Football Bested by Bridgewater in Senior Day Showdown
Quakers honor Hall of Fame class of 2024, 14 senior players throughout day’s festivities
from Bryce Johnson, Director of Athletic Communications
GREENSBORO, N.C. – It was a busy afternoon at Appenzeller Field, with the Guilford College football team recognizing their 14 senior players, and the GC athletics department honoring the six-member Hall of Fame class of 2024, meanwhile, on the field, the Quakers fell to Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) foe, Bridgewater College, 58-0 in their season finale on Saturday.
The hosting Guilford squad closed out their 2024 season at 3-7, 0-7 in league action while the Eagles finish at 6-4 and secure a winning record in ODAC play at 4-3.
Caleb Robles (Wilmington, N.C.) was under duress all game, getting sacked eight times and finishing just 5-of-12 with two interceptions and just 30 yards also losing a fumble. Robles eventually yielded to Jay Fletcher (Shallotte, N.C.) who did not complete any of his six pass attempts and threw an interception.
No Quaker had more than one reception on the day with Jay Daniels (Waycross, Ga.), AJ Merriman (Salisbury, N.C.), JuJu Rice (Raleigh, N.C.), Shane Shapiro (Jacksonville, N.C.), and Evan Sullivan (McBee, S.C.) all hauling in one and Merriman leading that bunch by turning his into 16 yards. Sullivan paced GC ball carriers with 21 yards on seven carries while Malik Woodard (Wilson, N.C.) had the most carries of any Guilford running back, finishing with nine for 20 yards.
Ayden Carpenter (Albemarle, N.C.) led all players with a career-high ten tackles, including 2.5 for a loss and 1.5 sacks. Jaylan Richardson (Summerville, S.C.) and Brandon Howell (Knightdale, N.C.) had seven tackles apiece and Travis Burton (Pikeville, N.C.) contributed a strip sack. Tristan Bailey (Statesville, N.C.) was the most impressive Quaker in any aspect on the day, however, picking off two passes, breaking up another, and mixing in some good returns in the kicking game as well. Jalen Moore (Durham, N.C.) also had an INT on the day.
Bridgewater rotated through a trio of passers but Jaicere Bateman was the best of the bunch finishing with 89 yards on 9-of-18 with two touchdowns against an interception.
The Quakers held the ODAC’s top receiver coming in, Cedric Drumgoole, to just 30 yards on four catches but Freddie Watkins had a day to remember with 56 yards and a pair of scores on five grabs. Jaylen Wood led all rushers with 69 yards, most it coming on a single 46-yard scamper, and he scored once. Brendan Robinson was the most frequent ball carrier for either side taking ten carries for 52 yards and a score.
Demarco Fleming was incredibly disruptive for the guests, accumulating six total tackles, including 4.5 for a loss and 1.5 sacks and forcing two fumbles. Jalen Cunningham and TJ Lowery each matched his takedowns total with the latter recovering a pair of fumbles. Aaron Moore, Amari Presley, and Donald Brooks II all had interceptions for BC.
Prior to the game, the Quakers recognized their 14 seniors, Bartelo Aguilar (Statesville, N.C.), Michael Anthony (Pittsboro, N.C.), Devin Chavis (Laurinburg, N.C.), Bryson Coe (Pinehurst, N.C.), Phil Coulliard (High Point, N.C.), Fletcher, Malik Hargrove (Warren County, N.C.), Howell, AJ Johnson (Cocoa Beach, Fla.), Jackson Miles (Burlington, N.C.), Blake Moore (Mount Holly, N.C.), Rice, and Nick Sigmon (Dallas, N.C.) for their years of dedication to the Guilford football program.
Then the game began and defense defined the first quarter of action with just a trio of first downs combined between the two teams in the opening stanza, and one of those occurred on the period’s final play. We did see our first two big plays however. About two-thirds of the way through the quarter, Bailey undercut a Bateman pass and returned it into Bridgewater territory, and while an illegal block in the back brought it back some, they had strong field position. Unfortunately, the Quaker offense could not do anything with it and were forced to punt and when they did Oscar Whitely broke through up the middle and blocked GC’s emergency punter, Mckinley Reavis (Yadkinville, N.C.), the first blocked kick that Guilford has permitted all year. Joey Strong scooped the loose ball and took it back for the games opening score. Bridgewater would go for two, but would not convert, making the score 6-0 after one.
The Eagles pulled away in the second, after picking up the aforementioned first down on the final play of the first quarter, they got a couple more and Robinson punched it in from two yards out for the game’s first offensive score to conclude a six-play, 26-yard drive. The Quakers could not recover Burton’s strip sack that held the guests to a three-and-out, but BC later got a short field thanks to a punt return and needed just two plays to go 14 yards capped by a Jacob Perdue TD grab before adding another on a Bateman rushing score on their next sequence. Bailey’s second INT of the afternoon gave GC a chance for a heave at the half, but it went incomplete and the guests led 27-0 at the break.
Bridgewater would score on all but one of their full drives in the second half of play as they pulled away. They got rushing scores from Wyatt Jervis, Wood, and Bradyn Horacek while Watkins got his two receiving TDs, one from Bateman and the other from Wood, closing the game with a 58-0 score.
This concludes the 2024 season for the Guilford College football team.
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