Adrian, MI – #14/17 Alma College Football headed down to Adrian on Saturday to take on the Bulldogs in MIAA play. The Scots overcame a slow start, and a resilient Adrian side, winning 45-24.
Adrian took the opening possession and was forced to punt by Alma. The Scots needed just one play, a 64-yard scoring play from Carter St. John to Zach Poff. Adrian responded with a big play of their own to tie the game at 7. That tie would last just 11 seconds, as once again Poff made a big play, the freshman took the ensuing kickoff back 93 yards for a house call to give Alma the lead. Adrian refused to go away however, as the Bulldogs grabbed a batted pass to score on a pick six. After one quarter, the teams were knotted at 14-14.
The second quarter saw Alma pull clear. The Scots scored on a big play, as Kahleel Brown scampered 54-yards on an inside run to help Alma regain the lead at 21-14. Late in the quarter, Poff grabbed his 3rd score of the day on a 24 yard toss from St. John to double the visitors' lead. At half, the Scots led 28-14.
Alma had the first possession out of halftime, and used it to score in 8 plays culminating in an Eddie Williams 26 yard receiving touchdown. The Scots would tack on another 3 points just minutes later via a Josh Hernandez 34 yard field goal. At the end of three, Alma was up comfortably at 38-17.
Adrian scored a pair of 4th quarter touchdowns, but they were split by a Cole Thomas 11 yard receiving touchdown with 11 minutes left to play, which put things well out of reach. As the clock hit 0:00, Alma claimed victory at 45-24.
Carter St. John completed 16 of 19 passes for 239 yards and 4 touchdowns. Kahleel Brown was the leading rusher for the Scots, racking up 83 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Zach Poff led receivers with 3 receptions for 89 yards and 2 scores.
Defensively, Gage Nelson led with 11 total tackles. Evan Metiva, Bryce Fredenurg, and Drew Humm each snagged interceptions in the win. Metiva and Jerome Roberson each tallied a sack.
With the win, Alma moves to 9-0 and 5-0 in MIAA play. The Scots have now claimed the MIAA's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Football Tournament, and are playoff bound for the 2nd straight season. The Scots also claim a share of the 2023 MIAA Championship with the win.
Alma has a chance to win the MIAA crown outright when they travel to Albion next week. Kickoff is set for 1 PM.
