HILLSBORO, Kan. – Tabor College Football opens the 2026 campaign on Saturday as they play host to rival Sterling. The Bluejays and the Warriors have met 57 times, with the series opening in 1967, when Bluejay Football was born. Sterling currently owns a 33-24 advantage in the all-time series, while Tabor has won seven of the last 10 meetings and holds a four-game win streak.
 
"I really like our guys; they have done a really good job meshing well together and they really look like a team and have acted like one, none of our guys think they are better than the rest", remarked Head Coach Mike Gardner, as he enters his 19^th season.
 
Saturday will mark the third time that Gardner and the Warriors' Head Coach Reggie Langford Jr. have coached against each other. "He (Langford) does a great job offensively by running the same plays with a number of different variations. He is going to have those guys ready to go defensively as well, they have a lot of returners on the defensively line and I always feel like those guys play really hard, it doesn't matter what the score is."
 
"We have done a decent job of not turning the ball over during fall camp and the first few weeks of practice, which has been big. Our quarterbacks are going to have an opportunity to see what they can do, and I know they are looking forward to it as well. I am looking forward to it being a pretty evenly matched football game", stated Gardner.
 
Kickoff is set for 6:00pm, and fans not in attendance will be able to catch the game live on the Tabor Webcast Network. Live stats will also be available here.
 
Be sure to stay up to date with all information regarding Bluejay Athletics by following us on X at @gotaborbluejays, on Instagram and Facebook @taborbluejays, and on our official athletic website, taborbluejays.com.

Tabor College is a Christ-centered institution located in Hillsboro, Kansas. The Bluejays are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and compete in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC).