HILLSBORO, Kan. – Bluejay Football opened up their season in thrilling fashion on Saturday, braving a balmy heat wave and all, as they faced longtime rival Sterling. Saturday’s game was long anticipated by fans, coaches, and players alike, and Bluejay fans did not leave disappointed.
Tabor deferred to receive to the second half, giving the Warriors possession to start the contest. Sterling looked to be stringing a good drive together midway through the first quarter, when the Bluejay defense forced a fumble and Brandon King was there to scoop up the loose ball, taking it 27 yards into the endzone to put the Bluejays on the board first. Sterling followed up with a touchdown of their own with just over two minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Not long after the start of the second quarter, Tarent Moniz-Babb connected with Holden Kee on a 19-yard touchdown pass, showing yet another display of veteran leadership for Tabor. Later in the quarter, Zach Sandoval snagged a key interception with 7:40 on the clock. An 84-yard pick-six evened things up for Sterling with 1:39 to go in the first half. Keyan Miller and Jerome Stewart rattled off a string of runs, grouped together with an 11-yard pass completion from Stewart to Tyson Dozhier to get the Bluejays within field goal range, setting Jonathon Scheffler up with a perfect 30-yard attempt to close the first half, 17-14.
Scheffler opened up the second half with another made field goal, giving Tabor a 20-14 lead with 9:41 on the clock. After Sterling was forced to punt, the Bluejays strung a few runs together, courtesy of Stewart and Miller, as well as a big 11-yard rush by Freshman standout Grady Gebhardt.
Sterling came back, scoring two touchdowns to take the lead with 7:50 on the clock, 28-27. The Warriors’ lead did not last however, as Stewart connected with Dozhier on a huge 52-yard touchdown pass, putting the Bluejays back in front, 34-28. On the next drive, Stewart connected with Kee on a 31-yard pass to put Tabor on the Sterling 37. Gebhardt rattled off a 12-yard run, while Miller did the rest of the legwork and put the nail in Sterling’s coffin, 41-28.
Jerome Stewart threw for 142 yards and one touchdown while also rushing for 61 yards. Keyan Miller opened his career as a Tabor Bluejay, rushing for 101 yards and recording 17 receiving yards on two catches, while Grady Gebhardt also opened up his Tabor career in spectacular fashion, rushing for 52 yards and recording 17 receiving yards on two catches. Tyson Dozhier and Holden Kee also put on an incredible offensive display, with Dozhier hauling in 79 receiving yards on four catches and Kee hauling in 65 yards on three catches.
On the defensive side of things, Darriene Gibbs had himself a day, recording six solo tackles and 10 total tackles, as well as five tackles-for-loss (TFLs) totaling 15 yards, one sack, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. Zach Sandoval, Sterling Gartin, and Brandon King also recorded solid stat-lines with Sandoval recording seven solo tackles and nine total tackles, as well as one interception. Gartin recorded five solo tackles and six total tackles, including one pass-breakup and one tackle-for-loss, while King recorded three solo tackles and one fumble recovery for 27 yards. Additionally, Ruben Arvizu had an impressive Tabor debut, recording a forced fumble.
Tabor’s special teams helped put the cherry on top, with Damar Williams recording a 53-yard punt return and a 57-yard kick return, while Brandon Mcneal recorded three kickoff returns for a total of 71 yards, with a longest return of 38 yards. Freshman Jonathon Scheffler opened up his career with two made field goals (30 yard and 28 yard), five PATs on five attempts, and seven kickoffs for a total of 375 yards and four touchbacks.
“I was really proud of how the kids played”, remarked Head Coach Mike Gardner. “I thought that defensively we did a good job; we bent but we didn’t break.”
“You generally average 72 plays a game if you’re going to win, and we had 73 plays with 412 yards. We were 15-23 in the passing game with only one pick, which I thought was awesome. We were also 5-5 in the red zone, which I thought was great. Jonathon Scheffler did a great job kicking, I am really proud of how he did.”
On Keyan Miller’s performance, Gardner had this to say, “He had a great night for us, and I am really happy that he is able to close his college career here. I recruited him in high school, and I think it is awesome that he is here now.”
“Grady Gebhardt also stepped up very well for us, he had an outstanding day for us, and it was really awesome to have a freshman start his career like that.”
The Bluejays have a tall task this coming weekend as they head down to Winfield to take on No. 22 Southwestern. Kickoff is set for 6:00pm.
Be sure to stay up to date with all information regarding Bluejay Athletics by following us on X at @gotaborbluejays, on Instagram and Facebook @taborbluejays, and on our official athletic website, taborbluejays.com.
Tabor College is a Christ-centered institution located in Hillsboro, Kansas. The Bluejays are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and compete in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC).
