HILLSBORO, Kan. – Bluejay Football took on McPherson in another chapter of the Highway 56 Showdown on Saturday evening. The contest came on the heels of a tough matchup against Southwestern, and Head Coach
Mike Gardner and his team entered the evening with every intention of proving just how good they are, compared to how they have been predicted to finish.
McPherson came into Joel H. Wiens Stadium as one of the highest billed teams in the league, with senior quarterback Ryan Markarian sitting as one of the top signal callers in the conference. The Bulldogs got on the board first, courtesy of two touchdowns. The Bluejays answered late in the 3
rd quarter, as
Brandon King picked off Markarian at the Bluejays' 3-yard line for Tabor's third total interception and his second, hauling it back to the house for a 97-yard pick-six, putting the score at 14-7. Two field goals by
Jonathon Scheffler helped Tabor close the late gap, giving the Bluejays a chance to tie the game with a minute and change on the clock.
Despite falling to their local rival, the Bluejays forced five turnovers throughout the night, with four turnovers coming by way of interceptions, while the final turnover came by way of Tabor recovering their own onside kick in the final minutes of the contest.
Freshman running back
Grady Gebhardt had a breakout performance, rushing for 80 total yards, with a longest run of 24 yards, averaging 5.3 yards-per-carry. In addition to his rushing stat-line, Gebhardt also recorded 18 receiving yards on two catches, with a longest reception of 10 yards.
Tyson Dozhier also had himself a day in the receiving department, recording 40 yards on three receptions and a longest reception of 20 yards.
On the defensive side of things, several players had standout performances.
Zach Sandoval led the way with three solo tackles and 10 total tackles, with one tackle-for-loss (TFL) for two yards.
Abram Keim broke out with two solo tackles and seven total tackles, adding to his already impressive sophomore stat line. Three Bluejays recorded interceptions, resulting in four picks thrown by the top quarterback in the conference.
Isaiah Becerril and
Kelton Williams each picked up and interception, with Becerril picking off Markarian in the endzone.
Brandon King recorded two interceptions, with his second pick of the day coming at the Bluejays' 3-yard line, subsequently running the length of the field unimpeded for a 97-yard pick-six.
Deshad Sheridan and
Cameron Tuiasosopo also recorded one tackle-for-loss each, with Tuiasosopo recording the team's lone sack and one forced fumble.
Damar Williams had a solid day on the return team, recording 47 kick-return yards on two returns, with a longest return of 36 yards.
Jonathon Scheffler nailed two field goals on the night, with his longest field goal as a freshman coming off a 44-yard attempt early in the 4
th quarter.
"These dudes played incredibly hard and put us in a position to write our own ending", remarked Head Coach
Mike Gardner. "That is a really good McPherson team and they are worthy of their ranking. I have a lot of respect for their coaching staff, and I get along with them well."
When asked about
Grady Gebhardt's performance, Gardner had this to say, "The kid is really a gamer, he played his tail off tonight. We were really blessed to get him and have him here."
"I thought
Tyson Dozhier and
Jerome Stewart also played well offensively. On the defensive side, I cannot say enough about
Brandon King, he is an outstanding player but an even better person."
"Schematically on defense, we did a great job, our guys played really hard."
Gardner also touched on the impact of local recruits like
Abram Keim who have continued to blossom, "We have been blessed with having kids from Kansas who have come from winning programs and have come from teams that have won state titles or have made deep playoff runs. Those kids understand how to win."
The Bluejays are back on the road on Saturday as they head down to Wichita to take on No. 7 Friends at Adair-Austin Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:00pm.
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).
