Peter Wangechi

Community Day Preview: #16/19 JCU Football Set to Host #25 Wabash

10/2/2025 3:28:00 PM | By: JCUSID

The Blue Streaks are set to welcome University Heights citizens and employees as well as CYO players

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS — With the halfway point of the 2025 regular season in view, #16/19 John Carroll has the perfect opportunity to pass a bigtime test on Saturday.

Coming off of back-to-back conference blowout shutouts, the Blue Streaks welcome #25 Wabash College to Don Shula Stadium for a 2:35 pm showdown on Saturday in an anticipated North Coast Athletic Conference showdown.

Saturday marks Community Day, with all University Heights citizens and city employees welcome into the game for free, along with all youth CYO players wearing jerseys. University Heights Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan will be the ceremonial coin tosser, while the Gesu Bulldogs will play flag football at halftime.

As for the Gridiron Club, the late Joe Perella '63 will be honored with the Seat of Honor, while Dave Nichting '60 will be honored between the first and second quarters.

The tailgate will begin at 11 am as part of a festive day on campus. JCU Women's Soccer will play before JCU Football with an 11:05 am match. Blue Streaks Football will likewise be live on Rock Entertainment Sports Network.

Wabash and John Carroll have not met on the gridiron since 1961, when JCU lost a 7-6 nailbiter on a crisp November day in Indiana. JCU outgained Wabash on the ground, 219-56, but three fumbles sank the visitors.

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TV: Live on Rock Entertainment Sports Network
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Gridiron Club:
Weekly Interview with Jeff Behrman '95
Game Notes
Weekly Player Interview

The Offenses

JCU
The calling card of the John Carroll offense in the last few years has been passing efficiency. This year even moreso.

Nick Semptimphelter is the NCAA Division III leader in completion percentage at a mind-boggling 82.2%, nearly four percent better than the second-best quarterback. JCU's 80.4% team completion percentage also ranks tops in the country.

To no surprise, the effectiveness of the passing game has led to plentiful points on the scoreboard. JCU leads the NCAC in scoring offense with 44 points per game. Semptimphelter is second in passing touchdowns with 11. Following an outstanding three-score game against Kenyon, Rawls leads the conference with 6 touchdown catches. Tyren Montgomery is in the midst of a similarly fantastic season, with 29 catches for 451 yards (both second in the league) and 4 touchdowns.

The rushing offense has also evolved into a deadly piece of the team's attack. The Blue Streaks rate tops in the NCAC with 5.1 yards per carry and 11 rushing touchdowns The backfield has been a three-headed monster, with Nemo Jenkins, Quincy Newsom, and Cohen Klimak splitting carries. Keller Moten has also become a dangerous piece on the chessboard for JCU as a mobile QB in designed packages.

With bookend veteran tackles Grant Myers and Troy Mrukowski, the offensive line is continuing to develop over the course of the season. With a young middle of the line, the Blue Streaks will need to gel against a tough Little Giants defense.

WABASH
The Little Giants have had a very balanced offensive attack and it has led them to one of their best starts in program history. Led by reigning NCAC Offensive Player of the Week, quarterback Brand Campbell, Wabash ranks first in total offense in the conference. Campbell is coming off a very solid performance against Denison, completing 14-of-20 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 57 yards and a score on the ground in the 36-0 victory. The Palm Beach Gardens Native also ranks first in the NCAC in yards per completion, with 16 yards per pass.

To go along with their strong QB play, the Little Giants feature a potent rushing attack with multiple tailbacks that can hurt a defense on the ground. Wabash leads the conference with 174 rush attempts for 837 total yards along with eight touchdowns. Xavier Tyler is the leader of that group, averaging 5.5 yards per carry and 281 yards. After a 34-7 win over Wooster two weeks ago, Tyler earned NCAC Offensive Player of the Week. You will also see a heavy dose of carries from Cole Dickerson and Javon Garry, who combined for 81 rushing yards last week.

Through the air, Wabash's wide receiver room is filled with shifty guys on the outside that can take the top off the defense. Kannon Chase is coming off a big performance catching three passes for 57 yards and two scores last week. Luke Adams is the leader of the pack, averaging 74.8 yards per game. TJ Alexander and Nick Witte also pose a threat who will see many targets on Saturday.

Protecting Campbell's blindside is senior tackle Quinn Sholer, who was a D3football.com preseason Second Team All-American and a First Team All-NCAC honoree a year ago.

The Defenses

JCU
While offense garners the headlines, the efforts of Dean Paul's defense cannot be overlooked.

The Blue Streaks have recorded shutouts in back-to-back games, marking the first time the program has accomplished that since 2015 (48-0 win over Muskingum followed by a 30-0 win over Capital). JCU ranks second in the NCAC in both points per game (10.3) and yards allowed per game (174.5).

No one player has been the star of the defense, rather it being a full team effort, as eight players have registered eight or more tackles in four games. If you had to pick one player who has shined brightest, it might be Mason Rus, with a team-best 20 tackles. Against Kenyon last week, the linebacker from Kirtland picked off a pass, marking his first career interception. Fellow linebackers Chris Golson and Kenny Grobolsek have also played well.

In the secondary, Lamar Thomas has continued to be a leading force at safety. Cornerbacks Dylan Crasi, Josh Jones, and Jacob Hufnagel have developed into a strong trio, thwarting opposing passing attacks.

Up front, Davon Badley, Ben Day, Joe Thimons, and Tommy Wasinski form a strong tandem up front. JCU has allowed just 28.5 yards per game on the ground and a paltry 1.1 yards per carry. The Blue Streaks have only allowed opponents to reach the red zone three times this year.

WABASH
Like their offense, the Little Giants' defense is a force not to be reckoned with. They rank 14th nationally in rushing defense and 27th nationally in total defense and now they will be tasked with stopping a Blue Streak offense that has scored 115 points in the last two games. The linebacker duo of William Harris and Gavin Ruppert have been flying around the field the last few weeks. The two have combined for 38 tackles, two tackles for loss, one and a half sacks and a pass breakup on the year. On the other side, the SAM linebacker Samurel Ringer, has been a force also, racking up seven tackles, two for loss, a sack and a forced fumble.

Strong safety Gage Gulley is coming off an impressive performance that earned him NCAC Defensive Player of the Week recognition. The Noblesville, Indiana native tallied four tackles, a 52 yard interception and a pass breakup in the Little Giants win over Denison. His fellow safety Brock Robertson has also been productive, collecting 15 tackles, an interception and three pass breakups. Wabash's secondary is very deep as their leading cornerback, Mike Holsclaw, was a First Team All-NCAC recipient in 2024.

On the defensive line, the Blue Streaks will see multiple different looks with multiple different four-down linemen, all with the capability of getting to the quarterback. Brody Frey, Wade McAllister and Jerry McBee have combined for six sacks and eight and a half tackles for loss through four games. In the middle, Samuel Poriah and Trevor Ings have shut down the opponent's ground attack, only allowing 43.7 rush yards per game.
Special Teams
The Blue Streaks have been able to lean on junior Colin Schuler to make big kicks all year, as he has converted on four of six attempts with a long of 43 yards this season. The junior is also 20 of 21 on point after attempts this season, including perfect seven for seven afternoons in JCU's last two victories.

Punter Owen Schukert's leg has been a weapon for a few years now and the senior is picking up right where he left off. Schukert has only punted seven times, but he has averaged nearly 40 yards per punt and placed two inside the 20, with a long of 45 yards.

Wabash leads the conference in field goal attempts with nine, converting on eight of them. Brody Rucker will handle the kicking duties, and this season his is six of seven with a long of 50 yards.

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