Author: Gil Alcaraz
Coming off an undefeated regular season, a national ranking of 23rd, and a Division III playoff berth, the Tiger football team entered their first game of the season on September 5 with confidence. Hopes are high that they can earn their fifth SCIAC championship in six years.
During the offseason, offensive coordinator Jim Fenwick decided to take a head coaching job at Los Angeles Valley College, which prompted wide receiver coach Eric Bergstrom to be promoted to offensive coordinator for the 2009 season. Rocky Ciasulli (’07) will then be taking over for Bergstrom as wide receiver coach. Two new coaches, Johnnie Williams and Phil Kleckler, will now be the defensive line and outside linebacker coaches.
Even with new coaches, and a number of starters missing due to injury, the Tigers gave the Menlo Oaks a run for their money in Atherton, CA.
However, the first half proved to be quite difficult for both teams to get the ball rolling. A shaky offense kept the Tigers from putting any points on the board until the final three minutes of the first half, as kicker Neil Martin (senior) put a 28-yard field goal through the uprights to put Oxy ahead just before halftime.
Making up for the lack of offense, the Tiger defense kept Menlo at bay, not allowing a single point, and even keeping the Oaks from entering the red zone.
The Tigers took to the field after halftime with a new game plan crafted by this year’s revamped coaching staff. With the scoreboard reading 3-0 in favor of Oxy, the Tigers needed to create some space, and they couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity than with an interception by cornerback Aaron Stanton (senior).
Quarterback Scott Saunders (senior) capitalized on the interception and connected with Jordan Washington (sophomore) who responded with an astonishing display of athleticism and speed, for Oxy’s first touchdown of the season.
With time ticking away, the Oaks were still trying to find the end zone when Stanton crushed their hopes again with a second pass interception. This time he took it 70 yards in the opposite direction for an Oxy touchdown.
With the Oaks on their heels, their quarterback in a slump from two interceptions and constant pressure from defensive linemen Alex Wertheimer (senior) and Jesse Fischer (senior), the Oaks made one last frantic attempt at hitting paydirt. Unfortunately for the Oaks, safety Ayrton Bates (sophomore) put the nail in their coffin by intercepting one final pass, sealing the victory for the Tigers.
While the Oxy offense only managed to put up 274 yards, the defense paved the way to the win, only giving up 217 yards. They also intercepted 3 passes and defensive lineman Greg Fryan (junior)sacked the Oaks quarterback once.
“I was pleased with our ability to limit major errors in the first game, [with] only two significant penalties, no turnovers, no breakdowns in the kicking game and only a couple of long plays allowed,” Head Coach Dale Widolff said. Widolff predicts the team should be able to go far due to strong senior leadership and dedication from all players.
Coaches and players alike seem optimistic about the possibility of another playoff berth, but only time will tell if our Tigers can take the conference again.
“We are a young team with a lot of potential, but we’re really disciplined and we work hard so it should be a good season, especially after a pretty solid first game,” running-back Randall Hook (sophomore) said.
If the offense can get into a groove and the defense can stay consistent, the Occidental Tiger football team should have no problem winning the SCIAC again and booking themselves another trip to the NCAA Division III playoffs.
“The team is excited to introduce a bunch of new faces and is looking forward to defending the SCIAC championship,” linebacker John Hansbrough (sophomore) said.
The Tigers’ next game is at home on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 7:00 p.m., against the Linfield Wildcats.
This article has been archived, for more requests please contact us via the support system.
