiving core is also strong and balanced to help likely game one starter Smith find his feet.

On the other side of the ball, the defense lost some stellar players that helped make it so tough on opponents, but new leaders are emerging and will impose their will on whoever Wesleyan faces.

The season is loaded with difficult matchups against ’CAC competitors across the board. While the team starts off with some teams more easily overcome, Tufts, Amherst, Williams, and Trinity threaten the Cardinals in the last games of the season. The Red and Black hope to start off their season strong with a repeat win against Colby on the 14th.

 

Jacques Slaughter can be reached at jslaughter@wesleyan.edu.

Rugby is returning to Wesleyan in the coming weeks. The Old Methodist Rugby Football Club (OMRFC) is playing two matches against Little Three rivals Amherst and Williams and hosting its second Rugby Sevens Tournament after the team’s success last year.

The first portion of the OMRFC’s fall season was mixed, as the team had two victories over St. Anselm College and Framingham State University but eventually fell to Williams, Amherst, and Trinity to finish with a 3-3 record. New leadership has arrived, with Nathanael Mathieu ’20 and Casimir Fulleylove-Golob ’21 taking over as co-captains and former captains Pete Ryan ’19 and Lucas Mani ’19 stepping down after four years on the field.

Though short and sweet, the upcoming season will be a real challenge for the Cardinals as they face NESCAC heavyweights Amherst, Trinity, and Williams. Their first match will be at Williams and will probably be the toughest match of the season. Williams boasts a roster of over 60 players (more than double that of OMRFC) and already beat Wesleyan in the fall after a tough slog of a match. The Sevens Tournament held at Long Lane Farm on April 13 will be more of an even competition, but the Red and Black will be hungry for revenge after a brutal encounter with Trinity in the fall season. The team will be looking to assert itself as a rugby powerhouse over weaker sides like Fairfield University and St. Anselm. Finally, OMRFC will travel to Amherst the following weekend and hopefully will be able to even the score after Amherst pulled off a victory against the team during Senior Day last fall.

Despite a mixed first half of the season in the fall, OMRFC boasts a potent squad with the return of a few key faces. Fulleylove-Golob returns as top scorer with ten tries across five games and 78 points across the entire season. Julien Loo ’21 has come back after a semester’s absence, creating a potent scoring duo right in the middle of the field. British imports Bryce Hunt ’22 and Jack McEvoy ’22 have added valuable experience to the offensive side of the ball while Thomas Horikawa ’21, Max Duerr ’22, Myles Johnson ’22, and Phillip Kaelbling ’22 all offer solid defense and good work rates to keep attacks moving. OMRFC also boasts many POSSE members, including Mitch Motlagh ’20, Jake Meyer ’21, Bobby Contreras ’22, Tyler Johnson ’22, Sergio Venizelos ’22, and Forrest Walker ’22, whose diverse backgrounds and experiences have helped mould the club into a cohesive team.

The team has five seniors finishing out their college rugby careers this spring: Will Dempsey, Nic Fernandez, Kevin Jahns, Mani, Ryan, and Dan Thaler. The squad is now dominated by sophomores and first years, so this stretch of matches will be vital to shaping the team for seasons to come.

The team’s spring season begins with a trial by fire at Williams; if OMRFC is able to achieve a victory, it will transform the OMRFC completely and set the stage for the club’s long-term success. Both matches in the Little Three will be challenging, and the Sevens Tournament will be a good opportunity to allow some new players on the field. This entire stretch will be important to establish the new culture at the club as its seniors prepare to leave and the next lot to take hold of the reins.

 

Jacques Slaughter can be reached at jslaughter@wesleyan.edu.

Last Saturday, Nov. 10, football faced the Trinity Bantams and finished with an unfavorable result, losing 9-0. However, this was a strong performance and though it ended the season with a loss, it was a building block for next season. It was a close game throughout until finally Trinity was able to pull away. Both teams came in with strong defenses, with Trinity having the second strongest defense in the league, so it was unsurprising that both struggled on offense, but the real test for the Red and Black was on the defensive side of the ball. Going into the game, Trinity had the strongest offense in the NESCAC.

Offensively, Wesleyan had to rely on their passing game. The Cards were stifled on the ground, only gaining 25 rushing yards throughout the game which is hardly ideal when handing the ball off 31 times. Both Matthew Simco ’22 and Sean Penney ’21 were heavily involved in the passing game, gaining 39 and 37 yards each.

In addition, Dan Smith ’21 started his first game as quarterback of the Cardinals, throwing for 150 yards, but unfortunately he also threw two interceptions during the fourth quarter that really slowed down the Wesleyan offense. Trinity were kept well out of the endzone for the vast majority of the game, but the Bantams still found ways to move the ball against the Cardinals, gaining 226 yards. This was to be expected as the Bantams boasted the highest scoring offense in the conference and had been essentially unstoppable throughout the season, especially on the ground. Trinity heavily relied on their running game to grind out their victory, but the Red and Black did a great job of finding a way to contain their rushing attack. Nonetheless, in the end, the Cards’ offensive attack was not enough to put up points, dropping the game to the now-NESCAC Champions, Trinity.

The Cardinal defense did a fantastic job against Trinity. Holding an offense that scored an average of 42 points a game before their final match to only nine is incredible. The Cardinals forced seven punts, had five sacked, and forced two fumbles, recovering one. Brandon Morris ’19 stood out with 11 tackles and a sack, as well as Will Kearney ’20 and Grant Williams ’19, who both performed well and contributed a sack each.

In addition, the Red and Black’s third down defense was great, stopping the Bantams on 10 out of their 14 attempts. The D also got two fourth down stops. Meanwhile, Trinity’s defense was playing lights out, with 2 picks and 8 sacks on the day, with three players gaining at least 3 sacks.

Though it was definitely a performance to be proud of, there were still many of the same flaws that have been an issue for the Cardinals throughout the season. Even though Trinity punted seven times throughout the match, the Cards did not gain a single yard on punt returns. Similarly, Wes gave up seven penalties for 49 yards, which is again much better than many other performances throughout the season, but still considerably worse than Trinity’s 25 yards on penalties. A very noticeable improvement was on our third down conversion rate (39 percent or 7 of 18) which was impressive against a defense as potent as the Bantams.

The NESCAC football season is now over, the Cardinals campaign finishing with a 5-4 record, despite a tough beginning to the season with two close losses. We’re going to be saying goodbye to a lot of senior players who have now played their last game for the Cardinals, and it’s a shame that we have to say farewell to these student athletes on the gridiron. But, looking ahead to next season, there are many bright spots with running backs Glenn Smith ’21 and Penney both returning for their junior years. Here’s to next season.

 

Jacques Slaughter can be reached at jslaughter@wesleyan.edu.