Andrew Bell
Staff Writer
The Denison Big Red visited Andrew Field to renew their rivalry with the Fighting Scots. First facing off in 1889, Denison currently leads the overall series 44-40-7. In 1989, the schools began playing for the Old Red Lantern, a train light representing the days when Wooster and Denison traveled by train for this rivalry matchup. Denison has also won the majority of the Red Lantern games, 16-11-1. The Scots were eager to take one step toward closing the gap and reclaiming the Old Red Lantern, but couldn’t match up to Denison –– falling 48-30 to the Big Red.
Wooster chose to take control of the game by electing to receive after winning the coin toss. The first play began at Wooster’s 25 after a fair catch. Michael Boyle ’27 trotted onto the field replacing injured starting quarterback Chanden Lee ’26. Boyle earned 2 consecutive first downs.
After an incompletion, Boyle handed the ball off to Jace Austin ’27. The sophomore dashed toward the goal line for a 50-yard touchdown following blocks from the linemen and receivers. A missed 2-point conversion left the Scots with a 6-0 lead on their first drive.
Denison moved the football during their first drive, too. Several runs earned them major yardage, moving the ball to their own 49-yard line. A screen on third and short continued to progress the ball to the Wooster 26-yard line. The Big Red converted another long third down for a touchdown. The kick was good, bringing the score to 7-6.
The Scots were unable to find the same success on their second drive, forced to punt the ball away after a 3-and-out. A textbook tackle by Louie Lindsay ’27 began Wooster’s defensive efforts after stopping a screen for 2 yards. Vell Robinson ’25 helped kill the Denison drive after breaking up a pass on a second and long. An incompletion on the next play forced the Big Red to settle for 3, giving them the slight edge over the Scots with a score of 10-6.
Boyle moved the ball on second and 10 to the Wooster 35. Austin continued to move the ball with 3 power rushes, crossing the first down threshold on third and 1. A completion to Brazos Gadler ’25 on a crossing route and a run by Shakir Perkins ’26 moved the ball inside Denison territory. Following another powerful rush from Perkins, Gadler caught the ball and raced down the field to score Wooster’s second touchdown of the night. Sebestyen Balassy ’25 made the extra point, bringing the score to 13-10 at the end of the first quarter.
Denison regained possession at the 25 and continued on offense with a long pass placing them just inside the Scots’ territory. The Scots attacked the Big Red’s rush, forcing a fourth down attempt on their own 42. The attempt resulted in a wide-open receiver moving the chains for Denison inside the red zone. Another first down for Denison placed the ball within the 10, leading them to score another touchdown 2 plays later. The kick tacked on 1 more for Wooster’s rivals: 17-13.
Another return from Gadler placed the line of scrimmage at Wooster’s 25 after a short return and followed up with a 19-yard reception. Perkins raced around the corner, breaking more tackles and moving the ball inside Denison territory. Perkins and Austin converted for 2 more first downs. Jordan Lewis ’27 elevated for an 8-yard reception on third down, allowing for Balassy to kick a field goal: 16-17. The Big Red stretched their lead again on the ensuing kickoff, stretching the score to 24-16. Neither team scored again in the first half.
Denison only returned to their own 14-yard line off of Balassy’s kick. Right after, Denison scored on a 75-yard pass play. The lead climbed to 31-16. Denison scored twice more with a 77-yard quarterback draw and a pick 6 on Wooster’s following drive. The Big Red widened their lead to 45-16.
Despite the deficit, the Scots’ defense continued to fight. They produced several consecutive stops, forcing Denison to punt to Wooster several times. Then, early in the fourth quarter, a bad snap floated over the head of the Denison quarterback and was recovered by Jacob Dugas ’25.
The turnover gave Wooster’s offense new life, as Boyle found success in the air for a first down on Wooster’s first play. Perkins made another first down rush after cutting across Denison’s defense. Austin subbed in and gained another first down, placing the ball at the 5-yard line. Balassy snagged a ball in the front corner of the end zone to finish off the drive and bring the score to 23-45. Both Denison and Wooster scored once more with a field goal and a touchdown, respectively. Despite a valiant effort, the Big Red were victorious with the final score 48-30. Although it was a hard loss, head coach Frank Colaprete has belief in his squad to continue to improve.
“[We are going to use] the 24-hour rule,” Colaprete said. “We are going to put this all behind us and focus on the next game.”
Colaprete also commented on how several non-starters stepped up and competed in the contest. Most notably, Boyle walked away with 237 passing yards and 3 touchdown passes. Nevertheless, Colaprete has his eyes set on next week’s homecoming contest against Ohio Wesleyan. “Nothing would be better [than to win] in front of our alums, families and friends.”
The Fighting Scots return to John P. Papp stadium next Saturday at 7 p.m. against the Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops in Wooster’s Homecoming weekend matchup.
