Bluejays secure sixth straight winning season
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports Writer
The Tabor College Bluejays capped off the season Saturday using mistakes and field position to outlast the hosting St. Mary Spires, 30-21.
The win marks Tabor's sixth straight winning season as it ended the year at 6-4 overall and 5-4 in league play for fifth place.
In preseason, the Bluejays were picked by both media and coaches to finish seventh in the KCAC.
Highlighting the rebuilding season for Tabor was playing two of the KCAC's top four teams, Kansas Wesleyan and co-champion Friends, within three points or closer.
Sterling and co-champ Bethel were the only two teams that soundly defeated the Bluejays.
On Saturday, Tabor found itself in an early 7-0 hole after a 58-yard run by Spire running back Sirdonovan Palmer helped set up a nine-yard Jay Osborne touchdown on fourth down.
The Bluejays cut the lead to 7-6 on their first possession with quarterback DeJuan Jones going long for Caleb Marsh for a 74-yard touchdown. Jones threw for 152 yards while running 17 times for 66 yards and one touchdown.
Other than Jones, Tabor was unable to establish its running game with the other players accounting for a modest 12 yards and a season-low 78 as the Spires outdid the Bluejays offensively, 315-240.
Derik Martinez's kick was no good, but Sean Retting put Tabor on top, 13-6 on the Spires' second drive, returning a Taylor Calvert interception 30 yards for a score.
The Spires closed out the high-scoring first quarter with a 10-play 72-yard drive capped off by Palmer's one-yard go-ahead touchdown to regain the lead, 14-13.
Tabor took over the lead with Jones throwing for 74 more yards to Aaron Jenkins.
Jenkins hauled in one catch for 41 yards before grabbing another one for 29 to put the Bluejays up at halftime, 20-14.
Much like the Spires, the Bluejays couldn't extend their lead, with St. Mary going ahead one last time in the third quarter after Calvert found Charles Lee for a 20-yard TD.
The Bluejays last big play, besides the long pass to Marsh and to Jenkins, finally put the Spires down in the fourth quarter.
Jones ran it in on the first play of the drive for 38 yards to put Tabor in front to stay. Jones then hit Marsh for the two-point conversion to leave the Spires down a touchdown.
Then the trusty Bluejay defense did the job from there, keeping the Spires on their side of the field for nearly the entire fourth quarter.
St. Mary paid for it, too. The Tabor defense dropped Chris Batula in the end zone for the 30-21 final from a safety.
The closest St. Mary got to scoring was the Bluejay 32 and that came when it was down two possessions and on its final drive of the game.
Saturday marked the final game for Tabor seniors, including quarterback Ricky Ishida, who leaves with 11 records including the Bluejays' all-time passing and total offense leader.
