It comes only once a year, but when it does, all of our eyes are collectively glued to the nearest television screen. In a rematch of the 2008 Super Bowl, both the New England Patriots and New York Giants return to the promised land for the first time since that memorable game in which the Giants shocked the world by defeating the then-undefeated Patriots. Now that these two teams are due to face each other again, only one question remains.

Can the Giants once again pull off the upset over the favored Patriots?

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots come into Super Bowl XLVI with more pressure on them than people may realize. The combination of Brady and head coach Bill Belichick may be the greatest quarterback/head coach combo in NFL history by the time all is said and done. However, if the Patriots again fail to defeat the Giants in the Super Bowl, critics will always point to the fact that the duo of Brady/Belichick could never defeat the duo of Giants quarterback Eli Manning and head coach Tom Coughlin.

On the other hand, Manning has the chance to pass his brother Peyton in Super Bowl victories – something that few would have ever thought would happen. After  having a record of just 6-6 on Dec. 4, the Giants have since caught fire as they have won six of their last seven games and seem to be playing their best football of the season at the most crucial time.

Taking this into consideration,  this once again begs the question: Can the Giants pull off another upset over the Patriots?

While, yes, there is no doubt that the Giants are more than capable of winning their second Super Bowl in less than five years, I don’t see it happening.

Love him or hate him, Tom Brady is one hell of a competitor and beating him in two straight Super Bowls is easier said than done. The Patriots have plenty of question marks on defense, but Belichick specializes in shutting down opposing offenses when it means the most with exotic schemes and game plans.

Therefore, I think the Patriots hang on to get revenge against the Giants and leave Indianapolis on Sunday as Super Bowl champions, winning their fourth title since 2000.

Final score: New England Patriots 27, New York Giants 23.

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Saturday, Jan. 28 was no normal Saturday for the John Carroll University men’s basketball team (14-4, 9-3 OAC), who entered the weekend one win shy of 1,000 in the storied program’s history. Standing in the way was a talented and tough Ohio Northern University (9-10, 5-7 OAC) team that beat them earlier this season by a score of 82-71 in Ada, Ohio.

Now, the Blue Streaks had home court advantage on their side and from the get-go, they came ready to play.

With 18:26 to go in the first half of play, the teams were tied at two points a piece. From there, the score would never be tied again.

JCU dominated the Polar Bears by playing stout defense and being aggressive on the boards. After a 10-0 run with about six minutes left in the half, JCU had jumped out to a 14-point lead, 28-14, and wasn’t done yet.

The Blue Streaks closed the rest of the first half on another huge run, 14-7, that had them walking off the court at the break, up 42-21.

Junior Kyle Hubbard’s 12 points and six rebounds in the first half powered the Blue Streaks’ offense in the opening half.

As the second half began, the Blue Streaks continued to stay ruthless on both sides of the ball. With just 12:57 to go in the game, a monster dunk by senior Mark Hester electrified the crowd at the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center and really laid any hope of a Polar Bear comeback to rest.

The last hurrah for JCU came with one minute to go when freshman Jake Hollinger slammed a thrilling dunk of his own that put an exclamation point on the game. The final buzzer sounded and for an honored JCU men’s basketball program, win number 1,000 was a part of history as the final score was 83-56.

Proud program alumni joined the team on the floor after the game to celebrate the milestone together. A gratified JCU head coach Mike Moran took a minute to speak about what being a part of win number 1,000 meant to him.

“You have to appreciate the numerous quality athletes and people you’ve been associated with,” said Moran. “It’s like a long, long relay race where people keep handing the baton off, and we’ve been lucky that the chain hasn’t been broken. It opens your eyes to the beauty of the program, the kids, and the University itself.”

The 27-point rout was the largest margin of victory for the Blue Streaks this season as a strong overall team effort showed just how dominant JCU can be. Five players finished with double-digit point totals and JCU out-rebounded ONU 41-26 on the day.

Perhaps the most impressive performance of the game though went to junior Kenny Janz, who finished the game with his first career double-double as he recorded 10 points and 12 rebounds.

“We all knew that we had to play aggressive, and with a chip on our shoulder, because we’ve lost to them three out of the last four times,” said Janz.

With five Ohio Athletic Conference games left on the schedule, John Carroll can write their own destiny for the conference tournament as they currently remain in a tie with Capital University for first place. The top seed in the conference hosts the OAC tournament at the season’s end.

“Our consistency right now is so important,” Hubbard emphasized when talking about the team’s remaining schedule. “In the past we’ve won three games and then we’d lose and right now we can’t let that happen. We’ve just got to ride the train all the way to the top.”

Next up for the Blue Streaks is another OAC game at Otterbein College this coming Saturday, Feb. 4. Tip-off will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Westerville, Ohio.

With the loss and a Muskingum victory over Heidelberg on Saturday afternoon, the Blue Streaks fall into a tie with the Fighting Muskies for eighth place in the Ohio Athletic Conference, which is the lowest a team can finish in order to be eligible for the postseason OAC tournament.

The Blue Streaks (6-12, 3-9 OAC) were paced by sophomore standout Missy Spahar, who had a team-high 20 points and five rebounds. Her performance marks the 10th time in her career she has finished with 20 or more points in a single game. Spahar is also in the top three in the OAC in both points and rebounds per game.

As a team, the Blue Streaks remained competitive throughout the first half. A layup by freshman Meghan Weber at the nine minute mark put the Blue Streaks up by three for the meantime, 16-13. The Polar Bears would then quickly respond, closing out the half on a 14-6 run going into halftime with only a 27-22 lead.

The Polar Bears would, however, continue right where they left off at the end of the first half. ONU came out of the second half gates with a vengeance as they reeled off an 11-2 run over the span of the first four minutes of the half. Then, with a little under seven minutes left to play, the Polar Bears led by as many as 26 points, having outscored the Blue Streaks 34-13 in the first 13-plus minutes of the second half.

Ohio Northern (16-3, 10-2 OAC) was led offensively by junior Morgan Dumbaugh who had a game-high 22 points. Sophomore forward Cenzie Yoder and senior forward Kara Dysert each hit double figures in rebounding, combining for 23 total boards. Ohio Northern out-rebounded the Blue Streaks by a final count of 45-32 on the day.

Missy Spahar aside, there was really no offensive spark from the Blue Streaks. The Polar Bears defense, which ranks second in the OAC, held the Blue Streaks to 29.4 percent shooting from the floor, including also holding them to only 20 percent from the land of three.

One impressive superlative though for the Blue Streaks was their 93.3 percent shooting percentage from the foul line, marking their best shooting performance from the charity stripe all season. They went 91.7 percent from the line on Jan. 21 against Capital University. Sophomore Allie Lustig, who leads the OAC in assists per game with 4.9, continued her offensive efficiency as she recorded five assists in the loss to ONU.

With six games left to play in the regular season, the Blue Streaks began a three-game homestand last night when they hosted last place Heidelberg University. They will next face off with the Otterbein College Cardinals on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. at the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center. Sophomore forward Hilary Liwosz scored a career-high 20 points in their last meeting on Dec. 17 in Westerville, Ohio. The Cardinals defeated JCU, 72-64.

Coming into the Invitational, the Blue Streaks had won three of their previous four meets and seemed to be finding their collective groove as the regular season begins to wind down. Upon arriving in Wheaton,  the Blue Streaks used their recent success as momentum as JCU ended the weekend by finishing in 11th place out of the 31 teams at the tournament. Considering the Blue Streaks left Illinois last year by finishing in 22nd place, the more recent mark of 11th an impressive placing in its own right.

Senior Sean Gill led JCU on the weekend as he was the highest placing Blue Streak, finishing in fifth place in the 165-pound weight class with a record of four wins and two losses. Freshman Terner Gott competed in the 157-pound weight class and took sixth place after finishing with three wins and one loss on the weekend. The lone loss for Gott came to the top seed in the 157-pound weight class, Elias Iarson of Trine University.

Despite being unseeded, both junior John Cobos and senior James Nemunaitis finished in seventh place in their weight classes, wrestling in the 125-pound and 197-pound weight classes, respectively. Both Cobos and Nemunaitis finished with four wins and two losses on the weekend.With 62 total team points, the Blue Streaks finished one spot ahead of No. 21 Elizabethtown College.

Next up on the Blue Streaks’ schedule is a bit of a drought as the team will not compete again until Friday, Feb. 17 when they play host to the Muskingum University Fighting Muskies at home in the DeCarlo Varsity Center. The meet against Muskingum will be the Blue Streaks’ last regular season competition before the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships take place on Saturday, Feb. 25 in Tiffin, Ohio

Both the men’s and women’s teams finished in fourth place out of five teams, but still had plenty of impressive performances to hang their hats on.

On the women’s side of the bracket, sophomore Anna Busta edged out two of her teammates to claim first place in the 3,000-meter run, finishing with a time of 11:06.63. Freshman Bridget Hanna and sophomore Alyssa Singer finished narrowly behind Busta, claiming second and third place with respective times of 11:06.75 and 11:16.07.

Hanna claimed first place for the Blue Streaks in the one-mile run, finishing with an impressive time of 5:25.63.

Sophomores Gab Kreuz and Nicki Bohrer also picked up important victories in the distance events as Kreuz won the 800-meter run with a time of 2:25.93 while Bohrer took first place in the 1,000-meter run, finishing with a time of 3:10.01. Freshman Danielle Sample also picked up important points for the Blue Streaks on the day, winning the triple-jump event with a distance of 10.75 meters.

Overall, the women’s team finished fourth as a team in the meet, behind host Baldwin-Wallace (218), Mount Union (189.5) and Ohio Northern (117.5). Heidelberg placed fifth with 42 team points.

For the men’s team, the Blue Streaks were led by junior Pat Burns and senior Will Rial in the 3,000-meter run. Burns finished in first place while Rial took second place in the event, finishing with respective times of 8:59.78 and 9:05.12.

Junior Mike Minjock also turned in an impressive performance as he took first place in the long jump event, recording a distance of 6.46 meters. Sophomore Cory Biro sealed fourth place in the 55-meter hurdles by clocking a time of 8.04 seconds. Freshman Rocky Mitolo also picked up points for the Blue Streaks by finishing fourth in the shot put event.

The men’s team finished in fourth place overall with 103.5 total points on the day. The Blue Streaks finished fourth overall behind Mount Union (201.16), Ohio Northern (188) and Baldwin-Wallace (137.33) while Heidelberg University took fifth with 90 points.

Busy schedules continue into next weekend as both teams will compete in the University of Mount Union Jim Wuske Invite on Saturday, Feb. 4 in Alliance, Ohio.

The Blue Streaks men’s team came into the event having won three of their last four meets, including four of their last six, and were looking to add another “W” to their tally. Luckily, the Blue Streaks were able to accomplish that task as they defeated the Yellow Jackets by a meet score of 124-104 on the day.

Freshman David Calcaterra was able to spark the Blue Streaks scoring efforts as he finished in first place in the 1,000 Free event with a finish time of 11:10.97. Senior Brennan Schloendorn finished in first place in the 200 Free event with a time of 1:48.04 while fellow senior Alex Vereshchagin also picked up an important win in the 50 Free with an impressive time of 21.97.

From there, the Blue Streaks (7-5, 3-1 Ohio Athletic Conference) finished in either first or second place in eight of the nine remaining events, thus sealing the victory for JCU on the men’s side of competition.

While the men’s team was able to pick up the always needed win over Baldwin-Wallace, the women’s team was not to be outdone as they also defeated the Yellow Jackets by a final meet score of 142-90. Since beginning the season by losing each of their first five meets, the Blue Streaks (6-7-1, 2-2 OAC) have since gone 6-2-1 in their last nine meets, and continued that same type of high grade performance against Baldwin-Wallace.

The combination of the Adams sisters, junior Julia Adams and freshman Karyn Adams, proved to be lethal as they each took first in their respective events to start the meet. Julia Adams claimed first place in the 1,000-meter Free event with a time of 11:32.31 while sister Karyn finished in first place in the 50 Free event with a time of 25.78. Freshman Victoria Watson also clocked in at first place in the 200 Free event with a finish time of 2:02.74.

Senior Brittany Krauth turned in another impressive performance, as she has done all season, as she picked up the win in the 200 Butterfly event with a time of 2:20.01. Freshman Danielle Ketterer placed second in the 1 Meter Diving event with a score of 219.35 while senior Melissa Fillmore also took second place in the 200-yard Breaststroke with a time of 2:37.17.

Once again, freshman Karyn Adams took first place in the 100 Free event (55.91) while sister Julia also picked up another first place finish in the 200 Backstroke (2:16.55). Sophomore Rachel Libertin rounded out the impressive individual finishes for JCU as she took first place in the 500 Free event with a time of 5:36.04.

After celebrating Senior Day in spectacular winning fashion, both Blue Streaks teams officially commenced the 2011-12 regular season and will now shift their focus towards the postseason. Both JCU teams will next compete in the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships held in Akron, Ohio from Thursday, Feb. 16 through Saturday,  Feb. 18.

Carroll News: Being a CBS broadcaster who has covered the Browns at times this season, what do you make of Cleveland fans who are joining the “Suck for Luck” campaign? Is Colt McCoy going to be “the guy” for this team?

Rich Gannon: I think the next eight weeks are certainly going to be important for him, in terms of the evaluation process and where the Browns go from here.  I will say this; I had concerns coming into the season that they weren’t going to be talented enough on the perimeter. The receiver position for them is not a position of strength. I think the absence of Peyton Hillis with his injuries and the situation with his contract have hurt them too, and right now they’re struggling. So has he [McCoy] taken a step back? Yeah, no question. But when you look at the fact that he’s in a completely different system from the one he ran a year ago, going from [offensive coordinator] Brian Daboll to head coach Pat Shurmur, and the fact that he didn’t have an offseason program at all or mini-camps, I think you have to expect him to take that step back.

CN: Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow is another QB whose name is almost always in the media. Will Tebow eventually develop into a successful starting quarterback in the NFL? Should he consider changing positions?

RG: No, I don’t think he should play another position. I think he’s a guy that is in a similar situation to Colt McCoy. Both teams changed staffs, he didn’t have an offseason, didn’t get a ton of reps in the pre-season and now all of the sudden, he’s out there playing. These next eight weeks will certainly determine what the Broncos do and there’s a good chance that none of the quarterbacks currently on the Denver roster will be the starting quarterback in 2012. This is a good opportunity for Tebow to play well and to get better each week. I think you just want to see progress each week from him because there are some things that he does really well. He’s a tremendous competitor, he’s athletic, he can run around and he can make plays. Where he has to improve is with his throwing. His accuracy is a problem, his footwork, operating as a quarterback under center is a problem for this guy. But, look at Steve Young. When he came out of college, he was a better passer [than Tebow] but still struggled initially, so it took a while for him but eventually he turned out to be a pretty good player.

CN: Many teams in the NFL are off to unexpected, yet impressive, starts this season including the 49ers, Lions, Bills and Bengals. Which “underdog” team has surprised and impressed you the most this season and why?

RG: There are a couple of them. Buffalo, to me, I didn’t give them much of a chance in that tough AFC East division and they’ve been really outstanding. They’ve gotten better on defense, the quarterback play has been good and Fred Jackson is having one of those MVP-type seasons, so that’s been a team that’s really surprised me. As far as a unit that has really surprised me, the Houston Texans defense has really done that. They’re the most improved defense in all of football. They were awful last year as they finished 30th in total defense, 32nd against the pass and now they’re the number one defense in football. It’s amazing what Wade Philips has come in and done as he added some new players, went from the 4-3 defense to the 3-4, so that to me is impressive. I think San Francisco is another great example of a team that was awful a year ago; they fired their coach, brought in a new coaching staff that didn’t have any time with the players in the offseason and after being criticized for bringing back Alex Smith, they’re 7-1 and that one loss came in overtime to the Cowboys.

CN: Former Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis passed away last month on Oct. 8, obviously a significant loss for the entire football world. Having played for Davis in Oakland for six years, what was your reaction upon hearing the news and what kind of impact did he have on you?

RG: I was saddened by the news and I think the same is said for anybody that knew him. I was fortunate, as he was a guy that gave me an opportunity to play for the Raiders for six years. He was a controversial figure and I don’t know if there will ever be another owner like him who was as involved as he was in day-to-day operations. He was involved with finalizing the 53-man roster, player selection, the draft, free agency and all that. He would go down on the field and spend time with the defensive coaches, he would be out on the practice field and he basically did it all so I don’t know if there will ever be another owner like him. He had a real passion, football was his passion. All he had was his family and football. He didn’t really have any other hobbies like golf, fishing or anything like that. Football was what he did. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to play for him for six years and I certainly will always be appreciative of the time I spent with the Raiders.

CN: Staying on the topic of the Raiders, your former team jumped out to an impressive 4-2 start this season and is now 5-4 with a big win over San Diego recently. What do you like about head coach Hue Jackson and what he’s done with this team so far?

RG: He’s not afraid to take risks. You watch him and between going for it on fourth down, fake punts and fake field goals, he’s done whatever he’s had to do to win football games. He’s made some bold moves too with his decision to go out and get Carson Palmer and give up what they did, only time will tell [if it pays off]. He saw a need at the quarterback position and he had a relationship with Carson going back to their days together at USC where he recruited him out of high school. This is a guy that’s in control. I think it’s clear that he’s the one making the decisions out there. For the first time in 49 years, someone other than Al Davis is making personnel decisions. He’s taking the bull by the horns and he’s doing what he thinks is in the best interest of the team going forward.

CN: Which team is winning Superbowl 46 this season and why?

RG: Well, I’m not going to deviate from what I said in the preseason. Last year, I picked the Packers and I picked them again this year. I think they’re the one team that benefitted from the lack of an offseason. They played into February and they needed some time away from the game. It’s a veteran team and they have essentially the same exact coaching staff, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and playcallers. It’s a veteran group and they’ve done a great job developing their talent. They’re still, I think, the best team in football.

Football teams are easily defined by stats and players. But in one word, the 2011 Blue Streaks (5-5, 5-4 OAC) can be defined by their heart. Despite a crushing last second 45-37 loss to cross-town rival Baldwin-Wallace College (8-2, 7-2 OAC) on Saturday, the Blue Streaks stayed true to form and fought through the final whistle.

With the Cuyahoga Gold Bowl up for grabs and only six ticks left, senior quarterback Devin O’Brien’s pass fell incomplete as time expired and John Carroll’s season came to a close.

This offensive contest featured only two punts on both sides all day and 514 total rushing yards. O’Brien had one more career day left in him, leading the offense down the field time and time again. He finished with 14-22 passing for 233 yards and two touchdowns. As he has all season, the dual threat quarterback tacked on 173 yards rushing (13 short of a career-high) and two additional scores.

The Blue Streaks played from behind from the start as Baldwin-Wallace took the opening kick down to the 10-yard line and scored one play later. With 4:33 remaining in the first half, junior running back Anthony D’Aurizio gave John Carroll its only lead of the game at 15-14. For the second time in consecutive touchdown drives, the Blue and Gold failed the extra point attempt. B-W followed with 10 unanswered points and took a 24-15 lead into the locker room.

JCU shot out of the gate at the start of the third quarter. Junior tight end Casey Rouch caught his first career touchdown on a 14-yard throw from O’Brien to shorten the B-W lead to 24-22. Each time JCU narrowed the margin, however, the Yellow Jackets had an answer – this time a five-yard run for six from junior quarterback Andrew Dziak. The Blue Streaks then responded with nine runs for 80 yards to make it a 31-29 game.

BW went to work in the red zone, scoring twice on their next two possessions to take a 45-29 lead with just under three minutes left in the game.  Badly in need of a spark, junior wide receiver Lane Robilotto took the ensuing kickoff 78 yards to the seven-yard line, where O’Brien ran it in two plays later. Robilotto finished the contest with 226 all-purpose yards, including 147 receiving with a touchdown. With 2:18 left in the game, B-W led 45-37.

Senior special teams stand-out Chris Creel recovered John Carroll’s onside kick, giving the team a glimmer of hope. With one timeout remaining, O’Brien and company took the field one last time. Four completions later, they reached the 12-yard line with only six seconds left. But one final shot at the end zone fell short and the 2011 season became history.

“There have been countless times this season where we found ourselves in bad situations and we fought back and we won some of those games,” said co-offensive coordinator Tom Arth. “Today, unfortunately, we came out on the short side. But the fight was incredible and at the end of the day, that’s how you’re measured – by the way you fight back.”

Defensively, senior linebacker C.J. Seitzinger finished with 11 tackles, giving him 310 for his career. Seitzinger became only the seventh player to eclipse 300 tackles in program history. He finished the year with 97 stops, good for fourth in the conference.

“One of my biggest goals was to be a leading tackler for the school and it came through,” said Seitzinger. “Those guys up front did their job, which let me do mine. It’s something I’ll remember forever.”

John Carroll University football will return next Labor Day weekend in Dublin, Ireland against St. Norbert College of the Midwest Conference (7-3 in 2011) for the 2012 Global Ireland Football Tournament.

The 8,000 meter race was held at the Oberlin College Woodchip Trail. The men’s team was the top-placing school among Ohio Athletic Conference schools, while the women’s team placed second in the competition among OAC schools behind the second place Ohio Northern University Polar Bears.

Junior Nick Wojtasik led all Blue Streaks’ competitors on the men’s side of the bracket as he finished with an impressive time of 26:06.98. Wojtasik’s time earned him 36th place overall in the event, one spot short of earning All-Region honors, which are awarded to the top 35 runners in each bracket. Sophomore Chuck Mulé and junior Pat Burns were the next two Blue Streaks to cross the finish line in Oberlin, claiming 46th and 47th places with impressive finish times of 26:19.72 and 26:30.77, respectively. Seniors Jake Smith and Will Rial also finished their final collegiate competition right next to each other, finishing in 66th and 67th place with times of 26:39.98 and 26:42.64, respectively.

On the women’s side of the bracket, freshman Emily Mapes led the pack for JCU as she finished in 48th place overall with a finish time of 22:54.58. Sophomore Anna Busta claimed 56th place overall in the event, finishing with a time of 23:06.59. The sister duo of both freshman Bridget Hanna and junior Molly Hanna proved to be an impressive pair, as they finished in 58th place and 65th place, respectively, as the freshman Hanna finished with a time of 23:10.07 and the junior Hanna recorded a time of 23:14.56.

“As a coaching staff, we could not be more proud of what the men and women have accomplished this year,” said head coach Dara Ford. “At camp, they set a goal to be the best cross country team ever at John Carroll. They did just that.”

Both teams finished every competition this season with a top 10 finish, proving that the 2011 campaign was an impressive one for both the men’s and women’s team. As the teams begin to look forward to the 2012 cross country season, there is no question that expectations will be high for these two talented squads.

“Both the men and women really dedicated themselves to the program and it has paid dividends. They deserve all the success they achieved this season,” said coach Ford. “These are two teams that have a tremendous future ahead of them. Both teams will be toeing the line at the National Championships next year.”

In the 2010 Great Lakes Regional, the Blue Streaks finished in 22nd place on the men’s side of the bracket and in 18th place in the women’s bracket. With the men improving upon last year’s finish by 14 spots and the women improving upon last year’s placing by 12 spots, it is obvious that coach Ford and the Blue Streaks had more than a successful season.

The sixth place finish in the Great Lakes Regional by the women’s team was the highest finish ever for the women’s cross country team in Blue Streaks’ program history. With the men finishing first among OAC contenders in eighth place, that marks not only the first time ever that the Blue Streaks have been the highest placing OAC school in the event, but it also marks the highest finish in program history for the men’s team as well.

The Blue Streaks began the weekend by traveling to Pittsburgh, Pa. on Friday, Nov. 11 to face off against the divisional opponent University of Pittsburgh. Needing a win to further pad their first place lead over the Panthers in the division, the Blue Streaks came up big with an impressive 3-1 victory over the host Pitt Panthers.

Taking advantage of the power play at hand, senior Geoff Abrahams netted the first goal of the game for the Blue Streaks in the second period of action with the assists coming from both freshman Parker Phillips and junior Jesse Dietrick.

Less than 90 seconds later, senior Danny Geiger scored on the power play as well to increase JCU’s lead to 2-0 in the game. Sophomore Danny Potter and junior Sean Lattal assisted Geiger on the goal.

In the third period, Geiger recorded his second goal of the game with the assist again coming from Lattal. From there, the Blue Streaks held on to the lead as they defeated Pitt 3-1 on the night.

“The win against Pitt was significant for the team. We were able to beat a team expected to contend for the league title on their ice,” said coach Wilk. “[The win] shows our progress from last year and throughout this season. It also showed us what we’re capable of when we stay focused and disciplined for 60 minutes.”

Unfortunately, the Blue Streaks couldn’t complete the clean sweep of victories on the weekend when they faced the divisional opponent West Virginia Mountaineers. Having traveled to Morgantown, W.Va. to square off against the host Mountaineers. JCU struggled from start to finish in the contest, falling to WVU by a decisive score of 4-0.

“We didn’t bring enough energy to the WVU game. They’re a tough team who skates hard,” said coach Wilk. “We caught them on their third game in three days and should have had an advantage. Our power play has been key over the past three games and we got shut out against WVU.”

With the 1-1 split this past weekend, the Blue Streaks now have an overall record of 8-6 on the season. The team will look to improve upon that current mark this coming weekend as they will travel to Canton, N.Y. From there, the Blue Streaks will take battle against the host State University of New York Kangaroos on both Friday, Nov. 18 and Saturday, Nov. 19 in the fourth annual Terry Martin Classic.

On a cold Friday night at Don Shula Stadium, the John Carroll University women’s soccer team looked to claim sole possession of the number one spot atop the OAC standings.

In arguably the biggest game of the 2011 season to date, coach Tracy Blasius turned to her eight senior leaders to lead the team to victory, allowing every senior a spot in the starting lineup.

“Our senior class is amazing. Eight unique personalities, working together to provide a blanket of leadership for a team of 40,” said coach Blasius. “At this point in the season, they really don’t need much guidance from me. They understand how our program works and just get things done. Whether it be on the field, in the classroom, in a quiet conversation with a teammate, or at a social event  away from soccer, these seniors are constantly being positive role models.”

In the first half of action against a talented Ohio Northern University squad, the Blue Streaks’ powerful offense struggled to penetrate a tough ONU defense. In a season where outshooting opponents has been a common theme, John Carroll only had five shots on goal in the first half.

However, despite their lack of offensive production out of the gate, the JCU defense, anchored by senior Mari O’Neill, held strong sending the two teams to halftime knotted up at zero.

Both teams came out of the break with their work cut out for them. JCU came out ready to go with their usual starters on the field and showed a lot more offensive potential against the Polar Bears in the second half.

Despite the efforts of JCU, the first goal of the match went to Ohio Northern on a rocket of a shot off  the foot of Kristen Klusek into the upper corner of the net. The score stood at 1-0  in favor of ONU with 36 minutes to go in the game.

That wouldn’t be the end of the scoring for the Polar Bears though, who added on an insurance goal in the 62nd minute of play to give them a 2-0 lead.

Despite the adversity, JCU stood strong. In the 77th minute, they added a goal of their own, courtesy of sophomore Genny Goergen, keeping a win in view with a 2-1 score. It wouldn’t be enough though for the Blue Streaks as time expired and that score was final with the Polar Bears pulling away with the narrow win.

“The speed of play was fast and it was physical,” said senior Colleen Harmon, who leads the team in goals and total points. “In games that need to be played at such a high level, it is important to be sharp and to take advantage of opportunities. These are two things that we could have done better on Friday night.”

That being said, Harmon emphasized the goal they are still looking to pursue as the regular season winds down.

“We have no doubt that hard work and a winning mind set will get us to the championship,” said Harmon.

Coach Blasius also emphasized the same mindset and not dwelling on one loss.

“Although it was painful, our loss to Ohio Northern will only provide us another opportunity to learn, grow together, and be even more prepared to win the OAC Tournament Championship,” said coach Blasius.

The Blue Streaks will look to carry that same attitude into Columbus on Saturday, Oct. 29, when they take on Capital University to close out the regular season before postseason play begins Tuesday, Nov. 1.

Unfortunately, Blue and Gold hearts bled at the gates after a heart-breaking 24-21 defeat snapped their four-game winning streak.

The Blue Streaks (4-3, 4-2 OAC) won the coin toss to start the game and chose to trust their defense off the bat.

The move proved successful after the Blue Streaks held strong on a fourth and inches inside their own red zone. Unfortunately, Kresimir Ivkovic pushed a 36-yard field goal try wide right on the Blue Streaks’ ensuing drive and JCU couldn’t take the lead on their first drive of the game. Ohio Northern went 80 and 73 yards, respectively, on their next two drives, cashing in for touchdowns both times and taking a 14-0 lead with 11:29 remaining in the second quarter.

The Blue Streaks responded by piecing together a 13-play, 66-yard drive on their third possession of the game. The drive was capped off by a two-yard rushing touchdown from freshman running back Domonic De La Riva. The defense held strong at the end of the quarter and John Carroll trailed 14-7 at the halftime break.

“I think our [offensive] line was just playing pretty good and the fullbacks were blocking their butts off,” said De La Riva.

De La Riva, a freshman from Palm Desert, Calif., would add to his career day on the first possession of the third quarter. John Carroll began the second half with a 16-play, 70-yard drive that took 8:05 off the clock, concluding with a De La Riva 1-yard TD run to tie the game at 14. On their next offensive possession, the Blue Streaks’ offense marched 86 yards after another fourth and inches stop. This time, it was a 37-yard burst by De La Riva, his longest rush of the day, that catapulted John Carroll to a 21-14 lead with 12 minutes remaining in the game.

Polar Bears sophomore quarterback Tyler Rue would respond by connecting with senior Justin Wilson for a 35-yard touchdown pass, their first points since 11:29 in the second quarter, making the score 21-21. Ohio Northern would then force a JCU three-and-out and would follow up their touchdown drive with a 12-play, 62-yard drive that allowed Polar Bears kicker Lee Lukasevic to kick what would be the game-winning field goal from 29-yards out with 1:30 in the game.

The Blue Streaks would get the ball back after the field-goal with one timeout left hoping to find some offensive magic, but the drive was eventually halted by an Ohio Northern interception to close out the game.

“Basically we missed a field goal, that’s the difference in the game,” said head coach Regis Scafe. “The difference was one field goal.”

Putting the loss aside, the Blue Streaks were superlative running the football. Thanks to a career high 107-yard, three-touchdown performance by De La Riva, along with stout offensive line and fullback play, the Blue Streaks were able to rush for over 200 yards as a team for the fourth time this season. Officially, they ended with 209 yards rushing as a team, and De La Riva became the fourth Blue Streak this season to rush for more than 100 yards in a game.

“He’s gotten better every week and ran the ball incredibly hard today,” said JCU Director of Football Operations and Co-Offensive Coordinator Tom Arth. “I was very proud of him, [and] very proud of the guys up front. They did a great job opening up some holes.”

The Blue Streaks will need to win their remaining three games to keep any hopes of a postseason berth alive. They will begin a two-game home stand this Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. against Capital at Don Shula Stadium.

Here’s my question: Why are we changing the world’s most perfect game? Baseball is America’s pastime, a simple game with a complex interior. It’s a game that has origins dating back to the mid-18th century and has been one of the most popular and prevalent sports in all of America over the course of the last century.

So why are people suddenly trying to change it? Sure, Major League Baseball is far from a perfect league, but baseball is a perfect sport. I can see why some fans may want the current 162-game regular season shortened. I can also see why  some people would want instant replay in baseball too. That doesn’t mean I agree with these ideas, but I understand the support for them.

But let us ask ourselves this: Are these changes necessary? The answer is no.

Getting rid of bullpen phones because it could help the MLB profit even more so? That’s  a phony reason. The MLB is a billion dollar business. Sacrificing one of the most genuine facets of the game to gain a couple of bucks seems like a pretty lousy idea.

Wanting to ban tobacco use in baseball because it influences young kids poorly? That’s what parents are for, folks. I’ve seen numerous horror movies, but I’m not running around with a blade in hand. Life is all about the choices you make and no one else. Just you.

Adding instant replay in baseball? I can empathize with the argument for instant replay, but despite being young, I’m old school when it comes to baseball. Players have lived without replay for over a century, and that won’t change anytime soon either.

At this current rate, with everyone fretting to change what is already a perfect game, the game of baseball won’t even be recognizable in 20 years. Rather than having everyone and their mother impose their will on America’s pastime, why don’t we appreciate what we have in front of us? You don’t have to love or even like the sport of baseball. Not everyone does, and that’s fine. That’s how life is. There is, however, one thing that I do ask of you: appreciate the game of baseball. It’s a timeless sport that’s been around for over roughly two centuries. Unless we hault the attempts at changing baseball, we won’t recognize it in the future.

Follow @ZachMentz or email him at

With junior Mel Rodriguez out of the starting lineup due to injury, fellow junior Emily Bendzak stepped up and filled the libero position for the Blue Streaks in their contest against ONU.

In the first set of the game, the Blue Streaks and Polar Bears proved to be two evenly matched teams as JCU led late in the first set by a score of 22-21. ONU called a timeout to re-adjust to the Blue Streaks performance, and it worked just as they would have liked as ONU won the next four points and won the first set by a narrow score of 25-21.

The second set of the game was an even closer contest, as the two teams were tied at 26 even late in the set. Unfortunately for JCU, the Polar Bears again were able to escape the grasp of the Blue Streaks, taking the win in the second set by a score of 28-26.

The third and final set of the match was played in favor of the Polar Bears, as they jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in the set and never looked back. From there, ONU won the third set by a score of 25-16 and clinched the match by a 3-0 score.

Sophomore Gina Catania had an impressive performance for JCU, leading the team with 11 kills on the day while seniors Kerry Fox and Laura Sudo also contributed with eight and seven kills, respectively. Bendzak also had an outstanding performance for the Blue Streaks in her fill-in role as libero, recording 28 digs on the day.

With the loss to ONU on Saturday, the Blue Streaks fall to 9-16 overall on the season. JCU’s next contest will be played on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 12 p.m. in the DeCarlo Varsity Center in what will be the Blue Streaks’ final match of the 2011 regular season.

Editors Note: On Tuesday, Oct. 25 the Blue Streaks traveled to Berea, Ohio to face the Baldwin-Wallace Yellow Jackets where they lost to BW 3-0.

The schedule couldn’t be set up more perfectly. The Blue Streaks had been red hot, winning each of their last seven matches on their way to the top spot in the OAC with a 6-0 record in conference play. No. 15 Ohio Northern was a step behind the Blue Streaks at 5-0-1, but has been one of the best teams in the nation all season long. Thanks to a Baldwin-Wallace loss earlier in the day, a late season duel between the OAC’s best in 2011 would virtually determine the regular season conference champion.

Unfortunately, the Blue Streaks allowed two second half goals and the men’s soccer team lost their first OAC game of the season by a final score of 2-0. It was John Carroll’s fourth loss in four sports to Ohio Northern last weekend in just over 24 hours, and with a regular season OAC title chance on the line, this loss may have hurt the most.

The Polar Bears (14-2-2, 6-0-1 OAC) proved that they are an extremely talented and attack-oriented team, which posed enough of a challenge for head coach Hector Marinaro and his team. But the Blue Streaks (10-6, 6-1 OAC) faced even further adversity as junior forward and leading goal-scorer Wycliffe Odhiambo left the game in the eighth minute with an apparent leg injury.

The highly anticipated game began with both squads stressing the importance of strong defense. The cold weather seemed to break down each team, with a lot of unexpected holes and sudden scoring opportunities in the first half. Both goalies were being pelted by shots the entire first half as JCU fired seven shots while ONU took nine shots of their own. Thankfully, senior goalie Carl Contrascier performed tremendously, blanking the Polar Bears through the first 45 minutes of action. Unfortunately, the Blue Streaks couldn’t capitalize on the offensive end and the teams went into the break with a scoreless tie.

Ohio Northern came out guns blazing in the second half, ripping off two goals in the first eight minutes of the half. In the 49th minute, Nathan Bascom found himself positioned perfectly to knock in a rebound shot for the first goal. In the 53rd minute, the Polar Bears brought the ball up the right side of the pitch, crossed it into the box and Greg Stawicki beat Contrascier to the left post for the 2-0 lead.

That would be all Ohio Northern would need as the Blue Streaks simply couldn’t capitalize on their few second half chances.

“We played really well for about 30 minutes of the first half, but against a team like Ohio Northern, you have to put together a full 90 minutes,” said coach Marinaro after the game. “They are a very good team and they proved it once again tonight. We have to rebound from this game, get ready for Baldwin-Wallace Tuesday night and hope we get another chance at [Ohio] Northern in the playoffs.”

The Blue Streaks will take on Capital University in Bexley, Ohio on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. in the regular season finale for JCU.

The John Carroll University Blue Streaks club hockey team continued to have success this past weekend.

The first game of the weekend was on Friday, Oct. 21 as the Blue Streaks hosted the visiting Washington and Jefferson College on home ice at Gilmour Academy. The Blue  Streaks rolled to a dominating 11-2 victory over W&J while outshooting their opponent by a whopping margin of 70-10.

John Carroll jumped out to an early lead over W&J and never looked back. After consecutive tough losses last week to No. 19 Kent State, the Blue Streaks were fired up going into their first conference game against W&J. JCU took advantage of their deep roster and spread the puck around more, leading to more goals in the back of the net.

The line combination of senior Dan Geiger, sophomore Dan Potter and freshman Tyler Rhodes led in total points for the Blue Streaks as they combined for five goals and three assists.

Rhodes also netted his first career hat trick as a Blue Streak against W&J.

“We’ve been mixing up the lines a bit due to some injuries and an attempt to generate more offense, and tonight we saw positive results,” said head coach Chris Wilk.

Sophomore Lou Morici had another solid game with one goal and two assists while senior John Walter and sophomore Jarret Snider each added a goal as well.

Unfortunately for JCU, their game on Saturday, Oct. 22 against the visiting Duquesne Dukes didn’t have the same outcome.

The Blue Streaks battled throughout the duration of the game, but fell just short of the win as they were handed their first loss of the weekend by a score of 5-3.

Their goals against the Dukes were scored by Walter, who had two goals, and sophomore Sean McHugh. Walter was flying around the ice this weekend and used his big 6-foot, 3-inch frame to make some big hits and force turnovers.

“Everyone played great this weekend with a big win on Friday and a tough loss on Saturday. With current injuries some of the younger players really stepped up and filled some important roles,” said Walter. “If this team can stay healthy, we can really do some big things.”

JCU is off to a 5-5 start, but they know they are better than that.

“With us being so young, it’s been a struggle to get everyone on the same page. We knew that was going to be our weakness coming in. The faster we can work out the kinks, the better we’ll be in the long run,” said coach Wilk.

The Blue Streaks look to continue their success and pick up two wins this weekend at home as they face off against Indiana University of Pennsylvania this coming weekend on both Friday, Oct. 28 and Saturday, Oct. 29.

The team’s first game of the season came on Friday, Sept. 23 following a five-and-a-half-hour bus ride to Syracuse. The Blue Streaks lived up to the high expectations and hype as they defeated the Orange in a dramatic victory, winning the game 5-4 in a shootout.

Sophomore right winger Louie Morici had the game-winning goal in the shootout to clinch the win for the Blue Streaks in their season opener. Sophomore Dan Brick played like a brick wall in net for the Blue Streaks on the day, stopping a flurry of shots on goal, helping to lead the team to a win over a talented Syracuse team.

Freshman newcomer Tyler Rhodes also made big contributions on the ice for the Blue Streaks as well, netting two goals on the day for JCU.

“It was great for our team to get that first win under our belts. It was a step in the right direction,” said Morici, who finished with two assists on the weekend as well. “We know we have what it takes to win no matter what happens. Whether we’re winning or losing, we have a chance to win every single night.”

After starting the season with an impressive 5-4 shootout win on Friday, the Blue Streaks faced off against Syracuse again on the following day in their second game in less than 24 hours.

Once again, JCU came away with the win over the host Syracuse Orange, winning the game by a score of 5-3. Rhodes scored two more goals for JCU in the second game of the weekend, giving him four goals total on the weekend.

“I was very pleased with our overall performance. We had a lot of freshman in the lineup and they played well,” said head coach Chris Wilk. “Syracuse was 22-7 last year and returned a large portion of their roster. Those were two good wins. We have a good group of core guys and it was a good team effort this weekend.”

With an early season record of 2-0, the Blue Streaks will look to continue their winning ways this weekend when they face off against Western Michigan University at Gilmour Academy on Friday, Sept. 30.

“We’ll focus on us and what we have to do. This early in the season it’s hard to plan for an opponent, but we need to learn more about ourselves,” said coach Wilk. “We’ll be sure our special teams are ready to go. They will be key this weekend.”

Yes, I know the 2011 Major League Baseball season started nearly six months ago. I’m talking about a different kind of baseball  fans need to get ready for: playoff baseball.

The 2011 MLB regular season ended yesterday, signaling the start of the the 2011 MLB playoffs. Eight teams will compete in the postseason as each team has its eyes on one goal: winning the World Series.

Cleveland sports fans might not want to talk about the playoffs, as the Indians collapsed in the second half of the regular season, leaving them out of the playoffs this year.

Luckily for me, I’m a Yankees fan. That’s not the point though. The point is that while NFL and NCAA football seasons are now in full swing, I’ll be focusing on the MLB playoffs. I love football, but when it comes to October – all other sports take a backseat to baseball for me.

As a Yankees fan, I’m digging my boots in and preparing for the gauntlet known as the MLB playoffs. If you’re lucky, your favorite MLB team made the postseason as well. If you’re not so lucky, then you’re lucky football season is here.

Whether your team is in the playoffs or not, any true baseball fan can find satisfaction in watching MLB playoff baseball.

The postseason is where not only heroes are made, but memories as well. How do you think Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter got the nickname “Mr. November”?  In the 10th inning of game four of the 2001 World Series, the clock literally struck midnight at Yankee Stadium. The scoreboard flashed “Welcome to November baseball,” marking the first time the MLB playoffs had been played in November (the World Series was delayed due to 9/11).

In the bottom of the 10th inning with two outs and the score tied at three, Jeter drove a pitch over the right field wall, giving the Yankees the 4-3 win on his walkoff homerun. From then on, Jeter has been known as “Mr. November.”

That’s how baseball heroes and memories are made, and that’s just one example.

So who will be the hero of the 2011 postseason? Who will make memories that last you a lifetime? Only time will tell. One thing is for certain though: Like every other postseason, the 2011 postseason will be a memorable one.

Follow @ZachMentz on Twitter or e-mail him at

On Saturday, Sept. 24, the John Carroll University men’s soccer team traveled to Delaware, Ohio to take on the host and No. 4 Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops.

The Blue Streaks came into the match as the obvious underdogs, but knew that if they collectively worked together as a team, that they had a chance to pull off the upset against OWU.

For all 90 minutes of the game, the Blue Streaks scratched and clawed for every inch while trying to gain any advantage they could over OWU.

Despite outshooting the Battling Bishops 16-13 in the game, the Blue Streaks struggled to find the back of the net on more than one occasion, losing the game by a narrow score of 2-1.

The first half was differentiated by a goal scored in the 35th minute on a penalty kick by Ohio Wesleyan University, giving the Battling Bishops the early 1-0 lead.

Questionable calls by the referees plundered the Blue Streaks as they attempted to come back from the one-goal deficit.

Coming out in the second half trailing by a goal, the Blue Streaks soon surrendered another goal to the Battling Bishops in the 59th minute of action, leaving JCU trailing 2-0 in the midst of the second half.

Attempting to score and get back into the game, the Blue Streaks peppered numerous shots on goal, but Ohio Wesleyan’s stellar goalie continued to shield the net from the Blue Streaks.

In the 77th minute, Blue Streaks junior Mariusz Trzeciak seized an opportunity and scored the first goal of the game for JCU, cutting the Battling Bishops lead in half and making the score 2-1. The Blue Streaks pressed for the equalizing goal in the last 12 minutes of play, but couldn’t score again as they fell to Ohio Wesleyan University by a score of 2-1.

“We played a tremendous game. The guys took the fourth-ranked team all he way to the 90th minute and we had several chances to tie it up,” said head coach Hector Marinaro. “We had a few calls not go our way, but the guys played great. If we take this attitude into conference play, I expect great things from this team.”

The Blue Streaks now have only  nine games left in the 2011 regular season, all of which are crucial games against Ohio Athletic Conference opponents.

JCU’s next game will take place this Saturday, Oct. 1 on the road in Westerville, Ohio as the Blue Streaks will battle against the host Otterbein College Cardinals in a crucial Ohio Athletic Conference.

After being swept in three games this past weekend at the Pioneer Classic hosted by the Marietta College Pioneers, the Blue Streaks will now look to regroup as a team as they head into the last 10 matches of the regular season.

Coming into the first game of the Pioneer Classic, the Blue Streaks sported a record of eight wins and six losses on the season. Unfortunately for JCU, the Blue Streaks would end the weekend with an overall record of eight wins and nine losses as they were swept in three games by Marietta College, Washington and Lee University and Geneva College. With the Blue Streaks now on a four-game losing streak, this marks the first time this season that JCU has had a losing record.

In the team’s first OAC match of the season against the host Marietta College Pioneers, the Blue Streaks struggled to find their groove on the court and were swept in three straight sets, losing the match 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-10).

Unfortunately for the Blue Streaks, their struggles on the court continued for the duration of the weekend, as they also fell to Washington and Lee University by a score of 3-2 (25-16, 25-9, 23-25, 22-25, 15-11) and Geneva College by a score of 3-0 (25-22, 27-25, 25-15).

“We need to relax and just play. We need to find a level of play where our intensity is still high on the court without playing uptight and tense,” said senior Kerry Fox. “We can’t pick and choose when we want to have a good game; our defense needs to be scrappy and our hitters need to put balls away.”

As the Blue Streaks head into their last 10 games of the 2011 regular season, they must have a short memory and forget about their difficult weekend in Marietta.

“Whether we win or lose, it’s on all of our shoulders, and sharing that collectively helps us stick together. We pick each other up and keep encouraging everyone, but there’s only so much talking we can do,” said Fox, who assumes a leadership role on the team as a senior. “Actions speak louder than words and we need to translate what we talk about with the team onto the court.”

The Blue Streaks’ next match is  Wednesday, Oct. 5 in the DeCarlo Varsity Center here at John Carroll University against rival Case Western Reserve University at 7 p.m.

Friday was the start of Ohio Athletic Conference play for the team. In a season where they had started 4-4 but were coming off a two-game losing streak, the Blue Streaks needed a win over Marietta College to avoid having a losing record on the season. Despite the two-game losing streak, no one would have known about the streak had they watched the way JCU performed against Marietta.

JCU came out firing on all cylinders in the first half of action, taking full advantage of the Pioneer’s struggling defense. Sophomore Kayla Acklin began the scoring frenzy for the Blue Streaks in just the 17th minute of play with a goal assisted by freshman midfielder Kelly Kertis. Just nine minutes later, freshman Kaylin Akerly scored a goal off another assist from Kertis to spot the Blue Streaks with an early 2-0 lead.

That was only the beginning of the scoring frenzy.

As the first half continued, sophomore Genny Goergen scored her first goal of the season as she sniped the top left corner of the opposing net to give the Blue Streaks a comfortable 3-0 cushion. Goergen’s goal may have been the opening of the flood gates, as senior Rachel Grdina added insult to injury just before halftime with a goal of her own, making the score at halftime 4-0 in favor of JCU. The Blue Streaks showed just how dominant their offense can be by dominating Marietta in the first half, leading 4-0 and out shooting Marietta 14-0.

Coming out in the second half, the Blue Streaks kept up their intensity. Junior Amanda Buxton scored her first goal of the year just three and a half minutes into the second half of action, giving the Blue Streaks a whopping 5-0 lead.

From then on, it was up to the John Carroll defense to hold onto the huge lead they had built over the Pioneers.

They did just that, and to put the exclamation point on the game, junior Ashley Huebler capped John Carroll’s scoring with her first career goal in the 77th minute of play, making the score of the game 6-0.

Marietta’s Cara Nuss gave the Pioneer’s something to build off of in the 84th minute when she scored on a breakaway. That goal however was too little too late, as John Carroll took the victory in impressive fashion by a score of 6-1.

With the win, the Blue Streaks improved their record on the season to 5-4 overall, including 1-0 in OAC play.

“Marietta was a great win for us on Saturday and the girls are very pumped. It’s important to start off our conference games with a win,” said head coach Tracy Blasius. “We need to keep this momentum up because we have a very tough game on the road on Saturday against Otterbein.”

The game against Otterbein will take place on Saturday, Oct. 1 at Otterbein College. It will be the second OAC conference match of the season for the Blue Streaks, and getting a win against Otterbein is important for them to stay on the winning track.

“This year our goal is to be first in our conference and win OACs in order to make it to the NCAA tournament,” said Acklin. “We’ve worked hard all season and will continue working hard on and off the field. Making sure we are in shape and are physically and mentally prepared for OACs is key if we want to win.”

The lopsided win over Marietta College  was a step in the right direction for JCU and an impressive victory in its own, as it should propel the team in upcoming games.

“I am very confident that with the talent, unity, and ‘leave nothing on the field’ mentality that we have as a team, we can win OACs,” added Acklin.

John Carroll (1-2, 1-1 OAC) ran for 363 yards on the ground, their best rushing effort since Nov. 6, 1993 when they totaled 390 yards against Hiram.

Junior Casey Vogl had something of a coming out party – 17 carries for 145 yards and the first four touchdowns of his collegiate career (one shy of a JCU record). Marietta’s (1-2, 0-2 OAC) quarterback Andrew Keller also put together a career night, completing 24-40 passes for 401 yards and three touchdowns. Marietta wide receivers Chad Walker, Tannon Roberts and Kirby Harris all finished the game with 125+ yards receiving.

Perhaps the biggest play of the game came in the first quarter. John Carroll’s punter Mike Malisheski booted a 57-yarder that went out of bounds inside the one-yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, Michael Green broke through the offensive line and stopped Marietta’s Tevin Dones in the end zone for a safety. That made it 7-2 Pioneers, after Marietta went 80 yards in 11 plays to start the game with a touchdown. When the Blue Streaks offense got the ball back after the safety, Casey Vogl punched in his first career score from two yards out.

“I have to admit, I was pretty nervous at first,” said Vogl. “DaQuan [Grobsmith] is a great player and it’s too bad he went down again, but Sean Kuenzig and I knew we had to fill that role on offense tonight to give this team a lift.” Vogl cashed in from four yards out just before the half to give his team a 16-7 lead, but Marietta would go 67 yards in two plays to force the 16-14 score at the break.

The Blue Streaks linemen dominated the trenches on both sides of the football all night long. JCU only attempted one pass the whole second half because the running game was so effective. Offensive lineman Bob Schmitz and Mike Micca were huge contributors to the offensive success.

“It was definitely encouraging to see our running game get going like that,” said Schmitz. “We said before the game that we were going to put the team on our back today and have a game that can set the tone for the rest of the year,” said Micca.

The two squads traded touchdowns in the first three possessions of the second half. John Carroll’s defense finally forced a punt early in the fourth quarter, leading 30-21. Lane Robilotto returned the punt nearly 80 yards for the score, but the TD was called back on an illegal block. Two plays later, Vogl busted through the line and housed a 7-yard run to put the Streaks up 37-21.

Dones punched it in from a yard out with just over 10 minutes to go, and the two-point conversion made it a one-possession contest. The Blue Streaks ran the clock, but missed a field goal and gave the ball back to Marietta with 3:31 to play. Two minutes later, Keller connected with Walker for a 26-yard touchdown strike to make the score 37-35. The Blue and Gold defense refuted the two-point try and recovered the ensuing onside kick to seal the victory.

The Blue Streaks’ next game will take place at Don Shula Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 2 p.m. as JCU plays host to the visiting Otterbein Cardinals for JCU’s 2011 Homecoming game.

Searching for their second win of the season against the host Warriors, the extra determination from the Blue Streaks’ players was evident. Despite allowing an early goal in only the seventh minute of action, the Blue Streaks persevered and battled back.

Junior Wycliffe Odhiambo notched his first goal of the game in the 21st minute to tie the game at one goal apiece. Minutes later, Odhiambo struck again as he scored his second goal of the first half, allowing the Blue Streaks to go into halftime with a 2-1 lead over the Warriors.

In the second half of play, sophomore Nathan Sharbaugh tacked on another goal for the Blue Streaks, giving the visiting team a 3-1 lead, a lead which they would hold on to until the end of regulation.

“We know our record does not reflect our team’s talent and capabilities and we all were just tired of losing. It’s not a good feeling,” said Sharabugh. “We came into this game with a chip on our shoulder. We weren’t going to accept losing another game.”

With the win, the Blue Streaks improve their overall record on the season to 2-4. This was a much needed win for JCU, as their schedule does not get any easier in the coming weeks with five consecutive road games.

“Going into any game you have to believe that you can win or its not worth playing the game,” said senior goalkeeper Carl Contrascier. “When we went down 1-0, the mindset stayed the same for us, which is play our game and this team can’t hang with us for 90 minutes.”

Clearly that mindset worked as the Blue Streaks responded to the early deficit they faced.

Perhaps the biggest goal of the game came from Sharbaugh, whose 81st minute goal all but shut the door on the Rochester College Warriors.

“This win felt amazing. We were all so happy,” said Sharbaugh. “Things haven’t been going our way for most of the season, and it’s just really nice getting another win. We are hoping this win really propels us forward.”

The Blue Streaks will play next on Saturday, Sept. 24 against the currently fourth ranked Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops in Delaware, Ohio as the JCU men’s soccer team finishes up their lengthy mid-season road trip.

Mount Union (2-0, 1-0 OAC) dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football. Jeremy Murray racked up 206 yards rushing, finishing with a career high 254 yards on the ground with three scores. Collectively, the Purple Raiders totaled 383 rushing yards, while John Carroll (0-2, 0-1 OAC) finished with 65.

The Blue Streaks’ lone bright spot came with only seconds remaining in the first quarter. Junior running back Sean Kuenzig, who made his first career start, capped off a seven-play, 71-yard drive with a three-yard run. It was the first touchdown of his collegiate career.

“It was an exciting play for me,” said Kuenzig of the score after the game. “I’ve been waiting for that moment for a few years now. The O-line held their blocks really well and I was able to punch it in.”

Unfortunately, that was really the only highlight of the game for John Carroll. Mount Union eventually amassed 631 yards of total offense, while John Carroll could only manage 155 yards. Wide receiver Lane Robilotto attained 129 all-purpose yards for the Streaks.

John Carroll was without its biggest offensive weapon, DaQuan Grobsmith, against the Purple Raiders for the second straight year. The junior running back is a critical part of the offensive success, both running and receiving the football. Kuenzig split time with Casey Vogl, another junior running back.

“Casey runs with a bad attitude, which we love,” said special teams and offensive line coach Tom Zagorski. “He has been hindered by a knee injury and really hasn’t seen the field much until tonight, but we like the way he’s progressed in practice and he has certainly earned his chance to show us what he’s got on Saturdays.”

The JCU offensive line certainly takes pride in keeping their signal-caller on his feet, something they have proven very good at over the last few years. While senior Devin O’Brien and junior Mike Locke were both pressured throughout the night, neither was taken down for a sack in the loss. The offensive line has led the conference each of the last two years in sacks allowed.

Sophomore cornerback Ryan Winchell made a career-high 16 tackles, while fellow defensive back Kyle Monaco eclipsed the double-digit mark for the first time in his career as well (10 stops). Sophomore linebacker Matt Feeney picked off his first career pass in the second quarter, forcing the only turnover of the night for the Blue and Gold defense.

“Ryan Winchell is a competitor and is going to keep getting better,” said Scafe after the game. “He made a lot of tackles and played hard. I think he’s going to be a really, really good player for us.”

John Carroll will travel to Marietta next Saturday for a 6 p.m. showdown with the Pioneers. The Blue Streaks leads the all-time series 22-0-1.

Both the men’s and women’s Blue Streak cross country teams competed this past weekend at the National Catholic Championships held at the University of Notre Dame. Perfect conditions graced the 32nd annual event as the JCU Blue Streaks prepared to compete against the most talented field of teams they have seen this season.

With both the Blue Streaks’ men’s and women’s teams finishing with impressive performances last weekend at the Ric Sayre Invitational, both teams wanted to continue that momentum and prove they could continue to improve. The host Notre Dame Fighting Irish won both the men’s and women’s brackets with scores of 28 and 22, respectively.

The JCU men’s team finished in 15th out of the 31 teams in the field with 422 points, a great improvement from the 23rd place finish last year at this event and the best they had ever done at the National Catholic Championships. In the College Division, they moved up from a 13th place finish in 2010 to a sixth place finish in 2011. Of the Division III teams at the event, the JCU men’s team placed third, beaten only by Loras College and St. Vincent College.

Senior Jake Smith was the first Blue Streak to finish the event with a time of 25:41, which placed him 15th in the College standings and 39th overall. Sophomore Chuck Mulé was the next to cross the line for JCU. His time of 26:07 put him 29th in the College standings and 70th overall. Junior Nick Wojtasik came next with a 42nd place finish and 94th overall ending with a time of 26:23. Not far behind him were senior Will Rial (26:39) and junior Pat Burns (26:50) to round out the top five finishes for the Blue Streaks. Freshman Jerry Dugan hit a mark of 27:25 and senior Jeff Sigmund finished with a time of 27:57 to also finish in the top 100 of College Division of runners.

On the women’s side of the bracket, the Blue Streaks also had an impressive finish, coming in 10th place overall in the event. With 327 points on the day, the Blue Streaks were the top Division III school in their bracket and were also able to come in third place in the College Division, trailing only behind Division II schools Bellarmine University and Stonehill College, both of whom are both ranked in the top 20 in the division II national rankings.

The freshman duo of Bridget Hanna and Emily Mapes claimed the top two spots for the Blue Streaks, placing 11th and 12th in the College Division and 44th and 47th in the overall standings with times of 18:46 and 18:50, respectively. Sophomore Gab Kreuz was the next Blue Streak to finish, crossing the line with a time of 19:06, which put her in third and 66th overall. Sophomore Anna Busta was right on her heels with a time of 19:09, placing 72nd overall. Freshman Jenny Vrobel finished with a time of 19:35 to place 44th overall.

“The race at Notre Dame was exciting for me as a freshman because we got to race on a beautiful campus against some very competitive teams from all divisions,” said Hanna.

The 2011 Blue Streaks’ campaign has brought along a new, more determined attitude in both the men’s and women’s teams, as each side feeds off of the others success week after week to accomplish new goals.

Coach Dara Ford was proud of both teams’ performances this past weekend, and she stated it simply.

“This was the best race we have run since I have been at John Carroll,” said coach Ford, who has been coaching at JCU since 2008.