The Bearcats rolled up a season-high 529 yards of total offense and held McPherson College to nearly 300 yards below its season average for total offense in a 38-14 McKendree victory Saturday in the first round of the NAIA Football Championship Series at McPherson, Kan. McKendree, now 9-2 on the season, advances to the national quarterfinal round next Saturday (Nov. 27) to take on the University of Sioux Falls (S.D.), which is the No. 1 team in the NAIA and defending national champions. The contest is slated for a noon CT kickoff.
McKendree football coach Carl Poelker picked up his 200th career win thanks to the Bearcats' triumph on Saturday. Now in his 29th season as a collegiate head coach – and 15th at McKendree – Poelker has a career mark of 200-84-1. Of his 200 wins, Poelker has amassed 112 with the Bearcat program.
“It's nice. It means you have had success for a while,” said Poelker about the milestone victory. “But looking at it, there's a bigger score in all of this. This game is about boys becoming men, and men graduating and moving on in this world.”
Senior running back Jimmy Berezik (Fraser, Mich./De La Salle) (Fraser, Mich./De La Salle) rushed for a season-high 171 yards on 22 carries and scored touchdowns on the Bearcats' first two possessions of the contest. He was named the game's Outstanding Offensive Player. Senior fullback Larry Russell (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) and senior running back Marlone Chenault (Bellwood, Ill./Proviso East) (Bellwood, Ill./Proviso East) each added 93 yards on the ground. Sophomore defensive end Tim Weidenbacher (Naperville, IL/Naperville North) (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) earned the Outstanding Defensive Player honor by collecting two solos tackles – one of which was a sack – and had a key fumble recovery for the Bearcats.
Defensively, McKendree held the NAIA's No. 3-ranked offensive unit in check. McPherson entered the contest averaging 50.5 points per game and 537.5 yards of total offense. The Bearcats limited the Bulldogs to just 242 yards on the day and one offensive touchdown. In addition, McKendree also forced five McPherson turnovers in handing the Bulldogs their first loss of the year.
“I just can't say enough about the total team effort we saw here today,” said Poelker. “Our coaches did a great job of preparing our team to play, and our guys executed the game plan exactly how we drew it up. We jumped out early with those two scores and we seemed to play with a lot of confidence from there. Our surge up front showed throughout the game, and I thought we really flew to the ball on defense.”
Saturday's win also snaps a five-game winless streak for McKendree in the NAIA Football Championship Series, which dated back to the 2002 post-season. It was also the Bearcats' first road victory in NAIA post-season play since a 32-27 win at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in 2002.
McKendree took the opening kickoff and needed just five plays to grab a 7-0 lead. Junior running back Chris Montgomery (Avondale, AZ/Mascoutah) (Avondale, Ariz./Mascoutah) broke loose and appeared to be on his way for a touchdown, but he injured his leg on the play and stumbled down at the McPherson 14-yard line. Two plays later, Berezik hurdled two would-be tacklers on his way to an 11-yard score. Senior kicker Jordan Fark (Nashville, Ill./Nashville) (Nashville, Ill./Nashville) added the extra point.
After forcing a three-and-out on McPherson's first possession of the game, the Bearcats got the ball back and added to its lead. Berezik took a handoff on a counter play and raced 56 yards for a touchdown to extend the McKendree lead to 14-0.
“We wanted to come out and play some physical football on both sides today,” said Berezik. “We wanted to get an early lead for our defense. Our plan was to control the line of scrimmage and time of possession, and we did what we wanted to do. It kept our defense fresh and fired up. They really did a great job on McPherson, because we knew what they could do on offense.”
McPherson (10-1) scored its only points of the first half thanks to a McKendree turnover. With the Bearcats driving late in the first quarter, junior quarterback Austin Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) (Washington, Ill./Washington) bobbled a snap that fell to the ground. The Bulldogs' Scott Jones picked up the fumble and rambled 66 yards to cut the deficit to 14-7.
With time winding down the first half, McKendree put together its third scoring drive of the day. Fisher completed the 10-play, 63-yard drive when he connected with senior tight end Byron Gettis (Cahokia, Ill./Cahokia) (Cahokia, Ill./Cahokia) on a 13-yard touchdown pass with 30 seconds left in the second quarter. Fark's extra point gave the Bearcats a 21-7 lead at the half.
On its first possession of the second half, McPherson pulled within seven points once again as quarterback Shane Mascarenas scrambled out of the pocket and scored from 15 yards out to bring the Bulldogs within 21-14. McKendree needed just two plays to answer the McPherson score. After returning the kickoff to the Bearcats' 34-yard line, Berezik rushed for 30 yards down to the McPherson 37-yard line. On the next play, Chenault raced around the left side for a 37-yard score and a 28-14 McKendree lead with 12:28 remaining in the third quarter.
The 37-yard touchdown run also propelled Chenault into the top 10 on the McKendree all-time rushing list. Chenault boosted his career rushing total to 1,447, moving him ahead of Lamont Benn (1,436 yards) for the No. 10 spot.
Fark extended the Bearcats' lead to 31-14 when he booted a 41-yard field goal midway through the period. McKendree sealed the victory with 5:53 to play when Fisher threw his second TD pass of the day, an eight-yard connection with junior running back Richard Bailey (Mascoutah, IL/Mascoutah) (Mascoutah, Ill./Mascoutah).
Fisher was 7-of-12 on the day for 100 yards. He completed passes to six different receivers in the contest, including a pair to junior wide receiver Robby Mosher (Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart-Griffin) (Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart-Griffin)
Junior linebacker Jason Rejfek (Arlington Heights, IL/John Hersey) (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey) paced the McKendree defense with eight tackles, while junior linebacker Brandon Nigro (New Lenox, IL/Lincoln-Way Central) (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) chipped in with seven tackles. Nigro also had two tackles for loss and a pair of pass break-ups.
-McK-
