Football Defeats Walsh 20-10, Earns Spot In NCCAA Victory Bowl

     The Malone College football team knocked off NAIA #8 Walsh University 20-10 at Fawcett Stadium on Saturday to end the Cavaliers’ seven-game winning streak in the annual rivalry game.  With the victory, Malone receives the rotating Dick Gallagher Memorial Trophy, sponsored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame Luncheon Club and named in honor of the late former Executive Director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  In addition, in a pre-game recognition, Malone’s Dominic Liberati (So., QB, Union Local H.S.) was Malone’s recipient of the annual Dick Gallagher Memorial Scholarship (a $500 award given to both a Malone and Walsh player).
     In the annual battle, Walsh was unable to stop Pioneer running back Bernard Payton (Jr., Pomona, CA), who set a new Malone single-game rushing record in the contest with an incredible 277 yards on 37 carries (7.5 yard average).  The Pioneer defense stifled Walsh throughout the afternoon, forcing three turnovers and holding the Cavalier offense to just three points (Walsh's touchdown was scored on an interception return).  Malone tallied 288 rushing yards and 122 passing yards for a total of 410 yards of offense in the game while Walsh recorded 190 yards rushing but just 58 passing yards for 248 total yards.  With the win, the Pioneers end their regular season on a three-game winning streak with an overall record of 7-3 and a 4-2 mark in the MSFA Mideast. 
     Malone climbed from #22 to #18 in the final NAIA national ranking, just two spots shy of earning a berth in the NAIA postseason.  However, the Pioneers have accepted a bid to compete in the 10th annual NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) Victory Bowl on Saturday, November 18th at 1:00 p.m. against NCAA Division II North Greenville (SC) University, which is also a member of the NCCAA.  The game will be played at North Greenville.
     In Saturday’s contest with Walsh, Malone struck first as wide receiver Mike Clapham (Jr., Elyria Catholic H.S.) caught a three-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brad Reifsnyder (Sr., North Canton Hoover H.S.) in the opening minutes of the second quarter to give the Pioneers a 7-0 lead.  Malone then began to march down the field on their next possession before Walsh defensive back Rayshaun Kizer intercepted a Reifsnyder pass and returned it 53 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7.  The Cavaliers took a 10-7 lead with 3:46 remaining in the third quarter on a 32-yard field goal by Mike Lum.  The momentum quickly swung back to the Pioneers, though, when wide receiver Justin Johnson (Fr., Richardson, TX) returned the ensuing kickoff 53 yards to the Walsh 40-yard line.  Malone was able to reclaim the lead four plays later as Reifsnyder plunged across the goal line on a quarterback sneak to put the Pioneers in front 14-10.  Malone then cemented the victory in the final minutes as Payton broke away for a 49-yard touchdown run to put the Pioneers ahead 20-10 (extra point was no good) with just 1:42 left in the game.
     Walsh was unable to advance the ball past the Malone 49-yard line in four fourth quarter possessions, thanks in part to cornerback Doug Alford’s (St. Peter Chanel H.S.) second interception of the game with just 2:33 remaining on the clock and a Malone and MSFA Mideast record-tying 76 yard punt by Tyler Parry (So., Palm Beach Gardens, FL) that pinned the Cavaliers on their own one-yard line earlier in the fourth quarter.
     In addition to his outstanding rushing yardage total, Payton was also the game’s leading receiver with nine catches for 54 yards to give the junior running back an amazing 331 yards of total offense on the afternoon.  Reifsnyder completed 17 of 26 pass attempts for 122 yards with one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown.  Clapham had three catches in the game for 15 yards and one touchdown while fullback Sam Cartwright (So., East Canton H.S.) posted two catches for 18 yards.
     Defensively, linebacker Dan Hromada (Jr., Padua Franciscan H.S.) paced the squad with 10 tackles (eight solo, 1.0 TFL) and one pass break-up.  Linebacker Justin Murphy followed with nine tackles (two solo) while defensive back Rayshawn Cole (Sr. Firestone H.S.) and linebacker Jamal Gambrell (Jr., Maple Heights H.S.) each added six tackles.  Alford posted three tackles in the game to go with his two crucial interceptions and defensive back Chris Cruise (Jr., Field H.S.) added two tackles and one interception.
     This week, the team will compete in the 10th annual NCCAA Victory Bowl against North Greenville (SC) University (9-2) on Saturday, November 18th at 1:00 p.m.  The game will be played at North Greenville’s Younts Stadium in Tigerville, South Carolina.  The host Crusaders have compiled a record of 9-2 on the year with several victories over NCAA Div. I-AA teams (Jacksonville University, Austin Peay University) and finished their regular season Saturday with a 28-25 victory over NCAA Div. II Concord University.  The nine wins ties a single-season school record for North Greenville, which has the top-rated offense in NCAA Div. II and has broken the program’s single-season scoring mark.  This will be the first time that the Pioneers have competed in the Victory Bowl although Canton, Ohio and Fawcett Stadium (and Malone athletics) played host to the first four Victory Bowls (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000) before the game switched to a format where one of the two participants would host the contest. 
     Members of both teams will participate in a Christian service project on Friday, visiting Shriners Hospital, The Meyer Center and Joshua's Way.  Tickets for the game are $10.00 at the gate.  Children get in free with paying parent and North Greenville is also offering a group rate.  For more ticket information, contact North Greenville Athletics at 864-977-7150.

Men's Cross Country Team Captures NCCAA National Championship, Women Finish Runner-Up

     The Malone College men's cross country team captured the national title at the NCCAA National Championships in Yellow Springs, Ohio last Saturday while the Pioneer women's team finished as runners-up.  Both fields were comprised of 22 teams.
     The men, ranked seventh in the final NAIA national poll, chalked up 52 points to edge runner-up Cedarville University, which finished with 57 points, by five points.  Mid America Nazarene (KS) University was third (81), Indiana Wesleyan University was fourth (103) and Spring Arbor (MI) University rounded out the top five (127).
     The women's team, ranked sixth in the final NAIA poll, tallied 59 points for its second-place finish as Cedarville won the women's title with 46 points.  Spring Arbor placed third (83), Indiana Wesleyan came in fourth (127) and Mid America Nazarene rounded out the top five (129).
     For the men, Malone head coach Jack Hazen was named the NCCAA National Men's Coach of the Year.  Ryan Kienzle (Jr., GlenOak H.S.) led the way for the team with a third-place finish overall in a time of 26:49 while Nik Schweikert (So., Beavercreek H.S.) was close behind in fifth place (27:09).  Paul Robinson (Fr., Field H.S.) finished in 13th place (27:17) and Chris Sinick (Fr., Field H.S.) placed 15th (27:25) to join Kienzle and Schweikert as NCCAA All-Americans (top 15 receive the honor).
     Ryan Crocker (So., CVCA) came in 16th place (27:32), one spot out of All-American, while Mike Coates (Jr., Sandy Valley H.S.) finished in 27th (28:12).
     For the women's team, Katie Bagley (So., Van Wert H.S.) paced the squad with a fourth-place finish overall in a time of 18:46) while Loren Reineke (Sr., Anna H.S.) was second for the team and ninth overall in 19:23.  Amy Iatauro (Sr., CVCA) finished in 11th place (19:32) and Kalie Hauenstine (Fr., Ashland H.S.) came in 15th (19:54) to join Bagley and Reineke as NCCAA All-Americans.
     Others who competed for the women included Sarah Hines (Fr., Northmor H.S.) in 20th (20:15), Caity Schneider (Sr., Sandy Valley H.S.) in 30th (20:42) and Carrie Hart (Sr., La Brae H.S.) in 34th (20:51).
     This week, the teams will compete at the NAIA National Championships in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday.  The women's race is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. and the men's race is set for 11:30 a.m.  Last year, the men's team placed seventh at the NAIA national meet while the women finished eighth.

 

 

 

     The Malone College women’s basketball team traveled to Rochester, New York over the weekend to compete in the Roberts Wesleyan (NY) College Raider Classic.  On Friday, the Pioneers defeated the tournament’s host (Roberts Wesleyan) by a final score of 75-65 before cruising to a 93-69 win on Saturday over Houghton (NY) College.  With the 2-0 week, Malone improves its overall record to 3-0.
     Against Roberts Wesleyan, the Pioneers trailed 33-32 at halftime but outscored the Raiders 43-32 in the second half en route to the 75-65 victory.  Cara Shiplett (Jr., Northwest H.S.) and Kellyn Murphy (Sr. Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary H.S.) paced five Pioneers in double figures with 13 points each.  Nicole Feher (So., Lutheran West H.S.) followed with 11 points while Erica Mishler (Sr., Hiland H.S.) and Nicki Sisson (Jr., Wayne Trace H.S.) each added 10 points.  Senior forward Nikki Parson (Garaway H.S.) pulled down eight rebounds to help the Pioneers win the battle of the boards 38-34.  In addition, Murphy dished out four assists and Shiplett collected four steals.
     Against Houghton, Malone jumped out to a 42-30 lead at the half before cruising to the 93-69 victory.  Parson led the Pioneers with a game-high 25 points (11-16, 0-1 3PT FG, 3-5 FT) and 11 rebounds.  Feher followed with 13 points and 11 rebounds while Shiplett chipped in with 12 points.  Malone dominated the paint with a 45-32 advantage in total rebounds.  Kellyn Murphy and Katie Murphy (So., Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary) each dished out five assists with Mishler tallying four assists in the contest.  In addition, Kellyn Murphy and Shiplett each collected four steals.
     This week, Malone (3-0, 0-0 AMC S) will travel to Hiland High School in Berlin, Ohio to face Wheeling Jesuit (WV) University (0-0) in a 7:30 p.m. contest on Wednesday night.  The Pioneers will then return home on Friday and Saturday to host the Canton Comfort Inn Tip-Off Classic with an opening night contest scheduled against Daemen (NY) College (5-1, 0-0 AMC N) at 5:00 p.m. on Friday followed by a 7:00 p.m. match-up that will feature Geneva (PA) College (0-0, 0-0 AMC N) against Goshen (IN) College (2-2, 0-0 MCC).  On Saturday, Daemen will play Goshen at 2:00 p.m. and Malone will face Geneva at 4:00 p.m.