High School Mates Named Co-Player of the Week

Release Date: October 4, 2000

On a day when the Monmouth College Fighting Scots pulled even with Monmouth High School in all-time victories with 431, it was only fitting, and perhaps even destined, that two former Zippers combined to make the crucial play.

With enough coincidences to rival the Lincoln-Kennedy assassination connections, Matt Beverly and Scott Stanton were the key components in the game-clinching touchdown Saturday against Illinois College, lifting Monmouth to its first win of the season and its first triumph at Bobby Woll Memorial Field since a 57-14 win over IC the last time the Blue Boys were in town in 1998. The home field losing streak had stretched to a record nine games.

Besides being high school teammates, Beverly and Stanton are both juniors, both defensive backs and both members of MC’s highly successful men’s track team. They’re also the co-Special Teams Players of the Week in the Midwest Conference for the feat they pulled off Saturday with just over three minutes to play.

Beverly, who lined up wide on the right side of the line, came in fast and clean to get a hand on Steve Bradshaw’s potential game-tying 40-yard field goal attempt. Stanton then scooped up the pigskin on the left side of the field and sprinted 75 yards for a TD. It was Monmouth’s first blocked kick return for a score since Don Deem turned the trick in 1993 and the team’s first non-offensive score since an interception return in 1998 by – you guessed it – Beverly.

"On film all week, we saw that their wingback was stepping inside with his outside foot," said MC coach Steve Bell, who saw the play lead to his first victory as a head coach. "We knew we’d have a chance to block one off the edge."

Besides executing that part of the game plan to perfection, Beverly then made a contribution that went largely unnoticed but was a huge achievement in terms of athleticism. He continued running hard to the site of the recovery and, as Bell said, "made the block that sprang Stanton. He shielded a guy off Scott, and once I saw that, I knew Scott could outrun the guys who were chasing him."

Stanton, too, followed orders in the heat of battle, as Bell said his defenders are instructed to always try to "scoop and score" on a blocked kick. The instructions are different, Bell noted, when a fumble is in question, but on a block, possession will go to the defense whether it falls on the ball or not.

While the return was cause for much celebration in the stands, Bell knew the Scots were not completely safe. "There was still a lot of time on the clock," he said. "You’ve just to get everybody settled down and get your defense fired up to make a stop."

The defense had been making stops all day, holding a Derek Leonard-led Blue Boy team that came in averaging 33.3 points per game to just 14, and it rose to the occasion yet again, allowing just eight yards on four plays to seal the victory.

"Our front four played very well, especially when we needed them to make big plays," said Bell. "We used six or seven guys up there, and when we needed to get pressure on their quarterback, we got pressure. We wanted to make Leonard be off-balance when he threw. He’s a good quarterback, but our pressure meant he had to be pretty darn accurate."

Leonard did complete 20-of-28 passes for 236 yards, but after a 59-yard catch-and-run by Patrick Bowman on IC’s third play, Leonard threw for just 177 yards, and Bowman was held to 61 yards on 21 carries.

"I thought Matt Lerner, in particular, did very well and pressured the quarterback," said Bell of the sophomore from Hartford, Wis. "He might not have had the statistics, but his pressures were key. When you get one guy going up front, sometimes everybody gets going. I thought the key to the game was our defense."

While that was true, the key to the offense was the continued improvement of the ground attack, where sophomore transfer Oscar Scott had the breakout game MC fans have been expecting. Slowed by a late start to practice and a death in the family, Scott was competing in just his second contest for Monmouth, and he made the most of his starting role, especially early, scoring two first-quarter TDs. He finished with 133 yards on 32 carries.

"Oscar’s a very physical runner," said Bell. "He didn’t have the opportunity to break any long runs because, schematic-wise, Illinois College was set up to take that away. But what he did have were a lot of five- and six- and nine-yard runs. Those long runs will come, and he does have the capability to run away from people. It will come."

Scott is known as the "O-Train" by his teammates, and the crimson and white are hoping to hook onto another great ride this Saturday when they go Carroll-ing at Waukesha, Wis. The Pioneers are winless on the year, but Bell said the Scots most overcome on- and off-field hurdles before they can keep Carroll in that non-winning state.

"They’re a very balanced team between the pass and the run, and they have some nice athletes," said Bell. That balance has yet to surface in MWC play, however, as the Pioneers are throwing for 254.3 yards per game while running for just 40.3 yards.

Besides playing what Bell feels is a quality team, the Scots will also have to win the 24-hour period prior to the game.

"This is going to be a tough game on the road, and Carroll’s not an easy place to play," he said. "It’s going to be an overnighter for us, so as a coaching staff, we’re going to have to do the right things to keep our players prepared for that."

The players the Scots need to be the most prepared for include Matt Koczersut, who sealed last year’s 42-19 victory at Monmouth with an 80-yard catch-and-run in the fourth quarter. The Scots trailed just 28-19 down the stretch but were picked off in the end zone, and Koczersut broke their backs on the game’s next play.

"Matt was our most solid player last year," said Carroll’s offensive coordinator, Tom Rethman. "He can catch, run and block. He plays hard and will do everything it takes to win."

Quarterback Jason Mau is 44-of-79 for 565 yards and four TDs through three MWC games. He has shown a tendency to be intercepted, though, throwing eight. His leading receiver is Erik Gehrke, who leads the MWC with his 23 receptions, good for 259 yards. Brandy Spoerl is the real big-play threat, with his 11 catches going for 206 yards and four TDS. Koczersut has nine catches for 93 yards and is complemented in the backfield by Rob Brester, who has 206 yards on 42 carries in league play.

Defensively, the leading Pioneer tacklers are Andy Molina and Andy Lange with 28 stops each. Meanwhile, Monmouth’s Jason Robinson is second in the loop with 37 total tackles, trailing only Lake Forest’s Casey Urlacher.

On special teams, Carroll’s Brad Guettel leads the conference in kick returns with a 29.8-yard average. The Pioneers burned Monmouth with a kick return TD a season ago.

Despite its 0-4 mark, Carroll can claim a tough early season schedule. The Pioneers have already had to face what many would consider the top three MWC teams in league-leading St. Norbert as well as Grinnell and Ripon. Though beaten twice decisively, Carroll did take Ripon to overtime. A year ago, Carroll also struggled early before winning four of its last six games to finish at 5-5. In all, the Pioneers have seven All-MWC players back from that squad, including Koczersut, Gehrke, defensive end Kevin Jacques, linebacker Jeremy Lucas, defensive backs Jim Vento and Tim Heiman and tight end Tony Lange. Vento, who has six tackles for loss in MWC play, was a first-teamer a year ago.

While Carroll is still seeking their first win of the millennium, the Scots now have theirs. "We can’t rest on it, we’ve got to build on it," said Bell. "I’m happy to have that first win, but I’m not satisfied. That’s the big key."