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| Aamir Petrose and Wesley have
had an widely varied list of opponents in the past 10 games:
Louisiana College, Concordia-Selma, Menlo, Virginia-Lynchburg,
College of Faith, D-I FCS Charlotte, Hampden-Sydney, MIT, No. 9
Hobart, No. 3 Mount Union. Photo by Dan Harris, d3photography.com |
By Joe Sager
for D3sports.com
Not often does a football team score 59 points and lose a game.
That was the situation Wesley faced in last year’s 62-59 NCAA quarterfinal loss at Mount Union.
It’s a feeling that stung Wolverines since that December day. They get another shot at the Purple Raiders (12-0) when they visit Mount Union Stadium for a noon battle on Saturday. The stakes are even higher this time as the squads meet in the semifinals.
“We are very excited. It’s a good opportunity for us,” Wesley senior defensive end Aamir Petrose said. “We came up short the first time. We have an opportunity to go up there and show who we are. It’s Mount Union and they are a tremendous team, but I am pretty sure we’re all ready to take that challenge.”
Last year’s setback was tough to handle, especially when Wesley dug itself out of a 31-0 hole after the first quarter. The Wolverines outscored Mount Union, 59-31, the rest of the way, but that wasn’t enough.
“I have been waiting for another chance since the quarterfinals last year – as soon as that clock hit zero,” Wesley senior defensive tackle Payton Rose said. “We knew we had to work as hard to get back to have another chance at playing them. It’s all that’s been in my mind since we lost.”
Wesley (12-1) not only wants to avenge last year’s defeat; the squad wants to reach the Stagg Bowl for the first time in program history. The Wolverines are 0-5 in semifinal games and 0-3 against the Raiders.
“We are excited about it. It’s an honor when you get to the final 16 or eight. If you’re fortunate to get down to the final four, that’s something special that a senior class can remember,” Welsey coach Mike Drass said. “Our goal now is to continue, but it’s not going to be easy.
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“You can’t measure our respect for Mount Union; it’s enormous. The big thing for us is to focus this week and bring our best game to the field Saturday. We know Mount is not going to be complacent. They want to get to Salem, too. It’s going to be a great challenge.”
Wesley knows that it can’t afford to spot Mount Union 31 points in the first quarter again.
“After that first quarter, I was trying to multiply 31 times four. I wasn’t a math major,” Drass said. “We settled down and played hard. They are a team that is more than efficient. They are a team that executes so well. If you are out of position, they take advantage of it.”
The Wolverines hope their defense is up to the task. Like the Raiders, Wesley sports one of the country’s top defensive units. The Wolverines yield 10.0 points per game, which ranks third to Mount Union’s 8.2.
“We returned everybody except for our two safeties. We have all been in the system for a while,” Rose said. “The majority of our defense stayed here over the summer, too, so we could keep working. We have the mindset to do well.”
Cohesion and trust have fueled Wesley’s defensive effort this year.
“It’s a great feeling playing with these guys. It’s been very fun to watch how we’ve been clicking this season,” Petrose said. “A majority of the defense is seniors. We’ve been working out all summer and spring. We’ve built so much chemistry. Everyone is on one page. It’s a special brotherhood. I am truly not going to forget all the chemistry I have with my brothers on this team.”
The Wolverines D has been able to get into the backfield to disrupt offenses all season. It’s helped the squad lead the nation in turnover margin at 35 and 2.69 per game. They squad forced 51 turnovers and given it away 16 times.
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Payton Rose, left, leads Wesley with 16 pass
breakups, nine of them coming in the eight games vs. Division III
opponents. |
“We feel that is a great accomplishment,” Petrose said. “Our system is all about applying pressure. That’s big for our defense. That allows us to have so many turnovers. Fundamentals are very important. Our system is why our defense been so successful.”
Having top-end talent helps, too. Linebacker Sosthene Kapepula was the D3football.com South Region defensive player of the year, while safety Derick Bender, cornerback Leon Jones joined Petrose and Rose as First Team All-Region honorees.
“I attribute a lot of our success to our fundamentals,” Rose said. “Our linebackers behind us, Sosthene, (Jordan) Wescott and (Luke) Maginnis, they have been able to fly to the ball and it’s great.”
Wesley has intercepted an NCAA-best 29 passes this season, including 13 in the playoffs. However, the team faces its toughest challenge against an effective and efficient Raiders offense that features quarterback Kevin Burke, last year’s Gagliardi Trophy winner. He’s only been intercepted four times out of 364 passing attempts this year. The Wolverines hope to keep up the pressure. Rose and Petrose are two big factors there.
“There’s a reason he won that. He is that good,” Drass said. “If you look at Aamir and Payton, they’ve batted down 29 passes between them. A defensive back doesn’t lead our team in pass breakups; it’s those two. If they are not getting to the quarterback, they are getting a hand on the ball and batting it down.”
The defense just wants to get the ball back into the hands of the team’s own talented quarterback in Joe Callahan, who leads the country with 3,750 passing yards – 76 more than Burke.
“It’s a great feeling to create turnovers, especially when we have Joe on the other side of ball,” Rose said. “I feel like we picked right up where we left off last season and we want to keep it going.”
All the way to Salem.