Cougars celebrate MSFA championship win SXU Athletics
The Cougars won against Roosevelt University on Saturday with a score of 35-14, making Saint Xavier MSFA Midwest champions for the third straight season
With this win, the Cougars are in the running to possibly gain home field advantage for a playoff game.
The Cougars and Lakers were both very formidable teams, both going into this game with a similar mindset: to win and be crowned champions..
The game was projected to be a close one, but turned out to be a blowout victory for Saint Xavier.
Saint Xavier went in with a strategic game plan and carried it out to perfection. They got it done when they most needed to.
Going into the game, graduate student wide receiver Justin Pringle spoke highly of his team’s abilities.
“I know that Roosevelt has had some deciding losses to some teams that we were in very close games with, so I’m confident with the game plan and my teammates this week,” said Pringle.
It’s always good to see your team captain putting his faith in his team to play well.
Team morale is key for games like this. You never know what can happen on the field, and when you have a team that truly believes in themselves it’s a hard task for the other team.
Both teams had a similar schedule to play, both teams were 6-3 going into this game, and all three of those losses came from out of conference teams. They were both trying to sneak their way into a good playoff seed.
In the first quarter, the first points of the game came from the Lakers when the Cougars let up a 75-yard passing touchdown, making the score 0-7.
Halfway through the second quarter, the Cougars finally got on the board after senior quarterback Stuart Ross threw a 32-yard touchdown to senior wide receiver Kyle Quinn to tie the game at 7-7.
Not too long after, Roosevelt would get back on the board after a 49-yard touchdown pass to go up 7-14.
Late in the second quarter, Saint Xavier would answer back with a touchdown of their own. Ross again threw another touchdown, this one from nine yards out, to senior wide receiver Brandt Hixson to tie the game again at 14.
Head coach Mike Feminis must have given the Cougars a halftime talk of a lifetime because the Lakers could not get another score on the SXU defense no matter how hard they tried.
The Cougars would come out of halftime with a one yard rushing touchdown from Pringle to make the score 21-14
Early in the fourth quarter, Ross would find Hixson again for another Cougar touchdown, extending their lead to 28-14.
Later in the fourth quarter, the Cougars would score again but this time on the ground, from four yards out, from junior running back Jessi Plunkett to make the score 35-14.
Ross had an amazing game and when you can get games when your quarterback is playing exceptionally well, it can affect how the whole team plays.
Ross finished the game with 288 passing yards, three touchdowns, and completed 24 of 36 pass attempts.
Senior defensive back Ron Carrol also played a big role for the Cougar defense, racking up four total tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble.
Regardless of how one player played, it was truly a team effort that came from younger players matching the energy of the seniors.
“We have a lot of guys that have had the same experience and we all are unsatisfied with just a Conference Championship,” said Pringle.
The Cougars have a lot of seniors who have won multiple Conference Championships and are hungry for something bigger.
These Seniors dealt with COVID-19 in the middle or beginning of their college careers and still succeeded in the program.
When you have older and ambitious players, their mindsets and commitment rub off on the younger guys because they are working to become great as well.
The game they played this past weekend was definitely on a different caliber than games from the rest of the season were. If Saint Xavier can play like that and win out against whoever they may face in the first round and more, an NAIA Championship it is definitely reachable.