Football looking to snap season-finale skid

WILMINGTON, OH – A season that included a coaching change and the first win in nearly three seasons is coming to an end as the Wilmington College football team will look to send its nine seniors off a winning note. 

Saturday's opponent, Capital, enters the game with the same 1-8 record as they Quakers. However, don't let the record deceive you as interim head coach Jay Niswonger says they are much better than the record indicates.

"Turnovers and miscues," Niswonger describes the Crusaders main deficiencies. "They have been able to puts on the board. They are pretty balanced and statistically have a strong running game. They can be explosive on both sides of the ball. Upfront, they are very physical."

Freshman Bo Hardy is the main beneficiary of Capital's physical offensive line. He is third in the OAC with 571 yards rushing and one touchdown. Hardy is one of four players with one rushing score. Freshman quarterback Ryan McSweeney will be making his third start of the season.

McSweeney has played in five games total, completing 37 percent of his passes (27-of-73) with two touchdowns and five interceptions. Receivers Alex Coleman and Taylor Wellbaum combine for 51 catches and 640 yards with three of the team's six receiving scores.

Defensively, the Crusaders will be without the services of senior Aaron Knisley. The linebacker is fourth in the league with 8.6 tackles per game. Junior strong safety Dom Hebebrand leads the team with 63 tackles, but is second behind Knisley, with 7.0 stops per game.

Wilmington will be looking to break an 11-game losing streak to the Crusaders. The last time WC posted a win over Capital was a 34-27 victory in the 2000 season finale. Coincidently, it was also the last time the Quakers won a season finale.