The Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Sprint Football team continues their 2024 campaign on Friday, October 18 at 7:00 p.m. (ET) as they travel to Walsh (Ohio) for a road contest against the Cavs. The game will be live from North Canton, Ohio.

The game will be broadcast live on SMWCAthletics.com as well as WNDI 95.3 FM on the radio with the legendary John Montgomery describing the action.

SMWC continues its third season of competing in sprint football. The Pomeroys are 17-3 all-time in the sport -- all under the direction of third-year head coach Blaine Powell. The Pomeroys will put their perfect 10-0 all-time record away from home on the line against Walsh. SMWC is riding a four-game winning streak to open the season.

The Pomeroys have clinched a spot in the 2024 Midwest Sprint Football League Playoffs and also will play their semifinal contest at Jay Barrett Field on Saturday, November 2. SMWC is tied with their next opponent Calumet College of St. Joseph at 4-0 for the league lead.

Walsh enters the contest with an overall record of 1-3 and are coming off a bye week. They are under the direction of head coach Lamarr Stewart.

The Pomeroys are 1-0 all-time against Walsh having won last season by the score of 35-6 -- also on the road. 

The Pomeroys won the 2022 Midwest Sprint Football League Championship with a 23-7 win at CCSJ in the league's championship game which was played in Whiting, Ind. In 2023, SMWC reached the MSFL Championship Game but fell to CCSJ in that game at Jay Barrett Field to finish as league runner-up. It was the first college football playoff contest to be held in Vigo County since 1984. In 2024, the Pomeroys were named the MSFL Preseason favorite. 

SMWC won all three of the MSFL weekly awards following their 54-26 win at Bellarmine on October 5. Marques Reese (Indianapolis, Ind. / Ben Davis HS) is the MSFL Offensive Player of the Week while Austin Petrillo (Rockville, Ind. / Parke Heritage HS) is the MSFL Defensive Player of the Week and Darrius Megnin (Corydon, Ind. / Corydon Central HS) is the MSFL Special Teams Player of the Week.

Reese took the league's Special Teams Player of the Week honors after Week 1 and comes back this week as the MSFL Offensive Player of the Week. Reese caught six passes for 158 yards -- an average of 26.3 yards per catch with a pair of touchdowns in the 54-26 road victory over Bellarmine. His long of 62 yards came in the first play after halftime to stretch the Pomeroy lead to 22-7 over the Knights. He also hauled in a 40-yarder just before halftime to give SMWC a 14-7 advantage. He also caught one two point conversion and added a 13-yard kickoff return.

Petrillo was credited with six total tackles, including a tackle for a loss in the Pomeroys 54-26 victory at Bellarmine. He posted a pair of interceptions including a key one in the red zone just before halftime to stop a potential game-tying drive by the Knights before halftime. Petrillo also blocked a PAT kick in the third quarter which was eventually returned 98 yards for a defensive two point conversion. He intercepted his second pass of the contest and returned the ball to the Bellarmine 4-yard line for 61 yards which set up the final SMWC touchdown of the day.

Megnin pulled off one of the most rare scoring plays in all of football when he took a PAT attempt that was blocked by Petrillo and scooped the ball at the two-yard line and returned it 98 yards for a defensive two-point conversion after Bellarmine had scored to cut into the Pomeroy lead. The extra two points combined with a safety three minutes later established a 40-20 advantage for SMWC heading into the 4th quarter.

Through four games this season, SMWC is averaging 45.0 points per game which leads the league. SMWC leads the league also with a total of 440 yards per game. Both Darren Hazzard and Keandre Jones went over 100 yards rushing in the game with three combined rushing touchdowns.
 
The SMWC defense is allowing 17.8 points per game during their current four-game winning streak.

The Pomeroys will return home on Saturday, October 26 when they host Calumet College of St. Joseph for a 3 p.m. (ET) kickoff at Jay Barrett Field.