SAINT MARY-OF-THE-WOODS, Ind. — Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College football celebrated a historic afternoon Saturday with the inaugural game at McMahon Field, and the Pomeroys gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about early before Saint Francis (Ind.) pulled away for a 54-14 victory.
A crowd of 1,024 was on hand for the first football game played at the Pomeroys' new on-campus home. SMWC totaled 305 yards of offense, including 222 on the ground, and held possession for more than 31 minutes.
Sophomore running back
Zy'Eiar White provided the offensive fireworks, rushing for a game-high 143 yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries. White averaged nearly 12 yards per attempt and accounted for both SMWC scores.
After Saint Francis scored on the opening possession, SMWC responded immediately with an 87-yard touchdown march.
The Pomeroys established the run on their first series.
Derron Hazzard picked up three yards before White broke loose for 37 yards into Saint Francis territory. Hazzard followed with a 32-yard run to the Cougars' 15-yard line, and SMWC eventually faced fourth down at the 11.
White finished the drive himself, bursting into the end zone from 11 yards out.
Connor Wardlaw added the extra point to tie the game at 7-7 with 7:25 remaining in the opening quarter. The scoring march covered 87 yards in seven plays.
Saint Francis answered with touchdowns on its next two possessions, but SMWC struck again before the first quarter expired.
Starting from its own 23-yard line with 1:28 remaining, White gained five yards on first down. On the next snap, he found a seam and raced 72 yards for the longest play of the afternoon, cutting the Saint Francis advantage to 21-14 with 31 seconds left in the quarter. Wardlaw again converted the extra point.
The Pomeroys also generated a pair of impact defensive plays early in the second quarter.
Adonimi Parker forced a fumble that was recovered by
Holtman Doades, giving SMWC possession at its own 28. Parker later recorded a sack as part of a standout afternoon for the Pomeroy defense.
Parker finished with a team-high 11 tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, forced fumble and pass breakup.
Aly Bakr added 10 tackles, while Doades recorded eight tackles and the fumble recovery.
Karver Queen,
Jonathen Hayworth-Dupree and
Jaidyn Hoole each finished with seven tackles.
Doades also contributed in the field-position battle, averaging 41.3 yards on eight punts with three downed inside the Saint Francis 20 and a long of 48 yards.
Hazzard complemented White in the backfield with 70 yards on 14 carries, including a 32-yard run during SMWC's first touchdown drive. Together, White and Hazzard accounted for 213 of the Pomeroys' 222 rushing yards.
Saint Francis was held scoreless in the second quarter as SMWC went to halftime trailing 21-14. The Cougars regained momentum after the break, scoring twice in the third quarter before adding three fourth-quarter touchdowns, including a 52-yard interception return.
Saint Francis finished with 497 yards of total offense, including 265 through the air and 232 on the ground. Quarterback Chris Mullen completed 16 of 19 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for a score.
The Pomeroys will remain at McMahon Field next weekend for
Homecoming when they host
Madonna University (Mich.) on Saturday, Oct. 3. Kickoff is scheduled for
1 p.m. in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
