Football Defeats McPherson, 50-34; Earns KCAC Championship

MCPHERSON, KAN. – In their final game of the regular season, the No. 16 Sterling College Warriors needed a big win to earn their share of the 2017 KCAC Championship. The Warriors traveled to McPherson to take on the Bulldogs, battling it out from start to finish. After a tie game at the break, Sterling used a strong second half to pull away, defeating the McPherson College Bulldogs 50-34 to become the 2017 KCAC Champions.

In the first quarter, McPherson would start the game with the ball, looking to strike first. The Bulldogs started their opening drive with strong plays to move down the field, but a McPherson fumble recovered by Koltyn Ratliff (SR/Ness City, Kan.) would give Sterling the ball midway through the quarter. The Warriors went straight to the rushing attack of Aaron Chisolm (SO/Las Vegas, Nev.), moving the ball down the field to start their first offensive drive of the game. Eric Butler (SO/Wichita Falls, Texas) would then connect on passes to Raphael Williams (JR/Gurnee, Ill.) and Darryl Terrell (SO/Muskegon, Mich.) keeping the momentum in favor of Sterling. The Warriors would then get on the board, as Eric Butler would find Jordan Dye (JR/Corona, Calif.) for the 31-yard score, giving the Warriors a 7-0 lead with 3:46 left in the first quarter. McPherson would look to answer back on the following drive, but key stops from Dezmon Walker (SR/Detroit, Mich.), Maurice Rucker (SO/Modesto, Calif.), and Nicholas McGrew (JR/Oak View, Calif.) would force the Bulldogs to punt to end the quarter, with Sterling ahead 7-0 at the end of the first.

The Warriors continued their strong offensive start into the second quarter, as Eric Butler would hit Aaron Chisolm, Greer Chandler (JR/Sedgwick, Kan.), and Darryl Terrell early to move the ball down the field for Sterling. Strong carries from Daniel Doriscar (FR/Miami, Fla.) and Raphael Williams would continue the offensive surge for Sterling as the Warriors would find themselves in the redzone early in the quarter. Eric Butler would add to Sterling's lead, scoring on a 12-yard rush to put the Warriors ahead 14-0 with 9:05 left in the second quarter. The Bulldogs would respond quickly with a score of their own on the following drive, making it 14-7 with 6:50 to play in the second quarter, but the Warriors answered back as Eric Butler would connect with Darryl Terrell and Janson Robeson (FR/Gainesville, Texas) for big plays down the field, setting Sterling up for another score. Aaron Chisolm would then rush in for the 11-yard score, giving Sterling a 21-7 lead with 5:17 left in the second quarter. Looking to get a final score before the half, McPherson would use another strong drive to get on the board to make it 21-14 with 1:46 left to play, but the Bulldogs would force the Warriors to punt in the final minute, giving McPherson another offensive drive. The Bulldogs would use it to their advantage, scoring before the half to tie the game at 21-21 heading into the break.

In the third quarter, Sterling looked to get back on track, starting on offense to begin the half. The Warriors would come out strong, as the offense would use a quick three play scoring drive with Eric Butler finding Darryl Terrell for the 30-yard score to give Sterling a 29-21 lead with 13:45 to play in the third. The defense continued to keep the tempo in favor of the Warriors, as Sterling would get key stops from Maurice Rucker, Ray Winfield (SR/San Antonio, Texas), Swain Williams (SR/Bellflower, Calif.), and Dwight Wilkerson (FR/Middletown, N.J.), limiting the Bulldogs early in the quarter. Dezmon Walker would then come up with a huge play for the defense, forcing a McPherson fumble and recovering it for the Warriors, giving the ball back to Sterling. The Warriors would quickly respond on offense, again going to the rushing attack of Aaron Chisolm. Five straight carries by Chisolm for 60 yards and a touchdown would keep Sterling ahead, as the Warriors would lead 36-21 with 8:31 left in the third quarter. The Bulldogs continued to battle it out, as McPherson would add a quick score of their own before the end of the third quarter, making it 36-27 headed into the final quarter of the game.

The Bulldogs kept the offensive rhythm going into the fourth, scoring a quick touchdown to cut into the Sterling lead to make it 36-34 with 13:17 left in the game. However, the Warriors answered right back, again going to Aaron Chisolm on the ground to move the ball down the field. Sterling would then add to their lead with another rushing score from Chisolm, putting the Warriors ahead 43-34 with 11:35 to play in the fourth. McPherson looked to get back on track to add another score, but the defense continued to come up with key stops from Kenya Edner (SR/Pittsburg, Calif.) and Braden Scheulen (FR/Sallisaw, Okla.) to keep the Bulldogs from making any big plays. The defense would then come up with an interception, as Josh Lisby (SR/Buena Park, Calif.) would pick off McPherson to give Sterling possession midway through the quarter. Sterling would then go straight back to rushing attack of Aaron Chisolm, scoring in two more plays with Chisolm adding another score to put the Warriors ahead 50-34 with 7:47 left to the play. For the remainder of the game, the two teams would trade possessions with the clock running out on Bulldogs. McPherson looked to add another offensive drive late, but another interception, this time from Dwight Wilkerson would seal the victory for the Warriors, as Sterling would defeat McPherson, 50-34, earning the 2017 KCAC Championship.

Eric Butler finished with 324 passing yards, going 25 for 39 with a touchdown, adding five carries for 29 yards and a touchdown for Sterling. Aaron Chisolm had a career game, leading the Warriors with 208 rushing yards on 21 carries, scoring four touchdowns for the Warriors. Darryl Terrell added 117 receiving yards on 11 receptions and a touchdown, while Jordan Dye finished with four receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown. The Warriors racked up a total of 573 yards of total offense on the day for the game.

Defensively, Swain Williams led Sterling with eight tackles and three pass break ups, while Braden Scheulen added six tackles, including two for a loss. Maurice Rucker finished with four tackles and two pass breaks ups, while Kenya Edner, Dezmond Howard (SR/Montgomery, Ala.), and Dezmon Walker each forced a fumble in the victory. Michael Winstead (SR/Pearland, Texas) also connected on all six of his extra point attempts for the Warriors.

Sterling finishes the regular season 9-2 overall and with a KCAC record of 8-1 to earn the 2017 KCAC Championship, the second in school history. Sterling will also qualify for the 2017 NAIA Football Championship Series, set to start next weekend. The Warriors will wait until Sunday, November 12th for the 2017 NAIA Football Championship Series live selection show on the Play NAIA Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/PlayNAIA/). The 16-team field and first round pairings will be announced at 4 p.m. CST via the live selection show on Sunday.

Be sure to check for news and updates on Sterling Warrior Athletics on Facebook (/SCWarriors), Twitter (@SterlingCSports), and Instagram (sterlingcsports), as well as the hashtag #swordsup. Watch all of the Warriors' live home events on the Sterling College Sports Network