LIBERTY, Mo. - William Jewell football heads to Spearfish, South Dakota this weekend and looks to get back on track with a matchup with Black Hills State.
THE SERIES
The Cardinals and Yellow Jackets meet for the second time in program history this week. Black Hills took the first meeting last season by a final of 31-21. After falling into a 24-7 hole at the break, Jewell outscored BHSU 14-7 in the second half but the comeback came up short.
TURNOVERS APLENTY
The Jewell defense grabbed three interceptions and a forced fumble in the opener last week. Kwesi Hooks, Ethan Reynolds and Sean Mitchell each grabbed a pick. The former returned the first for 60 yards to the end zone, for just the sixth interception return for a touchdown in the NCAA era and first for the Cardinals since 2018. The Cardinals are tied with Indianapolis for tops in the GLVC and second nationally in interceptions in week one.
DISCIPLINED IN EARLY GOING
Jewell showed discipline in week one, totaling just three penalties, which led the GLVC and was ninth best in Division II while Colorado Mesa had eight, for 100 yards.
GEELEN, CALLAHAN ADD NAMES TO RECORD BOOK
Paul Geelen, a 6-foot-5 freshman kicker from The Netherlands, showed off his leg last week against Colorado Mesa. The newcomer punted 10 times for 368 yards, both top five in a single game in the NCAA era.
Additionally, sophomore linebacker Adam Callahan became the 38th player to record at least 12 tackles in a game in the NCAA era.
LONG FINDS END ZONE, RECEIVERS LOOKING FOR MORE
Head coach Mike McGlinchey and wide receivers coach Clarence Anderson have shown confidence in their receiver core early with eight different players have at least one catch in week one. Among those, sophomore Keavian Long, who scored the first offensive touchdown of the year and the first score of his career on an eight yard reception from CJ Ward in the third quarter. Winston Quinn was the top target in the opener with 53 yards on five catches.
CARDINALS IN SOUTH DAKOTA
Jewell will travel to a showdown in South Dakota for the fourth time in program history. The Cardinals made their first trek to The Mount Rushmore State in 2011 to take on Sioux Falls and most recently in 2017. The lone win in South Dakota came with a 48-21 victory over South Dakota Mines in 2012.
YEAR THREE UNDER MCGLINCHEY
Jewell is entering their third season under Mike McGlinchey and looking for strides forward after battling through the challenge of recruiting back-to-back classes in a pandemic. The coaching staff brought in a 48-member recruiting class this fall to bolster the roster and add much needed depth across the lines
NEW COACHES ON THE BLOCK
William Jewell welcomed in three new members of the coaching staff last spring. Alex Kastens took over the offensive line after spending the 2021 season at the University of Mary and a playing career at Carroll College. Timothy Schroer appeared in two NCAA-III national playoffs as a safety and corner at St. John Fisher College (N.Y.) and will coach the outside linebackers, while Jackson Hall will oversee the running backs after completing his playing career at Northern Colorado. Additionally, Louis Cortes was elevated to the role of defensive coordinator while Neil Linhart was promoted to assistant head coach.
THE 2022 SCHEDULE
The Cardinals will make the exact same journey as last season with reverse locations. Jewell will complete two-year agreements with Colorado Mesa, Kentucky Wesleyan, Black Hills State, and Ohio Dominican, traveling to the latter two opponents. The Cardinals will also hit the road to Lindenwood in October, who is no longer a GLVC opponent, having made the transition to Division I and the Ohio Valley Conference but will avoid leaving an open spot on the schedule with the non-conference matchup.
GREENE STADIUM FINALE
Greene Stadium was completed in 1955 and has served as the home of the Cardinals for the past 66 seasons but 2022 will be its last. Following the conclusion of the season construction will begin on The Link Project which will include among its features a new indoor arena, locker room and coaches spaces, athletic training room and student fitness center on the inside of the building along with a new stadium and campus entrance design on the outside. The $20 million campaign was matched this summer and the ceremonial ground breaking will take place on homecoming weekend, on the morning of October 1.
