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| Redlands athletics photo |
For a team such as Redlands, which won a SCIAC title in 2013 and finished runner-up four other times since 2010, last year’s 4-5 record wasn’t the type of season it was accustomed to.
The Bulldogs have refocused, and with a true team mentality have bounced back with a strong 2016 campaign.
“The games we fell short in in 2015, this year, we’re winning,” coach Mike Maynard said. “I think it’s really a difference in the focus and a difference in single-mindedness, in terms of just focusing on the process that makes us play well.”
Redlands’ most recent win – a 23-21 decision vs. Pomona-Pitzer – improved the team’s record to 6-1 and a perfect 6-0 in SCIAC play, giving the Bulldogs the inside track to a conference title and a trip to the postseason.
“Everyone just wants to get the job done,” said fifth-year senior defensive back Connor Hoffman, who recorded seven tackles and intercepted a pass in Saturday’s win. “Everyone has bought in and has a winning mentality.”
Maynard described Saturday’s back-and-forth game as a street fight. But despite being down seven points after the first quarter, and trailing 14-3 in the second quarter, the coach felt his team kept its composure.
“I always felt like we were in control – even when we started off the first half by falling behind,” Maynard said. “I don’t feel like anybody panicked, or that there was a stress that we weren’t going to be able to do it. It was really just a matter of getting it done, finishing some drives and holding them off in the end.”
After Redlands seized the lead after halftime, the Sagehens scored on the final play of the third quarter to pull within two. But the Bulldogs defense held Pomona-Pitzer scoreless the rest of the way.
“They were a great opponent. We didn’t take them lightly,” Hoffman said. “Winning that game definitely gives us a little confidence boost. But that game’s done,”
Now sitting one win away from securing a share of the SCIAC title, Maynard said he was optimistic about this year’s team early on.
He described the 2016 roster as a very cohesive, mature group that put in a lot of work during the summer and spring. The offseason conditioning and strength training has made the biggest difference with underclassmen, who have developed into better athletes and helped build depth.
“We have sophomores and even some freshmen that are ready to compete because they’ve really made a commitment to the physical nature of the sport,” Maynard said.
Redlands’ identity isn’t immediately recognized by scanning the team’s statistics. There aren’t any individuals posting eye-popping numbers.
“We have a bunch guys that play with a lot of energy, a lot of courage. We have very good depth. And we have a real strong team morale that’s been getting us through the tough part of the game,” Maynard explain.
“If you look at our defense, against fourth down, we’ve been very strong in that area. And our third down conversion on offense is really starting to improve.”
One interesting statistic is that Redlands’ top-three leading tacklers are all defensive backs. But Hoffman, who ranks third on the team behind Dustin Nascimento and D.J. Hollingshead with 37 stops, said that is by design.
“It’s how our defensive scheme works,” Hoffman said. “If our D-line is plugging up the holes in the middle, then they’re making their running backs bounce to where our defensive backs are.”
“We do want the ball to go sideways,” Maynard added. “We try not to let the ball go vertical.”
Even when the Bulldogs force the ball outside, the defensive backs still need to make plays. That’s where Hoffman stands out and leads by example.
“We generally put Connor in places where the ball is going to be. We want to spill the ball to Connor, so he can make that tackle,” Maynard said. “We really count on him, and because of that, he has a big responsibility.”
Stability on defense has been key as Redlands got new quarterback Mitch Kidd comfortable with the offense. The Bulldogs entered the season with two senior signal-callers, but both have been sidelined with injuries, thrusting Kidd into the role.
But that too has worked out in Redlands’ favor, and now the team has an opportunity to claim a share of the SCIAC championship and clinch a spot in the Division III playoff field.
“I found over the years that if you start looking too far forward, you forget what’s immediately in front of you. What’s in front of us right now is a very good Whittier team,” Maynard said of the 0-7 Poets. “They will not quit, and I think that makes them very dangerous to us. We’re going to approach this game against Whittier as if it were the biggest game of the season because, truthfully, it is.”
If the Bulldogs do win, they will win the program’s second SCIAC championship in four years. That return to the top of the conference standings would complete the team’s rebound from the 2015 campaign.
“I think no matter whether you had a winning or losing season the season before, you should always want to improve from your past season,” Hoffman said. “We just tried to turn it up a notch and change some things – coaching styles and players’ attitudes – and it’s working out the way we expected it to.”
Middlebrook’s impact on the field, community
MacMurray running back Chazz Middlebrook continued his impressive season, racking up 245 yards and four touchdowns in the Highlanders’ 42-35 win over Crown. Middlebrook, who ranks fifth in Division III with 1,206 yards on the season, earned UMAC offensive player of the week honors for the third time this season.
In addition to his contributions on the field, Middlebrook is also making a huge impact in the community.
Middlebrook’s hometown of Jacksonville, Ill., is the home of both MacMurray College as well as the Illinois School for the Deaf. As the only hearing member of his family, Middlebrook has assisted his family throughout his life and has been a representative for the deaf community.
He is looking to continue helping his family and other hearing-impaired people by majoring in American Sign Language and Interpreting at MacMurray.
“Chazz is not just an incredible running back and competitor, which he is, but he is genuinely is an awesome person and incredible teammate. Chazz works part-time to pay for school, is a full-time student in a very demanding Deaf Interpreting Studies major, but is also a full-time ambassador between the hearing and deaf communities in Jacksonville,” MacMurray head coach Chris Douglas said. “He is incredibly important to and loved by MacMurray and Jacksonville.”
UMAC title on the line
For the first time since the UMAC received an automatic bid into the NCAA playoffs, a team other than St. Scholastica will claim it.
Northwestern (Minn.) will travel to Eureka to play for the conference championship. The teams have identical 7-1 conference records and the winner will make their first playoff appearance.
On Saturday, Kyle Anenson scored the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter to lift Northwestern to a 21-14 win over Greenville. B.J. Foster added two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Eureka used a Drew Barth scoring run and touchdown pass to get past Minnesota-Morris, 14-7. Barth finished the game with 127 rushing yards and 121 passing yards for the Red Devils.
Coe clinches IIAC
With a 48-7 win over Buena Vista, Coe improved to 9-0 overall and 7-0 in IIAC play. With one regular season game remaining, the Kohawks have clinched a share of the conference championship and secured the IIAC’s automatic bid to the playoffs.
Brandon Roseberry racked up 113 yards rushing and two touchdowns while Gavin Glenn passed for 275 yards and three touchdowns to lead Coe to the victory.
Number of the week
100 – as in the number of career wins by Linfield head coach Joe Smith. In 11 seasons at the helm of his alma mater, Smith has a record of 100-19, making him the fastest Wildcat head coach to reach the milestone. Linfield defeated George Fox, 50-14, Saturday as the offense scored on all six of its first-half possessions. Quarterback Sam Riddle finished the game 21-of-25 for 323 passing yards and three touchdowns.
The rest of the West
Tom Kelly threw for 374 yards and six touchdowns in UW-Platteville’s 55-27 win at UW-Stout. Dan Arnold caught six passes for 137 yards and two scores. … Loras snapped a 10-game losing streak when it beat Luther, 43-28. The Kohawks got 172 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Zach Minch and 159 receiving yards and two TDs from Jon Powers. … Tucker Trettel gained 132 yards and scored twice on 17 carries to power St. Thomas past Bethel, 27-6. … Jack Peru’s 17-yard touchdown run with 3:30 to play and Donovan Blatz’s ensuing PAT lifted St. Scholastica over Westminster (Mo.), 21-20. … Justice Spriggs threw five touchdown passes, completing 24-of-30 passes for 317 yards, as Hamline took down Augsburg, 35-14. … Pacific Lutheran’s Isaiah Watkins logged three tackles for a loss including a pair of sacks and the Lutes went on to peat Puget Sound, 31-20. … Chapman’s Jacob Isabel caught six passes for 113 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Panthers rallied from a halftime deficit to beat Cal Lutheran, 27-12. … Kyle Larson completed 24-of-35 passes for 387 yards and five touchdowns to guide UW-Stevens Point past UW-La Crosse, 38-22. … Tanner Jensen recovered a fumble and registered an interception during Gustavus Adolphus’ 23-3 victory at St. Olaf. … Willamette got 164 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Taylor Wyman in a 35-21 victory at Lewis and Clark. … Occidental secured its first win of the season – a 56-38 decision over Whittier. Bryan Scott threw three touchdown passes and ran for two scores in the victory. … Simpson's Caleb Frye threw two touchdown passes in the final two minutes, but Nebraska Wesleyan held on to win, 24-22. Joel Wiedel rushed for 170 yards and two scores for the Prairie Wolves. … UW-Whitewater got three rushing touchdowns from Drew Patterson and went on to beat UW-Eau Claire, 48-6. … Tony Anstoetter recorded five tackles for a loss and intercepted a pass to help Wartburg defeat Dubuque, 43-35. … Chad Walton needed just nine carries to rush for 104 yards and two touchdowns as UW-Oshkosh cruised past UW-River Falls, 41-7. … Concordia-Moorhead out-rushed Carleton 300-37 and went on to win, 40-3. A total of 13 different players carried the ball for the Cobbers. … Ian Kolste completed 44-of-57 passes for 490 yards and five touchdowns to lead Whitworth past Pacific, 55-35. … Iowa Wesleyan quarterback Raul Alvarez fired five touchdown passes in a 38-0 win over Martin Luther. The Tigers defense added 10 tackles for a loss and two fumble recoveries. … Trey Smith caught eight passes, good for 107 yards and two touchdowns, in Claremont-Mudd-Scripps’ 34-23 over La Verne.
Rank ’em
The seven teams from the West Region that were ranked in the Top 25 last week appear in the same places in this week’s poll.
UW-Whitewater (No. 2), St. Thomas (No. 4), UW-Oshkosh (No. 5), Linfield (No. 7) and St. John’s (No. 8) are all ranked in the top-10 again. The Warhawks received two first place votes while the Tommies collected one.
UW-Platteville and Coe remained ranked Nos. 11 and 17, respectively.
Concordia-Moorhead (10), Whitworth (9) and Redlands (1) received votes in this week’s poll.
Be heard
Do you have a story idea for the Around the West column? Contact me about approaching milestones, broken records, breakout players or any other storylines in the region. Or just drop me a note to let me know what you think of the column. All ideas and feedback are welcome. Email me at josh.smith@d3sports.com or follow me on Twitter @By_Josh_Smith.
