BOX SCORE

(LEBANON, Ill., Oct. 22)—The McKendree University football team registered its first victory of the 2011 season with a 24-9 win Saturday at home against Trinity International University.
 
The Bearcats built a 24-0 lead after three quarters of play and held off a late rally from the visiting Trojans to collect the Homecoming victory in front of a crowd of better than 1,200 at Leemon Field. McKendree, now 1-6 on the year, remains perfect in Homecoming games since reviving the program in 1996. The Bearcats are now 16-0 in front of the returning alumni.
 
Senior wide receiver Terry Fenton (St. Louis, Mo./Hazelwood East) returned a punt 48 yards for a touchdown to highlight a 14-point first-quarter outburst for McKendree. Senior running back Chris Montgomery (Avondale, AZ/Mascoutah) (Avondale, Ariz./Mascoutah) opened the scoring on a three-yard run for McKendree. The Bearcats had scored just three points in the first quarter of its previous six games.
 
Junior quarterback David Bergschneider (Pleasant Plains, IL/Pleasant Plains) (Pleasant Plains, Ill./Pleasant Plains) came off the bench to throw a six-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Nick Lutker (Dupo, IL/Dupo) (Dupo, Ill./Dupo), and junior kicker Josh Pruitt (Orlando, FL/Boone) (Orlando, Fla./Boone) booted a career-best 43-yard field goal in the victory for McKendree.
 
“It kind of got the monkey off our back a little bit and allowed us to focus on our game plan,” said McKendree head coach Carl Poelker. “It allowed us to relax a little bit instead of playing on our heels. But it's a start. I told (the players) it's the rebirth and the start of what we hope will be a strong finish.”
 
The Bearcats scored on their first possession of the game with a 10-play, 65-yard drive. Montgomery capped the drive with a three-yard scoring burst, and Pruitt's extra point pushed McKendree out to a 7-0 lead. Later in the period, Fenton fielded a Trinity International punt just inside midfield and broke three tackles down the left side on his way to the 48-yard score with 3:46 remaining in the opening period.
 
Fenton's touchdown marked the Bearcats' first punt return for a score since 2007, when Zach Atkins had a 53-yard TD return at Olivet Nazarene University.
 
Pruitt provided the only points of the second quarter when he split the uprights from 43 yards out with 6:52 left until halftime. Pruitt's previous best was a 39-yarder against Malone University in the season opener on Sept. 10.
 
Bergschneider relieved starter Austin Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) early in the third quarter and hooked up with Lutker for a six-yard TD pass with just 1:13 left in the period. The short scoring drive was set up thanks to a fake punt by Trinity International that was stopped short of a first down by senior linebacker Brandon Nigro (New Lenox, IL/Lincoln-Way Central) (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central).
 
Trinity International (1-6) broke up the Bearcats' shutout bid on the first play of the fourth quarter on a 29-yard field goal by Jason Owens. The Trojans then pulled within 24-9 on a 28-yard scoring strike from Morgan Hall to Daniel Beals. But the McKendree defense clamped down and stopped Trinity International on its final four drives.
 
Jason Rejfek (Arlington Heights, IL/John Hersey) (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey) sealed the victory when he intercepted Hall's final pass of the day near midfield with just under two minutes left.
 
Rejfek led the defensive charge for McKendree with 10 tackles along with his interception. Sophomore defensive back Jamison Wilson (Country Club Hills, IL/Hillcrest) (Country Club Hills, Ill./Hillcrest) added nine tackles and a blocked punt, while Nigro chipped in with eight tackles. Nigro pushed his career total to 267 tackles, moving with 10 stops of the team mark of 277, which is held by Mike Garavalia.
 
Offensively, Montgomery led a balanced rushing attack for McKendree with 69 yards on 11 carries, while freshman Chase Alford (Pontiac, IL/Pontiac) (Pontiac, Ill./Pontiac) helped out with 48 yards on just five attempts.
 
McKendree will enjoy an open date next week before heading to Arkadelphia, Ark., on Nov. 5 for a game against NCAA Division II foe Henderson State University. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.