Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) football Texas College
Before the game, eight SAGU seniors were honored; Chadd Dearen, Ethan Eastwood, Chaz Moncriffe, Philip Robledo, Javier Lopez, DVonn Brown, Ethridge Brooks and Jamaal Fears . This group of SAGU seniors ties last year for the winningest class in SAGU’s 20-year history.
“It’s always good to end the season with a win, especially for the seniors as well as setting the tone for next year and going into the off-season with more momentum,” says head coach Frank Tristan.
Texas College came to play, and on the first drive of the game they were able to march 89 yards in eight plays to ultimately score off of an Eldrick English carry.
SAGU quickly answered and scored on their first possession as well. The touchdown came off a quarterback sneak by Romeo Balboa . The Lions extra point was blocked, making the score 7-6.
On the next series, the Lions were able to force a TC punt, which was returned for a touchdown by Roderick Brown . The Lions regained the lead, 15-7, and kept it for the remainder of the game. At the end of the half, SAGU was leading 22-21.
In the second half, the Lions came out of the locker room and were able to score early and often. In the first possession of the second half, Balboa passed to Jeremy Carr for a touchdown.
On the next play, SAGU’s Cody Page forced a fumble and returned it 40 yards for back-to-back SAGU touchdowns. Page’s defensive touchdown put SAGU in the lead 36-21.
The Lions went onto score three more times. One touchdown came from a quarterback keep from Balboa, another after a 47-yard touchdown pass from Balboa to Chaz Moncriffe and the last after a 35-yard touchdown pass from Balboa to Toras Hill .
Texas College actually had more total offense, racking up 602 yards compared to SAGU’s 525 yards.
Quarterback Romeo Balboa had four touchdowns; he went 21 for 36 in passing for 375 yards. JP Lowery had 16 carries for 94 yards. Jeremy Carr had five receptions for 104 yards, a long of 48 yards and one touchdown. Chaz Moncriffe had four catches for 79 yards and one touchdown. Bryant Dotson and Toras Hill each had a catch for a touchdown.
For the defense, Carl Morgan had nine tackles for the Lions. Ethan Eastwood had eight tackles. Matt Williams added seven tackles and one interception. Elijah Pruitt also had a tackle.
Texas College quarterback Sean Stell went 27 for 45 with 376 yards passing. Stell had three touchdowns and threw two interceptions.
The season was full of injuries for the Lions. SAGU lost 15 players out of the original two-deep to season-ending injuries. Despite the poor luck, Tristan has been impressed with the way his team has rallied, “One thing that is special about this group is that despite all of the injuries and the adversity we faced throughout the season, the team stayed together the whole year. It was special to be a part of for sure.”
Southwestern Assemblies of God University is a private, Christian university located 30 minutes south of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in Waxahachie, Texas. The university was established in 1927, and now offers more than 70 associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees on campus or online. More information is available at www.sagu.edu or by calling 1-888-YES-SAGU.
Contact: Natalie Tristan, SAGU SID, [email protected]
