Following a heartbreaking loss to Grove City in overtime in the second game of the season, the Case Western Reserve University football team has caught fire, winning the last five games. This past Saturday, the Spartans defeated Waynesburg University 35-0 in front of a home crowd on DiSanto Field, recording their third shutout of the season, tying a program record.
After CWRU forced Waynesburg to punt on their opening drive, the two teams traded possessions two more times before putting up points on the board. The Spartans settled down first towards the end of the first quarter, with fourth-year quarterback Alex Fromberg connecting with fourth-year wide receiver Michael Wojkowski for 19 yards and a new first down at the Spartans’ 44-yard line. After a few more short plays, third-year running back Gage Duesler found the endzone following a 37-yard run to put CWRU up 7-0 following a successful extra point attempt.
The Spartan defense held off four drives from Waynesburg into the second quarter. The defense was anchored by fourth-year linebacker Sean Torres, who led the team with 10 tackles and a quarterback hurry for the game.
CWRU had the final possession of the half with only 54 seconds left. The Spartans made the most of it, as Fromberg used his passing game to march the team down the field. Fromberg found third-year wide receiver Noah Coyne on three straight plays for 54 yards to bring the Spartans within 11 yards of the red zone. Fourth-year wide receiver Riley Knurek capped off the drive after catching a short left pass from Fromberg for the touchdown. The Spartans went into halftime up 14-0.
The offensive momentum carried into the second half, as the Spartans notched 3 touchdowns to put the game out of reach. Duesler shined on the first and only play of the 10-second opening drive, sprinting for a 63-yard touchdown for the 21-0 lead.
Less than three minutes later, the Spartans got possession and used a solid, five-minute drive to go 58 yards on 8 plays. Fromberg finished the drive with a 1-yard rushing touchdown for the 28-0 Spartan advantage.
The final score of the game came with three minutes left in the third quarter. Second-year running back Christopher Lim recorded a two-yard touchdown to conclude the 7-play, 58-yard drive to bring the score to 35-0.
With the victory, the Spartans’ record improved to 6-1 overall. The seventh-ranked team among NCAA Division III squads is now only giving up 7.4 points per game. In this game alone, the CWRU defense held Waynesburg to just 187 yards overall. In addition to Torres, fourth-year defensive lineman AJ Dudowski recorded four tackles including a sack while graduate student defensive back D.J. Wolf notched an interception on the first drive of the game.
The Spartans’ high-octane offense was on full display, as the team finished with 472 yards, the second-highest offensive output of the season so far. The offensive line was integral in this success, not allowing a single sack for the third time in the last four games. Duesler recorded 130 yards to go with his 2 touchdowns, leading the Spartans in their season-high 241 rushing yards. Fromberg notched 231 yards after throwing 18-for-27 and rushing 29 yards for 2 total touchdowns. Coyne led the Spartans with 84 yards on 5 receptions.
The Spartans have three more games left in the season. CWRU will travel to Washington, Pennsylvania to play Washington and Jefferson College on Oct. 28. The following weekend, CWRU will celebrate Senior Day on Nov. 4 against Allegheny College at 2 p.m. The regular season finale will be on the road against Carnegie Mellon University on Nov. 11.
