Posted: Sep 04, 2023
The first varsity game on the new Andrew Turf Field at John P. Papp Stadium takes place this Saturday when The College of Wooster football team (0-1) welcomes The University of Olivet (1-0) (Michigan) to town for a 1 p.m. game. John P. Papp Stadium underwent a $4 million renovation this spring and summer. The project encompassed turf replacement, track replacement, new efficient LED lighting, new equipment, site work around the facility, and logistics for lacrosse and track and field, which practiced and competed offsite after spring break.
ForeverLawn, headquartered in Louisville, Ohio, is the turf vendor. The product-based sand and rubber infill carpet is the same surface as Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, located adjacent to the grounds of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
On The Air: MCTV produces Wooster's webcasts for home football games and shows the game on delay on Ch. 22 & Ch. 621 (Wayne & Stark County MCTV customers should check local listings for air times). Livestreams of Wooster home football games can be viewed at https://northcoastnetwork.com/wooster/. Q Media Wooster carries Wooster home football games on WKVX 960 AM and online at https://wqkt.com.
Ticket Information: Tickets for Wooster home football games are $6.00 for adults, $5.00 for senior citizens and youth, and free for College of Wooster students, faculty, and staff with your College of Wooster identification card. Wooster accepts cash only for football tickets. You can purchase tickets at the ticket booth located at the main entrance to John P. Papp Stadium, located off E. University St., or the table at the back access driveway located off Gasche St.
All-Time Series: Wooster and Olivet have never met in football before. Wooster last played a team from the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association on September 6, 2003, with the Scots winning that contest 45-36 over Hope College. Wooster has won five of its last six games against MIAA schools, with two wins over Hope and three over Kalamazoo College.
Offense Notes: Sophomore Chanden Lee (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton) completed 21-of-31 passes for 335 yards and four touchdowns in his first collegiate start. Lee logged the 42nd 300-yard passing game in program history and there are now 32 four passing touchdown games in program history. Junior Brazos Gadler's (Houston, Texas/Cypress Creek) 146 receiving yards were just shy of a career-high 154 from last year's win at Kenyon College. Gadler now has four-career 100-yard receiving games. Starting left guard Jacob Johnston (Adrian, Mich./Adrian) is Wooster's lone player from Michigan.
Defense Notes: Wooster's defense returned a fumble for a touchdown for the second straight game. Junior linebacker Liam Regan (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua Academy) ran back a fumble recovery 37 yards for a touchdown last week. Sophomore Braydon Hudson (North Liberty, Ind./Washington) forced the fumble. Last year, Wooster had a 26-yard fumble return for a touchdown following then-junior Domenic DeMuth's (Mayfield Village, Ohio/Mayfield) strip sack in the season finale at Oberlin College. Hudson emerged as Wooster's leading tackler with 10, while junior Jon Banal (Columbus Grove, Ohio/Columbus Grove) is currently tie atop the North Coast Athletic Conference leaderboard with three tackles for loss.
Special Teams Notes: First-year Kieran Klingsberg (Fullerton, Calif./Troy) returned a fourth-quarter kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown. It marked Wooster's first kickoff return for a touchdown since the Scots had a 98-yard one in an impressive 44-41 win at Wabash College in 2021 and was one of just eight kickoff return touchdowns nationally on opening weekend. First-year Al Hastick IV (Soddy Daisy, Tenn./Notre Dame) averaged nearly 61 yards per kickoff and placed two of his six kicks in the end zone for touchbacks.
Seeing Double?: Players playing on both offense and defense is a regular occurrence in high school football, but is typically not something seen very often at the collegiate level. Wooster sophomore Tate Journell (Northfield, Minn./Northfield) is doing just that as a starting wide receiver and defensive back. Journell had two receptions for 20 yards and a touchdown at Wilmington and had two tackles. Journell is also the team's holder and lateraled a ball backwards on a successful two-point conversion.