Cardinal Sports Update Friday, November 13, 2009

Cardinal News

Cardinals Survive Late Wildcat Rally to Post First Win of Season

After eight weeks of disappointment, the William Jewell College Cardinals registered their first football win of the season defeating Culver-Stockton College 20-13 at Greene Stadium in Liberty.

Senior Mike Heggie knocked down a fourth-down pass in the end zone in the final minute to preserve the win. Jewell entered the fourth quarter with a seemingly comfortable 20-6 lead, but this season a lead has been anything but comfortable.

Jewell seemed in control and when senior Daniel Johnson, who had scored earlier on a 29 yard catch-and-run pass from junior Drew Witman, caught a ball in the flat and had a first down as he crossed the Jewell 25 yard line. As he was being tackled, however, the ball was stripped loose and the Wildcats took possession deep in the Cardinal end with under nine minutes to go.

An end-around option pass thrown up for grabs by the Wildcats was pulled down in the end zone by Stacjuan Kelly, and with the extra point Culver-Stockton and pulled to within seven points. With their next possession, the Cardinals moved to midfield before the drive stalled; the punt went into the end zone giving the Wildcats the ball back at their own 20 on the touchback.

It didn’t take Culver-Stockton long to threaten. After several successful running plays and a short pass, the Wildcats had a first down at the Jewell 11 yard line with less than two minutes to play. The Cardinals defense gave up only three yards over the next three plays, and the contest came down to a 4th and seven call from the Jewell eight yard line to settle the game.

After a play fake, quarterback Jake Harnacke rolled to his left and looked for a target in the end zone. Williams seemed to come open as the pass was lofted his way in the deep corner, but Heggie sliced in to knock the ball down with one hand to effectively end the game.

Junior Zach Traphagen, playing again with a cast on his left hand, led the team with 10 tackles, two and a half sacks and a total of four tackles for losses. Junior Dave Diener had nine tackles and a fumble recovery.

Offensively, junior Jake Lynch returned from an ankle injury and had 104 yards rushing and a touchdown. Jewell rushed for 188 yards as a team and threw for 161 more yards behind Witman. Freshman kicker J.R. Reynolds had two field goals.

The Cardinals will conclude the 2009 season at Lindenwood on November 14 with a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.

William Jewell cross country runner qualifies for national competition
William Jewell College first-year cross country runner Jessica Connery has qualified for the 2009 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Cross Country National Championships. To qualify, Connery had to finish as one of the top-five individuals not on the first-place finishing team at the conference meet. Connery placed third overall in the Heart of America Athletic Conference meet held November 7 at Stocksdale Park in Liberty, Mo. She will now advance to the 2009 NAIA Men’s and Women’s Cross Country National Championships November 21 at the Fort Vancouver Historical Site in Vancouver, Wash. This marks the first time in over eight years a William Jewell women’s cross country runner has qualified for national competition.

“Jessica has had an outstanding year and has worked extremely hard,” said head coach Tom Eisenhauer. “I am very proud of her along with our whole team. This is not only a great honor for Jessica but for our program as well.”

HAAC Playoffs
Men’s Soccer and Volleyball lost their first-round game in the HAAC post season tournament. Volleyball played Benedictine last Saturday and lost 3-1.  Men’s Soccer played Graceland Monday night and lost 3-0.
Women's soccer lost on Thursday night in the HAAC Semi-Finals 2-1 in double overtime to Baker. 

WJC Basketball
WJC Men's Basketball defeated Park University Tuesday night in Parkville, 71-52. The men are now 3-0 to start the season.  The women's team defeated North West Oklahoma State 67-40 in the Baker University Tournament on Saturday and are now 2-1 on the year.  Both teams travel to Oklahoma City, Okla., today for games against Oklahoma City University tomorrow.  The ladies tip off at 2:00 p.m. and the men tip off at 4:00 p.m.

Cardinal Club Luncheons
Join us on campus for the next Cardinal Club luncheon, open to all fans of Cardinal Athletics. You’ll hear from our coaches and a special guest speaker, and enjoy lunch with former classmates and athletic department staff. Bring a guest and enjoy a $5 all-you-can-eat lunch in the private Yates Dining Room located in the Yates-Gill College Union. Reservations are not necessary but are encouraged to ensure everyone can be accommodated. As the luncheon draws near, visit www.jewellalumni.com/events to reserve your spot. Here are the dates:

November 20, 2009 with guest speaker: Bill Althaus, Sportswriter for Independence/Blue Springs Examiner
January 15, 2010 with guest speaker: Pete Malone, Olympic Swim Coach 
April 16, 2010 with guest speaker: Neil Harwell, Kansas City Royals

WJC Athletic Calendar
Sat., Nov. 14
Football @ Lindenwood University 1:30 p.m.

Thurs., Nov. 19
JV M Basketball @ Kansas City Kansas Community College 7:00 p.m.
M/W Basketball @ Oklahoma City University 2/4 p.m.

Tues., Nov. 17
M Basketball @ HOME vs. Park University 7:30 p.m.
W Basketball @ Park University 7:00 p.m.

Fri., Nov. 20
W Basketball @ Northwest Missouri State University Tourney 5:30 p.m.

Mon., Nov. 23
JV M Basketball @ Ottawa University 7:00 p.m.

Tues., Nov. 24
M/W Basketball @ University of S & T 5:30/7:30 p.m.

Sat., Nov. 21
Cross County @ NAIA National Meet–Vancouver, WA
W Basketball @ Northwest Missouri State University Tourney 5:30 p.m.

HAAC Standings
For the latest up to date standings of all Cardinal Athletics we invite you to check out our conference website here.