Bluejay football team defeats Bethel
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
Don't look now, but Tim McCarty worst fears are becoming a reality.
The biggest nuisance for Tabor College football coach and his team a year ago has returned; the blasted injury bug.
Starting quarterback Dave Hernandez was roaming the sidelines Saturday night against the visiting Bethel Threshers, dressed in street clothes with his arm in a sling.
Saturday night vs. Threshers, the the Bluejays' inability to finish off on opponent almost backfired on them.
No matter how hard they tried, the Bluejays couldn't put the Threshers down for the count.
It took a tremendous effort on behalf of the Bluejay defense to pull out an ugly 19-10 win over the Threshers in the famed 'Menno Bowl.'
Tabor had at least 10 chances to deliver the knockout blow to Bethel.
"We're struggling on the goal line right now," McCarty said. "Anybody that comes to the game ought to be able to figure that out.
"The good news is we're moving the ball, but we've got guys that are making plays. We're just having mental breakdowns on the goal line in both areas; in our run and pass. The timing is just not there yet."
Tabor moved the ball inside the Thresher 20, or closer, nine times, yet the Bluejays had a modest touchdown to show for their positive field position.
Keenan Morris did the rest of the scoring, connecting on four field goals, the longest being a 31-yard boot in the second quarter.
Few times will 400 yards of offense look as unproductive as the Bluejays did Saturday, especially when the defense yielded 190 yards of offense to Bethel.
Hernandez' replacement, transfer Ricky Ishida completed 11 passes out of 32 attempts for 156 yards.
"I thought Ricky, coming in from getting the starting job Tuesday, did a great job," McCarty said. "I was pleased. He missed some reads, but he doesn't know our receivers yet."
Ishida's three-yard touchdown pass to tight end Preston Neufeld with 8:26 left in the first quarter put Tabor ahead 6-0.
Morris' PAT finished off an eight-play 66-yard drive that ate up 4:17 of the clock.
Ishida fired a 27-yard pass to Tyson Ratzlaff to give the Bluejays first-and-10 at the Thresher 21.
With two incomplete passes and a one-yard gain, Tabor had to settle for three rather than six.
A 28-yard field goal by Morris gave Tabor a 10-0 lead with just over 4:00 left in the opening quarter.
Tyler Marsh caught a game-high seven catches for 85 yards.
Twenty-six yards set Tabor up with a first-and-goal from the nine.
Penalties plagued the Bluejay drives as well. A holding penalty stalled the offense and pushed them back to the 19-yard line.
After two incomplete passes, Tabor had managed to push the lead to 13-0 courtesy of Morris' leg from 31 yards away with 11:15 to go in the half.
The Threshers cut the lead to 10, cashing in on a Tabor fumble that gave them the ball on the Bluejay 35.
With 6:13 left in the half, Simon Atilano connected on a 42-yard field goal.
Controlling the ball nearly five minutes longer and having 202 more yards on offense than Bethel, the Bluejays only led 13-3 at halftime.
Tabor shunned another chance for points midway through the third quarter.
Facing first-and-10 at the Thresher 14, a holding call backed Tabor up 10 yards.
On the ensuing play, Ishida, looking for Neufeld, instead found the Threshers' Chad Hershberger.
After holding the Threshers to one yard on the drive, Tracy Wehrman blocked Bethel's punt, setting Tabor up at the 24.
The Bluejays drove 20 yards before the drive stalled, leading to a 21-yard field goal from Morris with 3:35 left in the third.
Backed up at their own 24, replacement Thresher quarterback Victor Flores hit Kevin Starr for a 52-yard completion.
Four plays later facing a fourth down, Flores aired it out for Greg Enns.
Much to the dismay of the shell-shocked Bluejay sideline, Enns cut the lead to 16-10, hauling in a 20-yard catch with 14:21 to go in the game.
Two Ishida passes netting 41 yards to Neufeld and Matt Rorabaugh gave Tabor first-and-goal at the two.
Tabor lost two yards on the down before Morris gave the Bluejays some breathing room with another 21-yard field goal at the 6:40 mark.
"We're thankful we won and we're thankful we're moving the ball," McCarty said. "But we're disappointed we're not converting on our drives.
"We've got to execute, get healed up and ready to play."
Tabor will perhaps face its stiffest test of the regular season Saturday when it travels to Salina to take on the two-time defending KCAC champion and 16th-ranked Kansas Wesleyan.
Game time is slated for 7 p.m.
