16th ranked Bluejays bounce back from loss years ago
Tabor exorcises 23-year curse with 35-28 win over Moundbuilders
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
Coming off their first loss of the season, a 27-3 humbler a week ago against 14th ranked Ottawa, the question for the Bluejays was if they could bounce back against a dangerous team in a hostile environment?
Not to mention one that has had Tabor's number the last 23 years, the Southwestern Moundbuilders.
Another question, fresh off giving up 231 yards rushing to Derrick Ward last week in the loss to the Braves, how would the Bluejays' second ranked defense handle their killer from a year ago, James Kelly?
Better yet, dynamic quarterback Zac Smith, who'd rather run first and throw later?
Despite giving up 95 yards to Smith and 242 yards on the ground overall, Tabor overcame a 7-0 lead in the first quarter and hung on for a huge 35-28 road win Saturday over Southwestern in Winfield.
The win keeps the Bluejays' chances of making their first ever appearance in the NAIA playoffs alive, lifting their record to 8-1 on the year and 7-1 in the KCAC.
The Bluejays' eighth win sets a team record for the most wins in a season.
"It was nice to get back on track with a win Saturday," said a joyous Bluejay coach Tim McCarty, who became the all-time winningest coach at Tabor. "Southwestern is a tough place to play.
"Number one, we won, number two, anytime you lose one of your team's goals (winning conference title) to bounce back and win, a lot of teams would fold up. That wasn't the characteristic of this team. They fought back in and got us win number-eight."
The last time the Bluejays beat the Builders in 1980, only team wisemen Joe Wuest, Keith Schick, Dave Hernandez and Chad Duerksen were alive.
McCarty was a senior in high school.
Two of the Bluejays' biggest weapons Saturday, Tyler Marsh and Tyson Ratzlaff had not yet been born.
The Builders might have wished Marsh and Ratzlaff were elsewhere as the dynamic duo burned them for 220 yards in receiving with Ratzlaff hauling in two touchdowns.
Churning up 348 yards last week of worthless pay, Tabor finally got a paycheck Saturday worth 465 yards, 172 on the ground and 293 through the air for 35 points.
After propelling Southwestern to a 7-0 lead with a 40-yard score courtesy of the only Bluejay fumble on the day, Kelly was neutralized to 37 yards.
Great Bluejay pass coverage offered little help to Smith throwing the ball. Racking up 18 tackles to be named the KCAC defensive player of the week for the second time, Bluejay linebacker Jake Schenk helped harass Smith into an eight for 21 afternoon for a modest 68 yards passing.
Where the Builders floundered, the Bluejays feasted, with a strong passing game and forcing a trio of turnovers defensively.
Converting 17 passes from 24 attempts for 293 yards and three touchdowns, Ricky Ishida knotted the game with 8:10 left in the first quarter, airing it out for Mike Beach.
Beach made an electrifying catch, taking it in 48 yards for the touchdown.
Tabor took its first lead of the game 3:52 into the second quarter, using Jeremy Loewen's pick of Smith to set up a 5-yard run up the gut by Cameron Conant.
Southwestern benefited from a start at the Bluejay 44 to come roaring back to square the game at 14 with 4:03 left in the half, scoring on a 2-yard plunge by Brandon Williams.
Of his 110 yards receiving, a 42-yard bomb to Ratzlaff gave the Bluejays first and goal from the 10.
Finishing the day with 326 yards of all-purpose yardage, Ishida scrambled in from 10 on a bootleg to send Tabor in at halftime up 21-14.
This time, the momentum had fully shifted in the Bluejays' favor, and the Builders stayed down for the count.
But quick starts in the second half haven't been characteristic of the Bluejays.
Ratzlaff turned that tide barely 3:00 into the second half, making a magnificent catch from Ishida to double the Builders over, 28-14.
One touchdown away from breaking NAIA Hall of Famer Rolland Lawrence's record for the most points in Tabor history, Ratzlaff's 22-yard touchdown grab late in the third quarter surpassed Lawrence.
Marsh's 110-yard output gave him the school record for all-purpose yardage in a single season.
"We really kept a 14-point lead pretty much the whole game," said McCarty. "I was real pleased with our offensive performance. We were pretty balanced, and we made some good plays Saturday. We had 20 first downs, 10 running and 10 passing for good balance. We were pleased with that, and we had some pretty good ball control."
Tabor faces another killer road game Saturday at 1:30 p.m. against 25th ranked McPherson and elusive running back Lamar Jacobs to close out the regular season.
The Bulldogs blew a 20-0 halftime lead last Saturday against hosting Ottawa and tumbled 39-23.
