Warriors Score 27 Unanswered to Beat Braves 27-21

Sterling, Kan. – Sterling football put a notch in the win column on Saturday; the first collegiately for first-year Head Coach Reggie Langford. Sterling did damage in the air and on the ground as they beat the Ottawa University Braves, 27-21.

After a few empty possessions, Ottawa got on the board first on a 23 yard pass play from De'Anthony Curtis to Taylor Eggers and went up 7-0. Sterling answered right back and, in fact, scored the next 27 before the halftime siren blew. The first was a 21 yard pass from Rocklin Baptista to Tim Chon. The next was a 42 yard strike from Baptista to Jakobi Spence. Spence, playing both sides of the ball, created the offensive opportunity for the Warriors with an interception he returned to the Sterling forty-five. The Warriors continued to push the pace and it payed off midway through the second quarter with a 10 yard TD pass to Ty Goans. The final score in the stretch was a call we have heard often this season, Baptista found Ryan Stucky for a four-yard pass and score to make the score 27-7 heading into the locker room at halftime.

Sterling recovered an onside kick to start the second half and ate up a bunch of clock with a thirteen play, fifty-two yard drive, almost running the clock out on the third quarter. Ottawa did their best to make the crowd uneasy in the waning minutes of the ballgame. They scored a touchdown with just under 12 minutes to play in the game, stifled the Warrior's offense, then scored again with just over five minutes left. Sterling just needed to run the ball and kill the clock. Penalties late ended up giving Sterling possession to finish the game.

Rocklin Baptista had a career day with 4 touchdown passes. He threw for a total of 183 yards. Kendrick Bell fell just shy of the century mark with 95 yards on 21 carries. Several times, Bell carried multiple Braves on his back several yards to move the sticks. The leading receiver was Kevin Jones who had 3 receptions for 50 yards. Jakobi Spence was a spark in the Warrior's defense with 2 interceptions, 2 passes defensed, and 7 tackles. He also found paydirt with a receiving TD. Fisher Pullen and Gibson Coyle led Sterling with 8 tackles apiece. Pullen also forced two fumbles.

It was a great day to be a Warrior at Smisor Stadium. The Warrior footballers take the long trip next weekend to face the University of Saint Mary Spires. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 pm and you can catch all the action on the Sterling College Sports Network.

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 the Warriors' live home events on the Sterling College Sports Network.