Posted: Sep 18, 2023
The College of Wooster football team (1-2, 0-1 North Coast Athletic Conference) returns home to host Kenyon College (0-3, 0-1 NCAC) at 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 23 at John P. Papp Stadium. Wooster is coming off a 49-20 loss to Ohio Wesleyan University (2-1, 1-0 NCAC), while Kenyon struggled at Wittenberg University (2-0, 1-0 NCAC), falling 56-17 over the weekend.
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 leads the all-time series with Kenyon 56-23-3, and the Scots are riding a nine-game series winning streak. Kenyon's last win in the series came on November 3, 2012, when the then-Lords beat the Scots 21-17 at John P. Papp Stadium. Wooster and Kenyon first met in 1890, with the Scots winning that contest 30-0. Wooster's program started in 1889, so the first meeting with Kenyon was the fifth game in program history and was part of six straight shutouts, as Wooster did not allow any points until a 6-4 win over Washington & Jefferson College that ended the 1890 season.
Last Meeting In Series: Then-senior quarterback Mateo Renteria was magnificent with 464 yards of total offense and six touchdowns before a wild ending stole the spotlight of Wooster's 42-41 win over Kenyon on October 15, 2022, at McBride Field. Kenyon was within 42-41 with :17 remaining in the game and planned on playing for the lead. However, a delay of game penalty and 15-yard penalty backed the Owls up to the Scots' 22-yard line, resulting in a 40-yard extra-point try for the tie. Rocco Danese's kick sailed wide and Wooster covered up the onside kick attempt. Current junior Brazos Gadler (Houston, Texas/Cypress Creek) wrestled the pigskin away from Kenyon safety Daniel Guzevich on a jump ball in the end zone for the go-ahead score with 5:26 remaining in the game.
Offense Notes: Junior Andrew Hammer (Uniontown, Ohio/Lake) is one of 97 players nationally with at least three receiving touchdowns on the year. Gadler is 11th nationally and tops in the NCAC with 360 receiving yards. The junior has two 100-yard games on the year and two touchdown receptions of at least 75 yards in length. Gadler is also a key kick returner for Wooster, and that has helped him to a fourth-place national ranking in all-purpose yards at 195.33 per game.
Defense Notes: Senior defensive end Domenic DeMuth (Mayfield Village, Ohio/Mayfield) continues to lead the defense with 20 tackles. Wooster does have seven players in the 15-20 tackle range on the season. Wooster has done well making plays behind the line of scrimmage when the situation presents itself with 17 tackles for loss on the year. Junior Jon Banal (Columbus Grove, Ohio/Columbus Grove) leads the team with four tackles for loss, while DeMuth and sophomore linebacker Braydon Hudson (North Liberty, Ind./Washington) each have at least three.
Special Teams Notes: Wooster is 48th nationally, averaging 23.56 yards per kickoff return. Wooster does have two individuals in the top-30 nationally, with first-year Kieran Klingsberg (Fullerton, Calif./Troy) checking in at 11th with 33.8 yards per runback and Gadler coming in at 28th at 28.2 yards per return. Wooster has logged a 50-yard kickoff return in all three games, with Gadler having one in each of the last two, and Klingsberg taking one back 88 yards for a touchdown in the season opener at Wilmington College. Senior Lake Barrett (Columbia, S.C./Hammond School) now ranks second all-time in program history with 24 made field goals. He is three shy of Richie McNally's program-record 27, accumulated between the 2001 and 2004 seasons. At 194 career points, Barrett now ranks seventh all-time in program history and second among placekickers. He moved past alumnus Trevor Bowden for second-place among placekickers on a 35-yard second-quarter field goal at Ohio Wesleyan.