Football Falls 56-28 In NCCAA Victory Bowl

     The Malone College football team, led by first-year head coach Mike Gardner and ranked 18th in the final NAIA poll, traveled to Tigerville, South Carolina this past Saturday to compete in the 10th annual NCCAA Victory Bowl against NCAA Division II #23 North Greenville University and lost by the final score of 56-28.  Although Fawcett Stadium and Canton, Ohio hosted the first four Victory Bowls, this was the Pioneers’ first-ever appearance in the annual NCCAA postseason event which features the two top-rated football programs from schools that are members of the National Christian College Athletic Association.  North Greenville ended the regular season with the top-rated offense in NCAA Division II and it showed throughout Saturday’s contest as the Crusaders piled up 392 rushing yards and 190 passing yards for a total of 582 yards.  Malone posted 411 passing yards in the game, the second-highest passing yardage total in school history, but just 37 rushing yards for a total of 448 yards of offense.  The Pioneers end their impressive 2006 campaign with an overall record of 7-4, the highest win total for the program since 1998 (the ’98 squad also tallied a 7-3 regular season record before falling to Georgetown (KY) College in the first round of the NAIA playoffs).
     North Greenville took command of the game early on, scoring touchdowns on three of its first four possessions to take a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter.  Malone then was able to get on the board with a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that was capped off by a three-yard scoring plunge by running back Sean Knight (Sr., Dayton, OH).  The Crusaders tacked on another score minutes later, though, to extend their halftime advantage to 28-7.
     North Greenville then widened the gap even further with another score on the opening possession of the third quarter.  The Pioneers fought back on their ensuing possession as running back Bernard Payton (Jr., Pomona, CA) caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brad Reifsnyder (Sr., North Canton Hoover H.S.) to trim the Crusader lead to 35-14.  North Greenville struck back quickly on its next offensive play from scrimmage as Crusader quarterback Eric Moeller connected with wideout Travis Talbert on an 82-yard pass play to restore North Greenville’s four-touchdown advantage.
     Malone refused to give up, though, as Reifsnyder hit wide receiver Mike Clapham (Jr., Elyria Catholic H.S.) with a six-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the third quarter to trim the deficit to 42-21.  The Crusaders answered back once again as Moeller completed his fourth touchdown pass of the game three minutes into the fourth quarter.  The Pioneers quickly added yet another score as Payton pulled in his second touchdown reception from Reifsnyder with 9:41 remaining in the contest.  Trailing 49-28, Malone then successfully executed an onside kick attempt and began to drive down the field before North Greenville’s defense was able to halt the Pioneer comeback on a fourth down pass attempt from inside the Crusader’s 20-yard line.  North Greenville would then add one more touchdown with four minutes remaining to make the final score 56-28.
     Reifsnyder completed 34 of 47 pass attempts in the game for 359 yards (third highest individual passing total in school history) with three touchdowns and one interception.  Payton tallied 58 rushing yards on 14 carries to go with eight catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns.  Wide receiver Derek Deardorff (So., Kenton H.S.) also posted eight pass receptions for 96 yards while Clapham added seven catches for 76 yards and one touchdown.  Tight end LaRoi Johnson (Jr., Pittsburgh, PA) snagged six catches for 33 yards with wide receiver Josh Settlemire (Jr., Howland H.S.) recording four receptions for 35 yards.
     Defensive back Chris Cruise (Jr., Field H.S.) and linebacker Jamal Gambrell (Jr., Maple Heights H.S.) each tallied seven tackles in the game to lead the squad.  Defensive back Jason Frantz (Sr., Perry H.S.) followed with six tackles while defensive back Doug Alford (So., St. Peter Chanel H.S.) and linebacker Kevin Kapostasy (Jr., Fairport H.S.) each contributed five tackles and one interception apiece. 

Women’s Basketball Picks Up Three More Victories, Now 6-0 On The Season

     The Malone College women’s basketball team traveled to Hiland High School in Berlin, Ohio last Wednesday to face Wheeling Jesuit (WV) University, and came away with a 51-41 win.  The squad then hosted the Canton Comfort Inn Tip-Off Classic this past weekend, claiming a 67-46 victory over Daeman (NY) College on Friday before coming back to beat Geneva (PA) College on Saturday by the final score of 69-58.  Following the 3-0 week, Malone extended its season-opening winning streak to six games.
     Against Wheeling Jesuit, the Pioneers held a 26-22 halftime advantage and then outscored Wheeling Jesuit 25-19 in the second half to claim the 51-41 win.  Forwards Cara Shiplett (Jr., Northwest H.S.) and Nikki Parson (Sr., Garaway H.S.) controlled the paint as Shiplett tallied 10 points and 19 rebounds and Parson recorded 11 points and nine boards, helping Malone out-rebound Wheeling Jesuit 41-28.  Guard Kellyn Murphy (Jr., St. Vincent-St. Mary H.S.) added 11 points and four assists in the contest.   
     Against Daemen, the Pioneers trailed 27-20 at the half, but then held the Wildcats to just 16.0% (4-25) shooting from the field in the second half while outscoring the visitors 47-19 en route to the 67-46 victory.  Parson and Shiplett each recorded double-doubles in the contest as Parson posted 19 points and 10 rebounds and Shiplett tallied 16 points and 12 rebounds.  Murphy added 14 points, two assists, two blocks and two steals while forward Jennifer Miday (Sr., North Canton Hoover H.S.) recorded 10 points, five rebounds and four blocks.  Daemen out-rebounded Malone 44-36 in the game.
     Against Geneva, the Pioneers trailed 37-30 at halftime before storming back in the second half to outscore the Golden Tornadoes 39-21 en route to the 69-58 win.  Parson once again led Malone in scoring with 16 points despite only playing for 13 minutes of the game.  Shiplett posted her third double-double of the week with 12 points and 11 rebounds while Murphy and guard Heather Fenner (Jr., Shelby H.S.) each contributed 12 points.  Miday added eight points and five boards as Geneva and Malone each recorded 30 total rebounds in the contest.  In addition, Murphy and guard Erica Mishler (Sr., Hiland H.S.) each dished out five assists.
     This week, Malone (6-0, 0-0 AMC S) will travel to Mount Vernon Nazarene University (4-1, 0-0 AMC S) to open conference play on Tuesday in a 5:30 p.m. contest.