|
| Kenneth Hamilton returned last week after missing two weeks because of injury. Washington U. athletics photo |
By Joe Sager
D3sports.com
The regular season’s final stretch is here.
And, Washington University has some momentum – and health.
The Bears are 5-1 and eager to play host to No. 25 Wheaton (4-2) on Saturday for sole control of second place in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.
“We are extremely fired up for this game,” WashU junior running back Fred Ware said. “We believe in ourselves. We believe if, every single week, we continue to practice and prepare to our standard, we can keep the momentum we have.”
Washington opened the year with two wins, but dropped a 49-9 decision to No. 1 North Central. Since then, though, the Bears have bounced back to win their last three. And, they got a boost with the return of senior running back Kenneth Hamilton in last week’s 49-10 win over Elmhurst.
“Kenneth is one of our strongest vocal leaders on the roster. To have him in a position where he’s playing and on the field, it carries more weight for our players because he does a great job each week getting our team prepared to practice the right way and play the right way,” WashU coach Aaron Keen said. “He played some really good football and made an impact offensively for us and really allowed us to attack Elmhurst in the run game.”
Hamilton, who was hurt in the loss to North Central and missed the next two games, returned to rush for 99 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries in the victory over the Blue Jays.
“That was a lot of fun. I love playing football. I love my teammates,” he said. “Coming back onto the field and feeling that embrace was just wonderful.”
In Hamilton’s absence, Kenvorris Campbell and Ware helped bolster the running game.
“We have a lot of love in the running backs room,” Hamilton said. “We’re all competing to be the top guy. We all know that, at any point, we can have the opportunity and that’s how we practice.”
“I definitely say we have a lot of weapons on offense that allow us to go out there and be great,” Ware added. “All the running backs work hard to push each other to be our best self. We have a lot of faith in whomever is in the game. We all feel we can go in and make an impact.”
That depth has turned into a valuable asset in the Bears’ attack, which averages 216.5 yards per game.
“I am sure that’s pretty scary for defenses because we do have a guy who can always go in and get it done,” Hamilton said. “I can pour myself into it for an entire drive. If I am tired, another guy can come in and be 100 percent, too. It’s a nice advantage for us.”
The squad has overcome injuries at quarterback and on defense as well.
“We’ve been fortunate to have some really good players maybe in a backup role or rotational starters step in as full-time starters. It’s been a good thing to have them play such good football,” Keen said. “Part of building a family atmosphere is having unselfishness on the roster. Our kids understand we recruit depth so we can have competition. We have a lot of guys playing. If we have people ready to play for us, we’ll find a place for them to play. That requires all players understanding that they need to share the load, no matter whether that’s on the line or in the skill positions. That’ll help us be fresh in the fourth quarter of games and, hopefully, keep us fresher in late October and November when, hopefully, we’re competing for championships.”
Though the Bears probably won’t be competing for a conference championship this fall with defending national champ and top-ranked North Central (6-0) in the conference, they have a chance of reaching the playoffs if they can win the rest of their games.
“I think anytime you get to this point of the season and have something to play for, when you look toward postseason opportunities, the challenge is to keep the players and coaches focused on the task at hand each week,” Keen said. “You just have to continue doing a great job game planning and pouring yourself into film and practice and everything else that’s required. I think the great thing is, when you’re playing really quality opponents, it’s not hard for the guys to get motivated to play. You just have to make sure you get them focused on the right things.”
While the remaining schedule remains difficult, the Bears take solace in the fact that three of their final four games are at home at Francis Olympic Field in St. Louis.
“We’ve had some challenges being on the road a lot. All of those trips are overnight trips for us and longer bus rides. I think the players in this program are used to that, though,” Keen said. “They are great bonding experiences. But it’s a nice thing being at home, sleeping in your own bed and not having to worry about the schedule of being on the road. It’ll be nice to have a couple weeks to be at home.”
The Bears look forward to playing in front of their home crowd.
“Home games are always the most amount of fun,” Ware said. “A lot of parents and families will be in town over the next couple weeks. We’re expecting some big crowds and a lot of energy around the team for the remainer of the season.”
