Connor Rice '17 awaits the coin toss.
Wabash Always Fights!
The toss is made...
The 123rd Monon Bell Classic is about to begin.
Stripes of all sorts can be found on the Wabash sideline.
Long shall we sing thy praises, Old Wabash.
Plenty of energy came from the Sphinx Club.
The action on the field has his attention.
Always Means Always!
The Bell Game is always intense.
The West End Zone bleachers...
can lead to some unique perspectives.
Hollett Little Giant Stadium's capacity grows immensely for this game.
Wabash nears the end zone.
Matt Hudson '10 is a staple of AXS-TV's game coverage.
Great plays lead to celebrations.
The Class of 2019 was well represented.
A father and son cheer on the Little Giants from the end zone.
Oliver Page reaches for the ball late in the game.
The Pep Band keeps spirits up as the Little Giants claw their way back into the game.
Fans in the end zone cheer for the Little Giant touchdown that tied the game at 24-24.
Against the din of the DePauw celebration, the Little Giants take a knee on their field to hear from Coach Don Morel.
At the end of the game and season, the Sphinx Club and the team sing 'Old Wabash' to each other.
After the game, Wabash men sing 'Old Wabash' to each team member leaving the field, and Brian Parks ’17 appreciates the gesture.
“Wabash Always Fights.”
That’s the motto the football team clung to Saturday, as Little Giants fought their way back into the game after an early 14-point deficit, eventually taking its first lead with six minutes left in the 123rd Monon Bell Classic, and reclaiming it with just over two minutes to play..
But DePauw answered with a touchdown 38 seconds remaining, ending Wabash’s seven-game win streak in the series.
“First of all, you have to give tremendous credit to DePauw,” Wabash Head Coach Don Morel said. “They played an amazing game. And so did Wabash — to come back with two minutes left and take the lead. But then for DePauw to drive the ball 90 yards in two minutes in amazing. It’s a tribute to a great Division III rivalry. Playing in that game, we did everything we wanted to but win it at the end.”
Several drives throughout the game came down to kicker Andrew Tutsie ’17. Though he missed a field goal early in the contest, his continued efforts put his team ahead late in the fourth quarter. All he could do after that was watch from the sidelines.
“It’s hard – I can’t even put it into words,” Tutsie said. “When we were up three points with two minutes left, I thought we were about to close it out. But I guess that’s football.”
Wide receiver Oliver Page ’18 said the entire team was playing for their seniors. Each time they clawed their way back into the game, it was to send the seniors out on the right note.
And even though they didn’t win, quarterback and captain Connor Rice ’17 could not have been prouder of his team.
“No matter what the score is, we believe in ourselves,” Rice said. “It’s a game, but it hurts because this means so much to us. I’m really proud of our seniors, really proud of the school, and really proud of how we responded. We have a great team, and it sucks to lose, but we fought hard today. We got to see the character of our team, and I’m extremely proud of them.”
Wabash still leads DePauw in the rivalry, 60-54-9. Though it’s heartbreaking for everyone now, Coach Morel said this will be used as motivation for the underclassmen. As for the seniors? They always will have a great career to look back on.
“This is a senior group that has played a lot of championship football,” Morel said. “They are such great guys. That’s going to be tough on them, but hopefully not for the rest of their lives. They’ll move on, get married, have kids, and grandkids.”
Still, he said, Wabash men have so much pride, and, “Wabash Always Fights.