HOW TO COOK A TURKEY

Julia Child may baste her turkey slowly, but if it’s all the same to Scots fans, they prefer applying the heat quickly.

That’s not exactly what they got in Monmouth’s 42-0 win over the Knox Prairie Fire in last week’s Battle for the Bronze Turkey, but a win IS a win. The Scots scored quickly on their first possession.

Forty-eight seconds quick. The four play, 48 yard drive – hmmmm, that’s a yard a second – was finished off when Alex Tanney hit Mike Blodgett with a 19 yard scoring strike with 12:05 left in the first quarter.

That was all the scoring the first half would see.

What?! Monmouth has the second-ranked offense in Division III and only scored seven points in the first half? They didn’t score in the second quarter at all. The old saying is “Throw the records out the window….,” but what gives?

“The coaches didn’t have to say anything at halftime,” reported Steve Bell. “The players understood what the problem was and corrected it. We got to the locker room and they were already saying exactly what the coaches were planning to say.”

Bell preaches leadership, so the Scoop figures they were listening to the sermon.

“We played well between the 20s,” said Bell of the first half. “Not so well in the Red Zone. We left a lot of points on the field in the first half.”

After scoring just once in six trips inside the Red Zone in the first half, the Scots made good on their first five possessions of the second half. Blodgett added his second TD on a drive that took just 59 seconds. That started the second half scoring barrage led by Matt Shepherd who hauled in 14 passes for 141 yards and three TDs. In the process, Shepherd racked up 948 receiving yards this season to pass Evan Haffner for the single season record. Ironically, “Haff” was on the end of Alex’s big brother, Mitch Tanney’s passes in 2004 for 911 yards.

The Scots may not have scored loads of points in the first half, but they sure did move the ball. In addition to Shepherd’s record, Monmouth racked up a school-record 698 yards of offense and Tanney’s 451 passing yards broke his single-game passing record for the second straight week. Offensive line coach Dave Ragone’s boys must have been moving people out of the way.

“We were taking what they were giving us,” said Bell. “We got a lot of yardage after the catch and our backs (Clay Bricker and Caleb Pratt) ran very well, but we didn’t execute inside the 20 in the first half. It was a loss of focus once we got down close.”

Good thing the defense didn’t lose focus. Defensive coordinator Chad Braun’s unit recovered two fumbles, posted an interception and held the Fire offense to less than 200 yards.

Here’s another interesting tidbit. The Knox option doesn’t pass too often – only 11 attempts Saturday – but the Scots still recorded four sacks. Anthony Goranson recorded 1.5 of those to close within 1.5 of Greg Bennett’s record 34 set in the late 80s.

“The defense was tremendous,” praised Bell. “They played with a lot of energy and gave us the ball in great field position. They stuck to their assignments and accounted for everyone they were supposed to account for.”

The stats prove it. Matt Morman recorded a team-high 10 tackles and Cory Bishop and Adam Hoste had nine each. The Scots held Knox to just two possessions of seven plays or more and the Fire was forced to punt nine times.

Speaking of punts, with the score 35-0 late in the fourth quarter the Scots faced a fourth-and-17 at the Knox 45. Punter Shane Reschke took the field for what most expected to be a punt. Instead, Reschke scampered 29 yards to the Fire 16 for a first down, setting up the Scots final score.

“Shane did what he’s been trained to do,” explained Bell of what many observers thought was a set play. “It was a punt-run option. We ran that play multiple times this year. He always has the option to run. He recognized the opportunity and took it. It wasn’t a set play per say.”

If the Scots fans were holding their breath in the first half, at least Reschke’s scamper and the ensuing Tanney to Shepherd TD made them feel a bit better.

“It was good to see our guys have to battle through the adversity of the first half,” claimed Bell. “I thought the players handled it well in the second half.”

Now they’ll have to handle the stress of waiting two weeks to play another game. But it’s a situation many teams would like to be in.

“We’re just happy to be playing in the postseason,” said Bell of the anticipation of Selection Sunday. “It doesn’t matter who we play or where we play. It’s a great tribune to the players to win conference and get the automatic bid.”

So, let’s recap.

The Scots downed the Fire 42-0 for the 11th straight time in the series. Monmouth at 10-0 also won their second straight MWC title and the NCAA playoff berth that goes with it. The win also extended Monmouth’s regular season win streak to 23 games. Three more records were broken in the game, pushing the season total to more than a dozen broken records.

That just about covers it…except for one minor detail.

With the win, Bell notched his 78th career win at Monmouth tying Bill Reichow for the most gridiron wins at MC. A history buff, Bell recognizes the significance of the mark, but he’s also slow to take credit.

“It’s an honor to be mentioned in the same breath with Coach Reichow,” said Bell. “Obviously, the record is indicative of what a great coaching staff I have around me.”

That coaching staff, plus the players and their families will be around Sunday as the Scots find out who they’ll play in the first round. Ranked No. 8 in both major national polls, Monmouth is in the loaded West Region which boasts six of the nation’s top 10 teams.

Will the Scots stay in the West Region? Will they get a first round home game?

Stay tuned…or actually, tune in Sunday.

Details in ARE YOU READY FOR SOME (PLAYOFF) FOOTBALL? Read below.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME (PLAYOFF) FOOTBALL?

If you’re like the Scoop, you just can’t wait for the football playoff pairings to be announced.

Like the Scoop, you’ll have to wait until Sunday to find out who and where the Scots will be playing in the first round on Nov. 21. We DO know wherever the game is, it will kick off at noon local time. The NCAA sets that guideline, so at least we can make plans for lunch.

So, where do I need to tune Sunday to find out…and what time?

If you have satellite, or a cable system that carries ESPNews, you’re in luck. The NCAA Division III football playoff pairings will be announced between 2 and 2:30 p.m. Central Time on ESPNews – that’s Channel 207 on DirecTV and Channel 142 on Dish Network.

Don’t have access to ESPNews?

Word has it the Sports Information Office will update the “Schedules and Results” page (and maybe the football home page, too) that afternoon with the playoff information.

Still can’t wait? You can try to figure the pairings out on your own, but if the thought of completing your tax form every year makes you sweat, the Scoop suggests putting on your kilt, firing up some relaxing bagpipe music….and wait.

READY TO RUN, AGAIN

Cross country coach Roger Haynes is hoping his team can duplicate their performances from a month ago when they compete at the NCAA Midwest Regional Saturday at Lake Breeze Golf Course near Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

When the Fighting Scots last visited the course for the UW-Whitewater Brooks Invitational on Oct. 17, all the women and nearly all the men ran their best 6K and 8K times of the season. A strong field, plus course familiarity could equal more improved times.

“We’re familiar with the course and were pretty successful earlier this season,” said Haynes. “That should give them some confidence. It’s a very good course with no sharp turns so you don’t have to break stride. That makes for a relatively fast course.”

Junior Mary Kate Beyer and senior Katie Staab are the Scots’ two best bets to make the national field after this weekend. Each set the school’s class record on the course when Beyer finished just three seconds ahead of Staab in October.

The race strategy for the pair will be somewhat different than in past races. In a normal race, Monmouth runners race against themselves, more interested in bettering their times, but this is no normal race. While most of the Scots’ runners will adhere to the usual plan, Beyer and Staab will need to take a slightly different approach.

“Knowing Mary Kate and Katie have a chance to be in the top handful of individuals, they’ll need to be aware of those runners that have a shot at qualifying for nationals,” reported Haynes. “We’ll identify the people they need to be tracking throughout the race. That list will probably be only three or four runners. If they run their best, they’ll both have a shot.”

Beyer placed seventh last year and became the Scots’ first woman to qualify for the national meet, finishing 74th. Staab placed 43rd at the regional and narrowly missed qualifying.

Only the top seven runners, not a member of a qualifying team, advance to the national meet.

“It won’t be a race for the week of heart,” predicted Haynes. “They’ll have to run their season’s best to put them in position to qualify as individuals. They’re both capable.”

For the rest of the women and men, it’s a last chance to run a personal best. That’s a goal that’s not out of the question.

“It’s a very fast course,” reported Haynes. “It’s wide and very forgiving. It’s set up on a golf course, so it has very good footing.”

A relatively flat course, only a long uphill grade, breaks up the terrain.

“It’s not the type of hill that you notice,” explained Haynes. “You run up one side and down the other. The course has some hill to it, but it’s not predominately hilly.”

The Scots have logged plenty of miles – including some hills – in preparation for this weekend’s meet. The only question remaining is, after this weekend, how many will run one more race?

WEEKEND WORKOUT

The Scots swim team got quite a workout last weekend, swimming in a pair of dual meets on back-to-back days.

Monmouth’s men sank Knox on Friday, but that was the only team victory the entire weekend as Lake Forest swept the Scots on Saturday. Despite the team totals, Kurt Niemeier wasn’t worried about the team outcome for his short-handed squad.

“Everyone swam very well as a group,” reported Niemeier. “We were down numbers, especially on the men’s side because of the water polo team playing at nationals (they finished second). We were also a little tired this week after we turned up the intensity of the practices. That showed a bit on the longer events, we just didn’t have the energy for the last few yards.”

Sophomore Krysta Sparks didn’t show any ill effects of the strenuous workouts. Sparks won the 200-yard individual medley on Friday with a pool-record time of 2:17.76. She turned around Saturday afternoon and won the 100 breaststroke and the 200 IM – just missing her own pool record by less than two-tenths.

“Last year, we felt like the 200 IM was a weak event for her,” said Niemeier. “She trained hard over the summer to get better. Her backstroke had been her Achilles’ heel and she’s worked to improve that part of the IM. She’s really fine tuning her strokes.”

Sparks wasn’t the only multiple winner. On the men’s side, Stephen Whittle was a triple winner, producing firsts in the 50 and 100 freestyles against Knox and the 100 butterfly vs. Lake Forest. The senior was also a member of two first place relay teams against Knox. Whittle was joined by John Kaiser, Chad Rowland and James Corbeil on the 200 freestyle relay. Whittle and Kaiser picked up Josh Van Swol and Jack Clifford to touch first in the 200 medley relay.

“Stephen’s performances were a nice surprise,” said Niemeier. “To get those wins against conference schools has to be a confidence builder.”

In all, four men took multiple firsts last weekend. In the Knox dual meet, Van Swol won the 200 freestyle and the 100 back and Rowland added wins in the 500 and 1000 freestyles.

“Josh swam very well this weekend,” said Niemeier. “Knowing we were light on numbers, he really stepped it up.”

Harrison Heilman also stepped up and took firsts in two separate events on Friday and Saturday. The senior touched first in the 100 breaststroke against Knox and won the 200 IM vs. Lake Forest.

“Harrison is much faster in the IM than he was at this time last year,” reported Niemeier. “Last weekend, he was only about six seconds off his best time he swam at last year’s conference meet. He’s well on his way to being a top competitor in that event.”

Kaiser added an individual first in the 200 IM Friday and freshman Erica McAloon won the women’s 100 freestyle against Knox.

“Erica swam very well in our sprint events, especially the 50 and 100 freestyles,” said Niemeier. “She still has a little stroke technique to work out, but I think she’ll be one of the top swimmers in the conference.”

The Scots will get a good test this weekend when they host the nine-team Monmouth Invitational.

“We’ll continue to focus on our group training this week,” said Niemeier. “We want them to train the way they’ll race. The first month, we worked more on stroke technique. We’re moving into more rigorous training this month.”

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS: MIX AND BLEND

Hard to believe, but it IS basketball season already.

Entering his third year at the helm, coach Mark Vershaw has been waiting since March to begin the 2009-10 season. Vershaw is hoping to blend a mix of youth and experience into a successful season.

“The key will be for our newcomers to gel quickly with our veterans,” said Vershaw. “We’ll have to depend on some first-year players to make significant contributions.”

Not that the Fighting Scots don’t return some talent. Four starters are back from a year ago, including Eric Cogdill (East Moline, Ill./United Township) and Zach Ott (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria), who were two of the Scots’ top three scorers and rebounders last season. Assist leader Eric Grant (Roseville, Ill./Monmouth-Roseville) and tough defender Corey Gruber (Galesburg, Ill./Abingdon) at guards round out the returning starters. Guard Tyler Morrow (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) will return for his final campaign after a year-long study abroad stint and will join Ott as the only seniors on the squad.

“Grant and Gruber have been our starters at one and two for the past two years and bring a lot of experience with them,” said Vershaw. “As players get into their junior year with that amount of minutes under their belts, you tend to see them really improve their performance. Gruber has done a great job of being a defensive player for us on the perimeter and we expect that to continue.”

If Gruber were to defend his teammates, he might have his hands full with Cogdill and Ott, a dangerous inside-outside combination. The 6-foot-5 Cogdill scored the majority of his points last season in the paint and ripped down 55 defensive rebounds, adding to his reputation as a blue collar post player. Ott – a versatile 6-foot-7 forward – can take the ball to the hole, or hit the long-range bomb as witnessed by his 16 three-pointers last season.     

“We’re counting on Cogdill to be a consistent post presence,” reported Vershaw. “His athletic ability and strength will offset any advantage taller posts may have. Ott has good ball-handling skills and can take it inside, or pull it out and hit the three. He’ll probably take a few more outside shots and Cogdill will be more of an inside threat. They complement each other very well.”

Vershaw also expects 6-foot-4 sophomore guard Curtis Oler (Fox Lake, Ill./Grant) to step into a key role after finishing strong as a freshman. Oler and Ott received praise from Vershaw for their roles as team captains in the off season and have gotten everyone on the same page. That’s especially important with so many new ingredients, including highly touted junior transfer Joel Dieterich (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg).

“Joel’s greatest asset is he’s got a great basketball IQ,” praised Vershaw of his guard. “He does the little things that make his teammates better. You like being on the floor with that type of player. He’s not interested in how many points he scores, he’s only interested in how well the team does. He’d be just as happy if he scored zero points and we won as if he had a 20-point night. He does a lot of things well.”

No less than eight other newcomers form a “very athletic” group that gives the Scots a variety of scoring options. That mix includes “good-sized” guards Michael DeDecker (Carbondale, Ill./Murphysboro) and Kevin Fay (Hennepin, Ill./Putnam County) – son of former multisport MC athlete Harold Fay. At 6-foot-3, the younger Fay offers another outside threat that will be hard to stop. DeDecker possesses the ability to penetrate, giving Vershaw another offensive option.

“We’re very happy with our recruiting class,” said Vershaw. “They’re going to get the opportunity to gain experience and develop into some very good college players. We’re expecting them all to contribute.”

Other expected contributors at guard are Bryce Donaldson (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria), Brady Cremeens (Hopedale, Ill./Olympia) and Kendall Cox (Paxton, Ill./Paxton-Buckley-Loda). Donaldson plays “all out” and gives the Scots a three-point shooter who can also drive. Vershaw describes Cremeens as a shooter with good range who should be able to stretch the defense. Cox may be classified as the “banger” among the guards, using his physical play to muscle his way to the basket.

Adding muscle at the forward spots are a pair of freshmen wrapping up their fall season on the gridiron – Jake Willis (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) and Garrett Youngren (Princeton, Ill./Princeton). Willis joined the team after a stint as a backup defensive lineman for the conference champion football team. Youngren will hit the hardcourt after wrapping up football’s postseason.

“We’re expecting Willis to step right in,” said Vershaw. “He’s physically ready – a solid 6’6 and he’s a tough kid. We think his defense and rebounding abilities will be his main attributes in the early season.”

Junior Austin Andrews (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg) – who enters with junior college experience – is expected to also see plenty of action. A “late bloomer,” Andrews adds more perimeter power and experience.

“I’ve really been impressed with the ability of our new guys to score in a variety of ways,” praised Vershaw. “We’ll have a very deep bench and we’ll use it. Guys won’t have to play for long stretches. You’ll see guys going harder and more substitutions to keep our intensity up. With the players we have, we’ll want to get into an up tempo.”

“Up tempo” doesn’t mean the Scots will be a run-and-gun team. Instead, they’ll use their bench strength to wear down opponents.

“We want to create intensity with our offense and defense,” said Vershaw. “We want to get into transition on both ends of the court. Our bench is deep enough that our guys can go harder for shorter periods. This is extremely important in our league that plays back-to-back games on weekends.”

Vershaw hopes the faster pace will result in more possessions, more points, and ultimately, more wins.

FLYING SCOTS?

The challenge this season for women’s basketball coach Melissa Bittner will be to replace a pair of graduated players: Tanesha Hughes, the Midwest Conference’s leading scorer and rebounder last season; and 1,000-point scorer Melissa Gorski.

“You don’t replace players like that, you just reload,” said Bittner. “We have three players who have waited in the wings and now it’s their chance to shine.”

The three guards – all-conference senior Lynsey Barnard (Pekin, Ill./Pekin) and juniors Justine Boone (Geneseo, Ill./Geneseo) and Alison Andrews (Algonquin, Ill./Harry D. Jacobs) – form the nucleus of what Bittner calls a “very athletic” group. Bittner expects Boone to improve her assist-to-turnover ratio at the point guard spot. Barnard – third on the all-time list for treys – is being counted on to be more of a penetrator this season. Andrews, who tied with Barnard as the team’s third leading scorers last season (10.0 ppg), has the potential to blossom in all aspects of her game.

“I expect Alison to pull down more rebounds and score more points,” said Bittner of her 5-foot-9 guard. “Alison, Justine and Lynsey all have the ability to improve their game.”

Another returner expected to contribute is junior Erica Puig (Niles, Ill./Regina Dominican). At 5-foot-10, Puig will be one of the Scots’ tallest players. Bittner is counting on athleticism and conditioning to offset any lack of size.

“The team has been working with Coach (Brian) Woodard on their conditioning,” reported Bittner. “The team has come to practice with a really good fitness level. We’re going to have to rely on our fitness and athletic ability.”

Sophomore backup point guard Keli Jo Hinkle (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg) and junior post Kim Howard (Bloomingdale, Ill./Immaculate Conception) are reaping the benefits of the extra conditioning. 

“Keli Jo has gotten herself into really good shape,” praised Bittner. “She’s put in a lot of work in the offseason on her shooting. Last year she was a very good defender but didn’t bring much offense. We’re looking for more offense from her this year.”

Howard will have big shoes to fill in the post, where the Scots have had the league’s top rebounders the last two seasons. Averaging eight minutes per game in 17 contests last season, the 5-foot-10 Howard won’t be a carbon copy of the Scots’ previous posts.

“Kim has a different style of play than Tanesha last year,” reported Bittner. “She can be just as effective. She’s being looked at as a rebounder. She’s taken pride in setting screens and helping other players get open.”

Sharing time in the lane with Howard will be 5-foot-10 freshman Zipporah Williams (Chicago, Ill./Orr Academy). Called a “very good rebounder,” Williams can also score in traffic.

“She’s a very good finisher,” said Bittner. “She has the ability to focus when it gets a little rough and is exceptionally good to finish when there is contact.”

Of course, not all the Scots will want to take it inside. Freshman Colleen Forrest (Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield) comes in with proven accuracy from beyond the arc. At 5-foot-4, Forrest isn’t expected to take many shots from among the trees, but teaming with Barnard as outside threats, opposing defenses will have to honor the three ball.

“Colleen is a very good shooter,” said Bittner. “She realizes her strength is from beyond the arc. We’re counting on her to score from 15 feet on out.”

Bittner is also counting on Chelsea Gross (Lamoille, Ill./LaMoille) to have potential as an outside threat. An all-stater in high school, the freshman guard is another Scot who could create trouble for defenders on the perimeter.

With “smaller” post players and an abundance of three-point shooters, the Scots may employ a more up tempo look. While Bittner wants an up tempo style, don’t look for the offensive mindset to be “bombs away.”

“We’re not going to live by the three and die by the three,” claimed Bittner. “We’re interested in good shot selection and not being too quick to pull the trigger.”

While an aggressive attack is planned for the offense, the defense could also turn up the heat. Look for more zone defense out of the Scots than in past years, but don’t expect them to sit back and leave the outside shot wide open.

“We’re going to be smaller than most teams,” predicted Bittner. “We will be very athletic. Lacking the size, we’ll need to be the scrappy, aggressive, athletic in-your-face team.”

Not exactly gearing for a run-and-gun offense, the Scots do expect to get into transition as often as possible. They hope that will transfer into better defense and in turn, create more turnovers.

“Our biggest focus will be on defense and rebounding,” said Bittner. “The best teams in our league, and the best in the nation, are the ones who put up good defensive numbers.”

Bittner expects to have plenty of ammo as the Scots reload for the 2009-10 season.

THE KID CAN HIT

It didn’t take the Midwest Conference volleyball coaches long to recognize Monmouth College freshman Chelsey Widdop (Reynolds, Ill./Rockridge) as a special talent, naming the outside hitter first team all-conference.

The 5-foot-9 Widdop made an immediate impact for Kari Shimmin’s Fighting Scots, leading the team in kills (272) and kills per game (2.41). Her .205 attack percentage was among the Scots’ top three. Widdop could also play defense, registering 448 digs, second on the team only to libero Sara Schoon’s 480. She also recorded 51 blocks, which ranked third on the team.

CONFERENCE HONORS

Football
Wide receiver Matt Shepherd (Leesburg, Fla./Leesburg) exploded for three touchdowns in the Fighting Scots’ final regular season game and earned the Midwest Conference Performer of the Week honor.

Shepherd scored three times as the Scots pulled away for a 42-0 win over Knox in the 121st meeting between the two teams. The junior caught a game-high 14 passes for 141 yards, averaging over 10 yards per catch. His 948 receiving yards this season broke the previous high-water mark of 911 set by Evan Haffner in 2004.

For the second consecutive year, the Fighting Scots completed a 10-0 regular season, while winning their third Midwest Conference title since 2005. They will be making their second straight appearance in the NCAA Division III playoffs on Sat., Nov. 21.

Swimming
Swimmer Krysta Sparks (Montrose, Colo./Montrose) was named Midwest Conference Co-Performer of the Week after the season’s first full weekend.

Sparks – who shares the honor with Lake Forest’s Becky Shaak – didn’t let a pair of dual meets on back-to-back days slow her down. Over the span of 24 hours, the sophomore swam two Monmouth honor roll times and set a new pool record. Sparks set the new Monmouth pool record Friday against Knox while winning the 200-yard individual medley (2:17.76). She also clocked a personal-best in the 100 backstroke (1:08.38) and finished second. On Saturday, she swam another honor roll time in the 200 IM (2:17.91) and narrowly missed her own pool record while winning the event for the second straight day. Competing in the 100 breaststroke, Sparks swam another honor roll time (1:10.49) to win her third event of the weekend.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Sat., Nov. 14
Swimming – hosts Monmouth Invitational, 11:00 am
Cross Country – at NCAA Midwest Regional, Winneconne, Wis., 11:00 am 

Sun., Nov. 15
Men’s Basketball – at Minnesota State-Mankato, 3:00 pm

Tues., Nov. 17
Women’s Basketball – hosts Carthage, 7:00 pm

SCOTSIVATIONAL

“Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them: A desire, a dream, a vision.” – Muhammed Ali