Football Staves Off Methodist In Drenched Home-Opening Bout
Explosive plays key Quaker victory in marathon at the App
from Bryce Johnson, Director of Athletic Communications
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Outlasting two lightning delays, a down-pouring rain, and Methodist University (0-2, 0-0 USA South), the Guilford College football team (1-1, 0-0 ODAC) secured their first victory of the season in a five-hour marathon, 20-17 on Saturday night at Appenzeller Field at the Armfield Athletic Center.
Countering 2025’s high-octane affair in Fayetteville, the yardage totals were narrow, 368-343 in favor of the Quakers, who were more effective on the ground, out-gaining the Monarchs 226-118. MU outdid their hosts through the air, 225-142 and won the turnover battle, 2-1, but the Guilford pass rush posted 7.0 sacks, good for a tie for the seventh-most in program history, keeping their guests at bay while their tandem of 70-plus yard touchdowns sparked the offense.
Tristan Gabrels (Buford, Ga.) still was not crisp, but certainly improved over his opening performance, only taking a single sack and offsetting a couple of tip-drill interceptions with a touchdown toss, finishing 11-of-24 for 142 yards. Asa Windham was not particularly efficient either, connecting on 13-of-29 with one INT against two touchdowns, finishing with 225 yards. Maurice Andrews (Baltimore, Md.) broke off his second lengthy touchdown run in as many weeks, this time going for 37 en route to 55 yards on 11 carries, but Evan Sullivan (McBee, S.C.) stole the show as the game’s leading rusher. Taking 11 of his own totes for 103 yards including 72-yard explosion to be the first Quaker running back to rush for triple-digits since he and Malik Woodard (Wilson, N.C.) both did in week three in 2024. Chris Clark nearly reached the century mark himself for MU, albeit on 20 carries, finishing with 96 yards. While it was not quite his record-book-rewriting 2025 showing, Shane Shapiro (Jacksonville, Fla.) was strong again opposite the Monarchs, taking three grabs for 96 yards including an 80-yard touchdown to finish as the game’s leading receiver. Colin Fay had three grabs for 58 yards and Tanner Zill had a duo for 52 yards and a score to lead Methodist pass-catchers.
Defensively, Ben Finkelstein (Southern Pines, N.C.) brought down a pick for the second-straight week and had eight tackles, but was outshone by the underclassman linebacker tandem of Garrett Wilson (Winston-Salem, N.C.) and Owen Whelan (Asheboro, N.C.). Whelan was involved on 13 total tackles, four of them solo, including 1.0 sack and 2.0 TFLs while Wilson shone in his Appenzeller Field debut, racking up 10 takedowns including 1.5 sacks. Simeon Reid (Morganton, N.C.) contributed eight tackles but they were impactful, with 2.0 sacks and 3.0 TFLs. Wesley Folsom led MU in takedowns with 10 including six solo, while Anthony Smith and Bryan Graham had interceptions and Cam’ron Webster had a strip sack, although it was not recovered by the defense.
Not to be overlooked, Ryan Black (South Hill, Va.) was also a weapon in the punting game, pinning five of his eight kicks inside the 15 with a trio settling within the 10 including his last two in clutch, late-game situations.
Methodist made headway on their opening drive, using a bunch of small chunks and one big, 44-yard cluster from Windham to Fay through the air to get into field goal range, but Ethan Emery missed his kick from 35 out, a play that would have later ramifications, and Guilford had an immediate counter. A quick strike from Gabrels to Shapiro on their first offensive play saw the Quaker receiver slip a couple of defenders and break loose for an 80-yard touchdown catch and run to open the scoring. After a couple of three-and-outs, MU got a chunk TD of their own as Windham found Zill just over a leaping defender, and Zill took care of the rest, scoring from 45 away to level things at seven the end of one.
GC completed the quarter with the football and opened the second on offense the same way they began the first as Andrews broke free from 37 yards for his second touchdown rush of the fall, finishing an all-encompassing 56-yard drive. A couple three-and-outs and a long Methodist drive ensued with the guests getting into the upper redzone although a hold and big Reid sack that marked off a baker’s dozen forced them back out of field goal range. Luke Slagel masterfully placed the Quakers on the one with his punt, though, and they did not get out of the shadow of their endzone, taking a safety on their first play. The scoring would hold-serve from there, bringing the score to 14-9 into the locker rooms.
Each team had an inconsequential drive out of the half before things got weird. Gabrels got picked off on a tip drill by Smith inside the five as the final play before lightning struck close enough to the Armfield Athletic Center to warrant the contest into a 49-minute weather day with 7:18 in the quarter. Now in a downpour when play resumes, nothing came from the takeaway as the stanza finished scoreless, but mother nature was not done intervening as the heavy rains maintained.
For the third time in four quarters, Guilford’s offense got a big play with their first play of a frame, as after the defense forced a punt, the offensive line created a monstrous crease and Sullivan hit it with no one catching him for a 72-yard touchdown rush, GC’s second over 70 yards on the day, but Colby Tucker’s (Winterville, N.C.) PAT was blocked. The Quaker defense forced a three-and-out, but all that did was usher in another lighting delay, this one for a full hour, although the teams returned to play and Gabrels was intercepted in the endzone on their first drive. Methodist added some drama down the stretch, going 91 yards on a chippy final drive, scoring a touchdown and two-point conversion. Guilford recovered the onside kick but did not get a first down, giving the Monarchs one last gasp to lateral the ball for 90 yards, but they could not do it, with the final score finishing at 20-17.
Guilford hosts their non-conference finale in a couple weeks against Brevard College, kicking off at 6:00 PM again under the Appenzeller Field lights.
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