Turnovers Cost Warriors in Loss to McPherson
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sterling ( 0-1) | 3 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 30 |
|
McPherson (0-1) | 14 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
McPherson, Kan. – The turnovers in the game with McPherson cost Sterling over the course of the game. Of the 72 total points scored in the game, 41 points came directly from turnovers. Sterling lost the turnover battle six to two.
The game itself was one of runs. McPherson scored the first 14 points, Sterling answered with 17 straight to take a mid-second quarter lead. Mac scored two more times before halftime and once more to start the second half to take a 35-17 lead. Sterling was able to cut the lead to just 5 over its next several possessions, including an interception return for a touchdown by Dexter Walker Jr. The final score of the day came on a McPherson rush in the final minute of play that sealed the deal for the Bulldogs. The final score in McPherson was 42-30 in favor of the Bulldogs.
Sterling owned almost every statistic on the scoreboard except for two very important ones; turnovers and final score. The Warriors were excellent on third and fourth downs. They had 370 yards of total offense compared to just 232 from McPherson. Sterling had significantly more rushing yards and passing yards than the Bulldogs.
Rocklin Baptista was 12-27, throwing for 129 yards and a touchdown, ran for 39 yards on 11 attempts, but threw 4 interceptions. Jordan Slocum was 2-4 for 10 yards and rushed for 27 yards on 7 attempts with a rushing touchdown, and threw one interception. Kendrick Bell anchored the Warrior running game. He ran for 81 yards on 16 attempts and a touchdown, for a 5.1 yards per carry average. Bryance Sanders was a nice compliment to Bell running 8 times for 50 yards averaging 6.3 yards per carry.
The Warriors have fallen to 0-2 this season. Sterling's offense was much improved from week one. They will be tested once again as they welcome Evangel University to town on Saturday, September 16th at 6 pm. Sterling will be celebrating Youth Football Day at the stadium with Sterling Rec playing their youth football games at Smisor Stadium in the morning.
Be sure to check for news and updates on Sterling Warrior Athletics on Facebook (/SCWarriors), Twitter (@SterlingCSports), and Instagram (sterlingcsports), as well as the hashtag #SwordsUp. Watch the Warriors' live home events on the Sterling College Sports Network.
