Football chomped in finale

Team's passsing offense improves en route to 40th loss in a row

The football team wrapped up its season Saturday against the NCAC's top team, playoff bound Allegheny. As expected, the undefeated Gators chomped Oberlin 61-7.

Oberlin's offense moved the ball against Allegheny, especially through the air. Junior quarterback James Parker completed a conference season-high 30 passes, including a conference record 17 to sophomore wideout Felix Brooks-Church.

Parker said being burned in the game makes gives the accomplishments less luster. "Later on, it might feel all right, but during the game or right after it, it doesn't mean a whole lot," he said.

The game was played on the Astroturf field at Youngstown State University because of heavy snow on Allegheny's field.

Oberlin put the ball in scoring position - and place kicker Sam Krasnow missed three first-half field goal attempts. The team's sole touchdown came in the when Parker hit Brooks-Church on an 8-yard strike with just over 3 minutes left in the game.

In the past two years, Oberlin was unable to move the ball at all at Allegheny, including the team's infamous 83-loss at Allegheny in 1994.

"This year's team is much, much better than last year's," Brooks-Church said. "It's too bad we can't prove it with wins."

That game for Brooks-Church made him the NCAC's top receiver both in yardage and number of receptions by catching 76 passes for 826 yards

Another receiver, sophomore Anthony Johnson also ended up among the leaders in both conference statistical categories for receivers. His 42 receptions and 449 yards placed him fourth and eighth in the NCAC in those areas.

Johnson was sixth in kickoff return yardage with 374 yards on 23 returns, for an average of 16.3 yards.

During the last four seasons, all with blanks in the win column for Yeomen, placing anyone on the conference's leader lists in any category has been a rarity. In addition to the receivers, first-year Jabari Spruill finished third in kickoff returns by gaining 622 yards on 32 returns for an average of 19.4 per return.

Spruill, who was the only player in the conference to return a kickoff