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Derek Washington runs into and through a wall of defenders en route to scoring the first of three Bluejays touchdowns at Sterling. |
The Tabor College football team trailed 41-0 in the third quarter of the 47-21 rout the Bluejays sustained Saturday at Sterling.
The possibility of a shutout?what would have been the first of the season?loomed large until Derek Washington broke through for a 2-yard touchdown run with 5:31 left in the third.
Tabor outscored the Warriors 14-6 in the fourth.
On the last snap of a 6-play series, Joey Erickson scrambled for a 12-yard touchdown run with 3:15 remaining. Less than a minute later, Sterling fumbled a shotgun snap at its own 26-yard line. With a cohort from each side in pursuit of the loose ball, Chris Sanborn made the recovery and found his way into the end zone.
But from the moment the Bluejays return unit lost a fumble on the opening kickoff, the outcome was never in doubt.
?Obviously we played better this week than last. However, four turnovers and two high snaps will get anyone beat,? coach Mike Gottsch said. ?Teams play how they practice?too many mental busts during practice, which simply stems from lack of concentration?too many ?my bads? get you beat. Leadership starts at the top?I along with our staff must do a better job of preparing these guys and with a good week of focused practice we can beat Bethel.?
Sterling started the scoring barely a minute into the game, and led 27-0 less than 17 minutes into the contest. The Warriors had totaled 67 points in the previous five games and had scored only six in the previous nine quarters?against nationally-ranked KCAC powerhouses Friends, McPherson and Ottawa.
Sterling committed two turnovers while turning out 427 yards of offense on 76 plays. Tabor produced 191 yards, but committed four turnovers.
Marc Amos completed 10 passes for 91 yards, and, at the tail end of one run, delivered a big hit that left a defender momentarily stunned. He totaled 26 rushing yards.
The Bluejays benefitted from eight catches made by Hillsboro High School alums Spencer Brown (44 yards) and Dan Jost (39 yards). Joaquim Haywood received credit for nine tackles?eight unassisted?along with an interception. Teal Stutzman was credited with 10 tackles (5 solo).
Coming?Tabor (0-6) hosts Bethel (1-5) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
?They had a big win over Bethany and are coming off a loss to St. Mary,? Gottsch said. ?I think anytime you get two rivals together, records can be thrown out the window.?
