By Julian Markese
Sports Editor
The Owls won 52-45 in overtime against Post University after coming back from 28 points down. It was the season finale and Senior Day.
“I’m so proud of these guys,” Head Coach Joe Loth said. “They are the foundation of what we are trying to do moving forward.”
After trading touchdowns in the first quarter, the Owls muffed a kickoff early in the second, and momentum shifted squarely behind the Eagles.
Post scored three unanswered touchdowns. The drives were quick. The Owls defense had no answers. The Eagles scored on drives of two plays, three plays and then finally on a one-play 71-yard touchdown drive that gave them a 42-14 lead.
“We started off slow. We’ve had an issue with starting off slow all year,” Loth said.
The Owls responded with a one-play drive of their own. Quarterback John Giller, a freshman, found wide receiver Seth Westover, a senior, on a 48-yard strike before the half was over. The halftime score was 42-21.
In the second half, the Owls turned to running back Kieran Falzon, a junior. Despite often facing a stacked box, Falzon used his vision to bounce outside and gallop through the defense throughout the game.
Midway through the third quarter, the offense found a little bit of rhythm. Giller completed passes to wide receiver Divine Edwards, a senior, who broke several tackles. At the goal line, Giller faked to Falzon before plunging into the endzone himself to make the score 42-28.
The Owls contended with the mobility of Post’s quarterbacks all day. Eventually, defensive end Joe Garbowski, a graduate, broke through with a tackle for loss and forced Post to kick a field goal, leaving the score 45-28 heading into the fourth quarter.
“We’ve come back a couple times,” Loth said. “We knew that if we could get a couple stops, we could get back into the game.”
The Owls were in a 17-point hole with only one quarter left.
Giller, who had been more of a runner this season, struggled to get the ball downfield in obvious passing scenarios. He threw an interception at the start of the fourth quarter, making way for quarterback Brandon Jorgensen, a senior, to play the rest of the game.
Jorgensen moved the offense. He found his favorite target, Westover, for another long touchdown. Westover ran free on the 60-yard score to cut the lead to 10.
“I know my alignment, my assignment. I understand the coverage. I know what they’re doing,” Westover said. “Then it’s just man versus man.”
Westover finished the day with 164 yards and two touchdowns. He led the team in receiving this season with 679 yards and six touchdowns. He will be returning for one more year.
Linebacker LaRawn Robinson, a freshman, had another standout game. He and the rest of the defensive unit held firm in the fourth. Halfway through the fourth, Post was forced to punt.
Wide receiver Jaylon Tucker, a graduate, took over the return game in the second half. He held the position for most of the season and was impactful when he got the chance.
Tucker broke three tackles on the return and delivered excellent field position. Kicker Daniel Benzi, a junior, nailed a short field goal to shrink the deficit to seven.
“Stick to the plan. Nobody needs to be a hero. If we all just do our job, and that’s what happened today, we come out on top,” Westover said.
By then, momentum had shifted. The crowd, which had been subdued for much of the game, came alive. Needing one more stop, the defense blitzed. Post’s quarterback momentarily evaded the rush before his throw ended up in the dirt.
The Owls got another chance. Once again, Tucker flipped field position with his return.
Jorgensen calmly led the offense down the field. He found Falzon in the flat, who beat his defender to the edge before leaping and reaching to the pylon for the score.
“I love running the ball,” Falzon said. “I love being on the field.”
Falzon’s touchdown forced overtime. And in overtime, he needed only one play to find the endzone. He ran left, before reversing field and running 25 yards for his fourth touchdown of the day.
Falzon accounted for 231 total yards of offense against Post. He finished his breakout season with 1,227 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns, which led the NE10.
“I just do what I can do. There’s not much to it,” Falzon said. “I just gotta thank my O-line. They block their asses off. And I just work around them.”
The defense forced Post into a turnover on downs, ending the game. Corner back TJ Butler, a graduate, broke up the final pass attempt.
It was the final collegiate game for Butler, Jorgensen and the rest of the senior class. They were honored with a pregame ceremony and collective game ball.
“These guys brought the team together. Even if the season didn’t go the way we wanted it to, they stepped up,” Robinson said. “They were leaders. They carried us to this win today.”
The season may not have ended in glory, but the Owls 4-3 conference record is their best since 2017. With Loth at the helm, the team is on a clear upward trajectory. They completed two comebacks of 17 points or more this season.
“This is one of the most productive years I’ve been a part of,” Westover said. “The record is almost the same, but as far as the potential? It’s never been bigger.”
