College Football Final – Bridgewater 30, Guilford 28

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Backup kicker Logan Weis’ 41-yard field goal with 3:04 left in regulation gave visiting Bridgewater College a 30-28 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) football win at Guilford College Saturday. The Eagles’ Dustin Green sealed the victory with an interception on Bridgewater’s 19-yard line with 19 seconds remaining.

Weis, who filled in for injured starter Cameron Gieseman, also made field goals of 28 and 35 yards, but none bigger than the 41-yard kick that proved the game-winner. Teammate Braden Thomson’s interception at midfield and 14-yard return set up the winning kick, which changed the lead for the fifth and final time.

Guilford (1-2, 0-1 ODAC) started the ensuing drive from its own 32-yard line. Sophomore quarterback Alex Manley (Pfafftown, N.C./West Stokes (Emory & Henry)) extended it with a fourth-down scramble to the Eagles’ 33 and then threw an improbable 24-yard completion to Montek Johnson (Hamlet, N.C./Richmond Senior) on the next play. Manley eluded pressure and heaved it downfield over the middle where Johnson outjumped the coverage at Bridgewater’s 14. On the next play, Manley was flushed left from the pocket and threw it back to the right. Green grabbed it for the Eagles’ third theft of the game and second in as many Guilford possessions.

Bridgewater (2-1, 1-0 ODAC) quarterback Jay Scroggins ran for the game’s first touchdown and later threw two scores to Dakoda Shrader. His second scoring pass, a 24-yard completion, trimmed Guilford’s lead to 28-27 with 6:13 to play. The Quakers’ Ta’Rique Ridges (Gibsonville, N.C./Northeast Guilford) blocked the ensuing point-after kick, his second block of the game, which kept the hosts ahead.

Shrader finished with six catches for 102 yards, both game highs. Demetreus Jalepes carried 15 times for 96 yards and helped Bridgewater control the clock for over 15 minutes more than Guilford. The Eagles also converted 10-of-20 third-down chances and two-of-four fourth-down plays. Re’Shaun Myers paced the defense with seven stops. Deshomd Denny made five tackles and the Eagles’ first interception of the game.

Guilford redshirt-senior running back De’Eric Bell (Jackson, Ga./Jackson) ran 17 times for 95 yards and two touchdowns. His 11-yard second-quarter run gave the Quakers their first lead of the game and his 48-yard jaunt late in the third quarter put Guilford in front for the final time. He also caught a 23-yard pass and had 81 return yards to finish with 199 all-purpose yards. Bell moved into 13th place in NCAA Division III history with 7,112 career all-purpose yards.

Manley completed 15-of-36 passes for 208 yards with one touchdown and the first three interceptions of his young career. He also ran 11 times for 59 yards and a score. Johnson was Manley’s top target with five grabs for 81 yards. Junior Juwan Houston (Cleveland, N.C./West Rowan) caught two passes, including a 22-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. Redshirt-sophomore linebacker Bryce Smith (Loganville, Ga./Grayson) made a game-high 13 tackles and junior safety Jeremiah Hedrick (Sedalia, N.C./Southern Guilford) caused the Quakers’ lone turnover with a second-quarter interception. Junior defensive ends Jarrod Russ and Nick Woghiren (Acworth, Ga./Kell) both had two sacks for the Quakers.

Coach Chris Rusiewicz’s Quakers head to Randolph-Macon College Saturday (10/6) for a 1:00 p.m. ODAC contest.