Miles Rochester, Sports Editor
Wooster’s football team put on a clinic this past weekend at John P. Papp Stadium where they took on the Hilbert College Hawks, a flock who has been unable to record a single win this season. Wooster’s win also came well-timed with their senior day celebration, which commemorated 24 seniors who have dedicated countless hours of hard work and commitment to the team.
The Scots looked dangerous from the get-go with veteran quarterback Mateo Renteria ’22 at the helm, supported by a hungry and buzzing offense. Troy Baughman ’22 was extremely determined on the first drive, as he recorded three catches for 41 yards to move the Scots towards a score. Renteria would then reward Baughman’s efforts by picking him out in the endzone for a four-yard passing touchdown and the first score of many for Wooster.
In response to the Scots’ initial drive, Hilbert’s offense took to the field looking to even the game. Itt looked promising for the Hawks early on the drive, as they flew down the field, capturing three first downs in their first three plays. Eventually, Matt Ulishney ’23 crumbled Hilbert’s hopes of scoring by making consecutive tackles on second and third down. In Wooster’s second offensive attempt, it was obvious that Renteria was getting comfortable in the driver’s seat. The Scot quarterback drove down the field in four plays, rushing 20 yards himself and throwing thrice, relying on the hands of Gadler Brazos ’25 and Andrew Hammer ’25 to pave the path to another Wooster touchdown. Jarvis Mims Jr. ’26 was the man to punch it in for the Scots with a two-yard rush down the middle to double the gap with Wooster on top 14-0.
Throughout the remaining 22 minutes in the first half, Wooster’s defense was an insurmountable object in the eyes of Hilbert’s Hawks, as the Scots would not even allow the visitors to think about scoring. On the other hand, Hilbert began to find its stride defensively, denying Renteria and Wooster on two consecutive drives.
In the third offensive drive for the Scots following Wooster’s last score, the offense needed a trip to the endzone to widen the gap and reward their defense’s stellar performance. Baughman was once again the man to spark the then-slowing offense with a 32-yard gain to put Wooster in Hilbert territory, and then eventually a seven-yard receiving touchdown to make it 21-0 Wooster.
The Scot’s defensive unit prepared to take the field and once again put Hilbert’s advances to a halt. However, an onside kick mishandled by the Hawks resulted in another offensive drive for Wooster. During this drive, it was Andrew Yanssens ’23 who took the reins for the Scots. The running back ran for 29 yards to provide goal line positioning, then finished the job with a two-yard score to put the game even farther out of reach for the visitors.
Wooster’s next score came right before halftime when Mims Jr. took an 80-yard stroll down the middle of the field and to the house for the fifth touchdown of the day. At the score of 35-0 Wooster, the game was all but over.
In the second half, not much changed. Wooster remained dominant on both sides of the ball, scoring two more touchdowns on a five-yard pass from Joshua Pond ’24 and a Yanssens two-yard rush. The defense also maintained a shutout until the very last minute of the game, when Nicolas Rinker ’26 found Andre Augustiniak ’26 for a 22-yard touchdown to make the final score 49-7 in favor of the Scots. With the win, the team advanced to a record of 4-3.
Wooster will look to build off this momentum on Saturday, Oct. 29 when they take on Wittenberg at John P. Papp Stadium. Come out and support your Scots!
The Wooster Voice 