The team sent the seniors off from their home college career with a winning 2013 record and a strong 37-20 win behind an offensive effort that quarterback Joe Gill led and a defensive effort led by outside linebacker Zach Dolph.
Gill, a senior, finished the game 26-for-44 with three touchdowns and an interception. He took shots down the field, completing some big ones and missing some others while playing because of a broken foot and high-ankle sprain sustained by redshirt freshman John Rhode in last week’s loss to Saint Ambrose University.
Dolph recorded 11 tackles with a forced fumble and two interceptions against a Trojan team that head coach Mike Feminis called “the most improved team in our conference.”
“We’re going to have to play a very good game and mistake-free football to win,” said Feminis before the game. “Obviously, that means we’re going to have to play a lot better than we did last week.”
Outside of the pick that Gill threw, the Cougars did play mistake-free football. They wound up +3 in the turnover margin just a week after finishing -5 against Saint Ambrose.
Trinity International took the early 6-0 lead when sophomore quarterback Stephen Anderson completed a pass to freshman receiver Cory Windle for a 32-yard score. They faked the extra point attempt with a rush by kicker Aaron Ordway, but they were unable to convert.
Saint Xavier answered back with a 56-yard scoring drive set up by a 30-yard kickoff return by freshman Stephen Simms.
Once the Cougars got into Trojan territory, Gill completed two straight passes of 13 and 18 yards to junior receiver Nick DeBenedetti. The series ended with an 8-yard touchdown pass to DeBenedetti, then a Spencer Nolen extra point gave the Cougars a 7-6 lead.
The Trojans gave the Cougars the lead when Anderson threw an interception to Dolph. The linebacker returned the ball 32 yards for a touchdown and a 14-6 lead.
DeBenedetti got the next scoring drive started with a 23-yard return of an Ordway punt in the second quarter. It took just two plays to find the end zone. Gill found redshirt freshman receiver Sean Jones for a 33-yard gain, then completed a nine-yard touchdown pass to freshman receiver Dennis Vilimek.
After junior defensive lineman Marcus Maas forced a fumble on the goal line, the Cougars drove 99 yards for another touchdown. A 47-yard reception to redshirt freshman receiver Ryan Carroll was wiped out because of an ineligible receiver downfield penalty, but Saint Xavier still managed to move down the field and exhaust almost all of the time remaining in the first half.
During the drive, Simms ripped off a 21-yard run to get into Trojan territory. The Cougars got to the Trojans’ two-yard line when Gill completed a pass to DeBenedetti, who was tackled by safety Brad Badali. Badali was ejected from the game for targeting the helmet, then senior running back Nick Pesek capped the drive with a two-yard touchdown run that put Saint Xavier up 27-6 (when Nolen missed the extra point).
Pesek finished his last home game with 63 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown, plus he added a catch for a seven-yard gain.
To open the second half, the Trojans reduced their deficit to 27-13 on a pass from Anderson to backup quarterback Dillon Turk, who had lined up as a receiver.
The Cougars answered quickly with a scoring drive of their own. DeBenedetti caught a 51-yard pass on the first play of the drive, but then the drive stalled. Nolen kicked a 27-yard field goal to put the Cougars up 30-13.
Trinity International ended their scoring with an eight-yard run by Chris Elliot, who finished the game with 113 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.
Saint Xavier scored the game’s last points in the third quarter with an 11-yard touchdown catch by DeBenedetti. The score was set up by a questionable third-down pass interference call that went against the Trojans and kept the Cougars’ drive going.
The fourth quarter was a quiet one, with the highlight being a second Dolph interception that effectively sealed the game in favor of Saint Xavier.
The Cougars face their final test of the season on the road next Saturday. They will take the field at 1:30 p.m. in Bourbonnais, Ill., to try and end the 2013 season with a win against the Tigers of Olivet Nazarene University.
Tim Carroll
Senior Sports Editor