WHITING, IN. - The Quincy University sprint football team faced a difficult road test Saturday evening, falling 42-10 to Calumet College of St. Joseph in Whiting, Indiana.
The Hawks opened the contest with an early lead and added a fourth-quarter touchdown on a spectacular kickoff return by
Brian Klingel, but Calumet's offensive production and ability to capitalize on key opportunities proved to be the difference.
First Quarter
Quincy opened the game with the ball after returning the opening kickoff to its own 32-yard line. The Hawks struggled to find room on their first possession, gaining just one net yard across three plays before
Tate Meyer punted 47 yards to pin Calumet at its own 22.
The Quincy defense quickly made its presence felt. Calumet lost two yards on its opening rushing attempt, followed by a no-gain run and a seven-yard carry that brought up fourth down. On the fourth-down attempt, Adrian Zendejas was stopped for a 21-yard loss, and Quincy recovered the fumble at the Calumet six-yard line to set up the Hawks in excellent field position.
Quincy took advantage of the turnover to put the first points on the board. After penalties pushed the Hawks backward, quarterback Ethan Harrison completed a nine-yard pass to
Brian Klingel to move closer to the goal line.
Harrison's next pass fell incomplete, and he added a two-yard rush on third down. Meyer then connected on a 22-yard field goal at the 8:35 mark, giving Quincy a 3-0 lead.
Calumet responded with a lengthy possession, moving into Quincy territory behind a 13-yard completion from quarterback DJ Bowles. The Hawks' defense forced an incomplete pass on fourth down to end the drive and give the offense another opportunity.
However, Quincy was unable to build on its lead. Harrison's pass was intercepted by Damiir Coleman, who returned the ball nine yards to the Quincy 23-yard line. Calumet needed only one play to turn the turnover into a touchdown, as Bowles connected with Joseph Romero for a 23-yard scoring pass. Adrian Zendejas added the extra point, putting Calumet ahead 7-3.
The Hawks encountered further trouble on their next possession, including a sack that resulted in a 12-yard loss. Meyer eventually punted from deep in Quincy territory, and the first quarter ended with Calumet holding a 7-3 advantage.
Second Quarter
The second quarter remained scoreless, as both teams had opportunities to add to their totals but struggled to finish their drives.
Quincy began the period with a 21-yard rush from Xavier Carr, one of the Hawks' biggest offensive plays of the first half. However, the drive stalled after additional rushing attempts and a penalty pushed the offense backward. Harrison was unable to connect on his next pass, and Meyer sent the ball away on a 43-yard punt.
Calumet moved into Quincy territory on its next possession, putting together an 11-play drive that covered 45 yards. Bowles helped move the offense downfield with a 15-yard rush and a 21-yard completion to Tre Simmons. Calumet reached the Quincy four-yard line, but a six-yard loss on a Bowles rush pushed the visitors back.
The drive ended with a missed 25-yard field goal attempt, allowing Quincy to keep the deficit at four points.
The Hawks then turned to Kiet Truong at quarterback. Truong completed a 12-yard pass to Uthman Salami to move Quincy across the 30-yard line. After an incomplete pass and a pair of rushing attempts, Meyer prepared to punt, but a roughing-the-kicker penalty against Calumet extended the possession.
Quincy advanced to the Calumet 47-yard line, but the offense could not convert on fourth down, and Calumet regained possession. The visitors put together another drive late in the half, reaching the Quincy 29-yard line before a 46-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.
The Hawks headed into halftime trailing 7-3 after keeping Calumet off the scoreboard throughout the second quarter. Meyer's first-quarter field goal remained Quincy's only scoring play of the half.
Third Quarter
Calumet took control after halftime, scoring twice in the third quarter to extend its lead to 21-3.
The visitors opened the half at their own 28-yard line and put together a 13-play, 72-yard drive. Calumet leaned heavily on its running game, using carries from Jamall Warnell, Corshawn Sartin and Zaire Davis to steadily advance into Quincy territory. Davis broke free for a 24-yard rush on fourth-and-one, moving the ball to the Quincy 17-yard line.
Davis continued to carry the load near the goal line, gaining 10 yards on one attempt before adding a four-yard run to set up first-and-goal at the five. He finished the drive with a five-yard touchdown run, and Zendejas converted the extra point to make it 14-3.
Quincy looked to respond on its next possession. Travon Hegler-Wright opened with a one-yard carry before Truong connected with Klingel for an 18-yard completion to the Quincy 46.
Calumet took over at its own 21-yard line and put together another extended scoring drive. The biggest play came on third-and-five, when Jamil Stephens broke loose for a 49-yard rush to the Quincy 25. That explosive run immediately put the Hawks' defense under pressure, and Calumet continued to move the ball closer to the end zone.
With 23 seconds remaining in the quarter, Bowles found Xamere Martin for a 15-yard touchdown pass. Zendejas added the extra point, extending Calumet's lead to 21-3.
Quincy had a brief opportunity to respond before the quarter ended, as Harrison completed a 15-yard pass to Salami. A Calumet unsportsmanlike conduct penalty moved the Hawks farther downfield, but the drive carried into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter
The fourth quarter featured a rapid scoring stretch, with Calumet adding three touchdowns and Quincy answering with its most explosive play of the game.
Quincy's possession to close the third quarter ended when Harrison's pass was intercepted by Marcus Hardy, who returned the ball 13 yards to the Quincy 47-yard line. On the very next play, Bowles connected with Davis for a 47-yard touchdown pass. Zendejas added the extra point to make it 28-3.
The Hawks' next possession ended in a costly turnover. Harrison was sacked for a 15-yard loss, and the ball was recovered by Calumet at the Quincy two-yard line. The Hawks' defense initially faced a difficult goal-line situation, with penalties pushing Calumet backward. Zayne Guthrie eventually powered into the end zone on a five-yard run, extending the lead to 35-3.
Quincy answered immediately with a special-teams highlight. Following the touchdown, Klingel fielded the kickoff and returned it 81 yards for a touchdown, giving the Hawks a much-needed spark. Meyer converted the extra point, cutting the deficit to 35-10 with 12:12 remaining. Klingel's return was Quincy's longest scoring play of the afternoon and the team's only touchdown.
Calumet responded with another scoring drive, covering 75 yards. Guthrie connected with Jones for a 27-yard completion during the possession, while a pair of penalties affected the drive's progress. On fourth-and-nine from the Quincy 34-yard line, Bowles completed a 34-yard touchdown pass to Simmons with 8:30 remaining. Zendejas made the extra point, bringing the score to 42-10.
The Hawks continued to battle in the closing minutes, but Calumet's defense made it difficult to establish offensive momentum. Quincy was forced to punt after a pair of sacks, and the visitors used the remaining time to move the ball downfield. The final score remained 42-10.
Statistical Overview
Calumet recorded 431 yards on 74 plays compared with Quincy's 45 yards on 37 plays. The visitors averaged 5.8 yards per play, while the Hawks averaged 1.2.
Quincy finished with 54 passing yards and minus-nine rushing yards. The Hawks completed four of 12 passes and threw two interceptions. Calumet completed 13 of 21 passes for 227 yards and four touchdowns without an interception.
For Quincy, Klingel led the team with 27 receiving yards on two catches and contributed the 81-yard kickoff-return touchdown. Salami also recorded two receptions for 27 yards. Truong completed two of three passes for 30 yards, while Harrison finished two of nine for 24 yards with two interceptions.
On special teams, Meyer made his 22-yard field goal, converted Quincy's extra point and punted five times for 208 yards, averaging 41.6 yards per punt.
Defensively, Donnell Packer led Quincy with 17 total tackles, including 15 solo stops and two tackles for loss. Jeremiah Almendarez-Poyser recorded eight tackles and two pass breakups, while Gedeon Mbenga finished with five tackles and two pass breakups. The Hawks totaled six tackles for loss and five pass breakups as a team.
Calumet's defense recorded four sacks for a combined loss of 42 yards, along with two interceptions and 10 tackles for loss. Reggie Miller and CJ Wright each recorded six total tackles, while Miller finished with two sacks.
Despite the final result, the Hawks produced a memorable special-teams moment through Klingel's 81-yard kickoff return and saw a strong defensive effort from Packer, who led all players with 17 tackles. Quincy currently sits in third place for the Midwest Sprint Football League standings.
Quincy will look to build on those individual performances and regroup as the sprint football season continues. Their next game is on the road as they head to Bellarmine University on Saturday, October 7th for a kickoff time of 11:00 AM.
