Sterling blows past Coyotes 37-15
By Bob Davidson, Salina Journal

STERLING — The Sterling Warriors don’t have the best record in the Kansas Conference. But they’re playing like the best team in the KCAC.

Led by a balanced and efficient offense, and a swarming defense that forced six turnovers, Sterling rolled over Kansas Wesleyan 37-15 Saturday afternoon at Smisor Stadium.

The victory was the fifth in a row for the Warriors and raised their record to 6-2 overall, 5-2 in the KCAC. Wesleyan lost for the third time in four games and fell to 4-4 overall, 3-4 in the conference,

“They are a very good football team, and I hate to say this but I think they’re the best team in our conference,” KWU coach Dave Dallas said.

Sterling was mighty good Saturday, gobbling up 512 yards of offense while holding Wesleyan to 296.

“We lost two games and we lost to two good teams (Friends and Bethel), and that’s the way it is right now,” Sterling coach Andy Lambert said of his team. “We’re playing good football, but the best team is a relative term for sure.”

The game’s two starting quarterbacks had wildly different outings. Sterling’s Jake Buchanan was superb, completing 21 of 37 passes for 240 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Wesleyan’s Drew Dallas endured his worst game of the season, going 17 of 35 for 173 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions — four in the first half.

Brent Schneider snagged three of the errant throws.

“Drew forced a couple of things, but we also put him in bad situations with our play-action stuff,” Dave Dallas said. “We shouldn’t have thrown it, but we did. We kind of got stubborn with what we were doing and tried to make a play.”

Bad luck also dogged Drew Dallas, who on one play in the second quarter scooped up a bad snap, rolled out and tried to the throw the ball out of bounds only to have it picked off on the sidelines.

Sterling took control early on, recovering a Steven Valliere fumble on the third play of the game and scoring six plays later on Buchanan’s 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Wes Laudermilk.

The Warriors made it 14-0 later in the first quarter after intercepting Dallas for the second time. Buchanan hit Laudermilk again with a 5-yard touchdown pass.
Sterling blew it open in the second quarter with 13 unanswered points and led 27-0 at halftime. Adam Langvardt scored on a 1-yard run, and Buchanan hit Josh Oberle with a 19-yard scoring pass.

Meanwhile, the Warriors’ defense intercepted Dallas two more times and placekicker Troy Van Blarcom missed two field goals, the first a 59-yard attempt that fell well short.

Wesleyan scored with 5:31 left in the third quarter on Valliere’s 16-yard run, making it 27-7, and had a chance to pull closer early in the fourth quarter. But Dallas was stuffed for no gain on fourth-down-and-1 from the Sterling 9. The Warriors answered with an 84-yard, seven-play drive that produced Brian Bristol’s 24-yard field goal that made it 30-7 with 7:02 left.

The Coyotes scored their final touchdown on Dallas’ 27-yard pass to Marcus Lowe with 4:56 left. Dallas also hit Lowe with a two-point conversion pass. Sterling added a final touchdown on Rashard Colquitt’s 32-yard sprint into the end zone through the middle of the line on a fourth-and-1 play with 3:41 remaining. Colquitt, a freshman, finished with 132 yards on nine carries.

Lambert, while pleased with his team’s play in the first half, wasn’t as enamored with it in the second half.

“That’s been the dilemma for us,” Lambert said. “We haven’t played real great third quarters. That’s something we’ve got to work a little bit on. Our defense played well, we just couldn’t things going on offense.”

Sterling finished with 272 yards rushing, 240 passing and one turnover.

“They keep you off balance, their offense is very, very explosive, and you can’t have turnovers and not expect them to capitalize on them,” said Dave Dallas, whose team had four turnovers the previous week against Saint Mary. “Last week we were able to overcome those things. We were not able to overcome them against a good offensive team like (Sterling).” 

-- KWU SI --