Tiger Football Squad Refuses to Lose
by: Jarrod Ficklin ‘11Homecoming performance and revenge over Catholic bring H-SC to 8-0
Two ugly wins are better than two pretty losses. Overcast skies with cold winds plagued the Tigers on Homecoming against Washington & Lee while dark, windy, and rainy conditions put a damper on the Tigers’ performance against Catholic University. Although the Tigers pulled out a win in both contests the weather was very fitting for how the Tigers played. The Tigers averaged well below season averages in most statistical categories, but because of their resiliency, the Tigers were able to fight through the weather and defeat Washington & Lee 38-31 and Catholic 21-7, subsequently moving their record to 5-0 in the ODAC, 8-0 overall.
Hampden-Sydney was 6-0 going into the Homecoming clash against Washington & Lee; the Generals were 2-4. Obviously, the Tigers were the heavy favorite, but the Generals had another idea in mind: ruining the Tigers’ unblemished record. The Generals seemed poised to do that, especially in the second half. The Tigers were up 28-10 at halftime thanks to two rushing touchdowns by Kirk Rohle and two touchdown passes from Corey Sedlar – one to Anthony Mancini, the other to Sean Cavanaugh.
Ten minutes into the second half, the Generals had cut the Tiger lead to just four points, 28-24. However, after a safety and another touchdown by Rohle – his third on the day – the Tigers were able to extend their lead 38-24 and seemed to have completely shifted the momentum back to their side. But the Generals refused to quit. The ensuing kickoff was returned all the way to the H-SC 36 yard line. Six plays later, the Generals made it a one possession game once again when Charlie Westfal hooked up with Ryan Welsh for a seven yard touchdown – their third of the day. The Generals fed off that momentum and forced the Tigers to go three and out on their next drive.
The Generals got the ball back and immediately scared all the Hampden-Sydney faithful when Westfal hit Jonathan Clemo on an 18 yard pass play. A defensive pass interference call against the Tigers on the very next play moved the Generals ahead to the H-SC 27 yard line. The Tigers defense then took matters into their own hands creating great pressure on Westfal forcing three errant throws consequently setting up 4th and 10. On 4th and 10, great coverage led to a great pursuit by Andrew Sellers who sacked Westfal for a loss of 13 on the play, ending the Generals’ bid for a shocking upset.
The scare from Washington & Lee was not the only one the Tigers would face because the very next week, the Tigers struggled against 1-5 Catholic University. Last year, the Tigers went into the game versus Catholic 7-0 and lost, consequently ending their dreams at an undefeated season. This year, despite an underwhelming performance, the Tigers refused to let that happen again.
Catholic dominated the time of possession in the first half: Catholic had the ball for about 22 minutes while Hampden-Sydney had the ball for a mere 8. For the first time this year, the Tigers were held scoreless in the first quarter. Even more surprising, the Tigers were held scoreless in the first half. Although the offense was struggling, the Tiger defense kept them in the game by making crucial stops resulting in only a seven point lead for the home team at halftime.
At halftime, Head Coach and Catholic Alumnus Marty Favret told his team to just settle down, get back to basics, and have fun. That is exactly what his team did in the second half. On the second drive of the half, Tiger receiver Sean Cavanaugh went in motion to the left, bubbled outside, and Corey Sedlar hit him on a lateral. After showing off his speed and making a great cut back across the field, Cavanaugh galloped into the end zone 43 yards later. Over the last few weeks Cavanaugh has proven to be the Tigers’ best big play threat on offense considering that touchdown run and a 71 yard touchdown reception the week before.
The Tigers never looked back, forcing three turnovers and three punts on Catholic’s next six possessions. In the meantime, the Tigers were adding 2 scores of their own—both on runs by Kirk Rohle. Rohle’s 50 yard touchdown scamper with 2:32 remaining made it 21-7 and put the nail in Catholic’s coffin.
Mike Ware was named ODAC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts against Catholic. In the game, he had three tackles, an interception, a recovered fumble, and two pass break ups. Another player who was pivotal in the win versus Catholic was Geordie Breidenbach. When ODAC sack leader Will Riggenbach went out with a knee injury on the second play of the game, Breidenbach stepped in and didn’t miss a beat. Although he only had two tackles, those tackles were tackles for loss, and he constantly put pressure on the quarterback, subsequently helping other Tiger teammates force pivotal turnovers.
A defender making a name for himself as a turnover forcing machine is Bill Doody; his team-leading 6 interceptions have been crucial to the defense’s success in 2009. Junior linebacker Trevor Ikwild has also stepped his game up averaging over 9 tackles a game in ODAC play. Overall, the Tiger defense has held half of their opponents to 7 points or less.
The Tigers return to action and out of conference play on November 7th as they host the 4-3 Seagulls of Salisbury University. November 7th is Hall of Fame Weekend at Hampden-Sydney, and kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m.
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