Box Score
Sept. 29, 2012 - Last week's bye in the schedule did nothing to slow down the momentum of the Concordia-Chicago football team's offense. The Cougars' defense turned in a fine performance as well, leading to a 48-10 victory over Rockford College at RC's Sam Greeley Stadium.
The Cougars got to work immediately, taking the opening kickoff and putting points on the board.
Jake Koehler (Belvidere, IL/Rockford Lutheran) completed passes of 15 and 14 yards to
Trent Yancy (Chicago, IL/Simeon) to move the Cougars into the Regents' red zone. Moments later,
Andrew Maddox (Gainesville, FL/P.K. Yonge) ran the ball in from the five, and
Danny Colapietro's (Norridge, IL/Park Ridge) extra point gave Concordia the 7-0 lead less than four minutes into the game.
Rockford's first possession resulted in one first down before Concordia's defense forced them to punt. The Cougars took to the air again for some key first downs as Koehler hit
Sherman Jones (Pensacola, FL/J.M. Tate) for 17 and 16 yards. Koehler then looked for
Jamal Thomas (Weirsdale, FL/Lake Weir) and made the connection from 17 yards out for a 14-0 edge.
The Regents came back with their best drive of the day. Matthew Botello broke loose for three runs totaling 42 yards, and Rockford picked up a first down at Concordia's 19. The drive stalled, but Michael Dodd drilled a field goal from 34 yards out to make the score Concordia 14, Rockford 3 after one quarter.
Matt Rolf's (Rochester, MI/Lutheran Northwest) interception and 23-yard return put the Cougars in business again early in the second quarter. Maddox carried four straight times, the final time from a yard out. The extra point was missed, leaving the score at 20-3 Cougars.
Rockford looked to respond as they drove into Concordia territory, but a sack by
Marty Beckman (Parma, OH/Lutheran West) set the home team back. Eventually, Rockford faced a fourth-and-13 from the Concordia 29, but
James Washington (Joliet, IL/Oswego East) came up with the second interception in as many drives to end the threat.
The Cougars needed just three plays to take the ball to the opposite end zone. Koehler and Thomas hooked up for a 43-yard touchdown pass to stretch the lead to 24 points.
The teams continued to play at a fast tempo as the Regents moved the ball down field with the help of a 45-yard pass completion. However, a sack by
Pat Ugolini (Seneca, IL/H.S.) put Rockford back on their heels, and a fourth-down imcompletion gave Concordia one last possession for the half.
Concordia took advantage of the possession with a quick 83-yard drive. Koehler's 20-yard pass to Jones gave Concordia a first down at the 44. On the next play, Koehler found Yancy for his second score of the game. Colapietro's extra point gave Concordia a 34-3 lead after 30 minutes of play.
The halftime break did not slow down the Cougars. On their second drive, Jones broke off a 34-yard run and Maddox followed with a 12-yard gallop. Moments later, it was Jones getting the call from the five for the Cougars' sixth touchdown.
Jones' score spelled the end of the day for many of the Cougars' starters as the younger players received some extended playing time. Freshman quarterback
Antoine Ward (Glenwood, IL/Homewood-Flossmoor) led the Cougars to their final score of the day after
Ricky Pierre (Winter Haven, FL/Victory Christian) broke off a 24-yard run. Ward found tight end
Christian Wilke (Spring, TX/Victory Christian) from 18 yards, and the Cougars had their largest lead of the day at 48-3.
Rockford scored the only points of the fourth quarter. A fake punt and a personal foul gave the Regents life at the 10. From there, Jacob Gorsuch passed to Jay Gafford for the hosts' only touchdown of the afternoon.
The Cougars racked up 418 yards, led by Koehler's 217 on 11-13 passing. Ward added 40 yards on 5-9. Yancy hauled in five passes for 92 yards followed by Thomas' 80 on three catches. Concordia rushed for 161 net yards, led by Maddox's 44 on seven carries and Jones' 43 on five.
Defensively
, Robert Hamamck (DeKalb, IL/H.S.) recorded nine tackles to lead a solid team effort. The Cougars registered six quarterback sacks with Beckman and
Julius Little (Montclair, NJ/H.S.) earning 1.5 each. The defense picked up three takeaways with a funble recovery by
Jeffrey Cabanting-Rafael (Hilo, HI/Waiakea) complementing the two interceptions.
Concordia (4-0, 1-0 NAC) will host Wisconsin Lutheran College next Saturday for the annual Homecoming and Hall of Fame Day.
