Wheaton gridders suffer first loss, 26-14 at Hope (Boxscore)

Story

by Dan Dykstra, Sports Information Assistant

Holland,

Mich. (9/23)

- Despite scoring quickly to open the game and leading in most statistical

categories, the Wheaton football team lost to Hope today 26-14 in Holland,

Mich., in a turnover-plagued contest. Both teams are now 2-1 on the year.

Sophomore

quarterback Neil Anderson (Clear Lake, Texas/Clear Lake) threw for

261 yards on 20-52 passing, but also threw five interceptions, four of which

came in Hope territory in the first half. One interception was returned 68

yards for a touchdown, and two others came on consecutive possessions in the

second quarter.

Wheaton also

lost a fumble deep in its own territory which led to a Hope touchdown, giving

the Flying Dutchmen 13 points on six Wheaton turnovers. Hope only turned the

ball over once, on an interception thrown by quarterback J.D.Graves.

Senior Jeremy

Amos (Austin, Texas/Westlake) had another career day for Wheaton, returning

the opening kickoff 61 yards, which set up a nine-yard touchdown strike from

Anderson to junior Matt Harris (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South), en

route to 165 return yards on the day. Amos also caught 10 passes for 175 yards,

single-handedly keeping a Wheaton drive alive in the fourth quarter with two

spectacular grabs. Amos also attempted a pass on a trick play, but it fell

incomplete.

After Amos's

opening score, the Flying Dutchmen marched down the fieldon a 13-play, 5:22

drive that culminated in a three-yard touchdown run by fullback Adam Magers,

who led all rushers with 30 carries for 100 yards on the day. Graves, also

performing the placekicking duties for the Hope squad, tacked on the extra

point.

Wheaton tied

the game at 14 in the second quarter when Anderson and Amos hooked up for

a 44-yard score on a short pass and a burst of speed, and the teams went to

the locker rooms with the score still tied.

The second

half was a defensive battle, with no team possessing the ball for more than

six consecutive plays, and a total of eight punts. Hope forged ahead, however,

when Andy Keller recovered a Wheaton fumble at the Wheaton 10-yard

line and Graves threw to tight end Brian Adloff on the next play for

the touchdown. The kick failed, however, leaving Wheaton down by six.

Early in

the fourth quarter, Graves and the Flying Dutchmen sealed the win as Graves

ran for a four-yard score. His two-point conversion attempt was intercepted.

Wheaton could not advance the ball into Hope's territory after that point,

and only ran three plays (all incomplete passes) in Hope territory in the

second half.

This was

due in large part to superb punting by Hope's Vince Scheffler, who averaged

40.4 yards on 11 punts. Wheaton gained 325 yards of total offense to Hope's

218, threw for 261 to Hope's 120, and ran four more plays than the Flying

Dutchmen, but the only numbers that counted were the ones on the scoreboard

at the end of the game.

Sophomore

Dane Lundgren (Arden Hills, Minn./Mounds View) led a strong Wheaton

defensive effort in his first start this season after coming back from surgery.

He recorded a team-high 16 tackles, three for losses, and sacked Graves twice.

Sophomore Jeff Darnauer (Goodland, Kan./Goodland) and senior J.D.

Leman (Champaign, Ill./Central) also came up big, as well as freshman

Grant Tillotson (Wheaton, Ill./North), who made nine tackles in his

first start for injured free safety Shawn Wildt.