Hawks set single-game scoring record with 89-0 drubbing of Crusaders

QUINCY — The video from Saturday’s 89-0 sandblasting of Madonna University could be an invaluable tool for Quincy University football coach Gary Bass and his staff to use in molding the depth chart this season and evaluating how to build future rosters.

Now the coaches possess film on everyone.

The highest-scoring game in program history featured 10 different players scoring touchdowns, a defense that allowed just three first downs and every player in uniform taking snaps.

“I don’t like scores the way it was today, but under the circumstances, the coolest thing as a head coach is seeing a lot of kids get an opportunity to get snaps that don’t normally get snaps,” Bass said. “We were giving guys opportunities and they were going out there and executing plays.”

It resulted in a more lopsided game than anyone could have imagined.

The 89 points are the most scored by the Hawks, surpassing the 80-26 victory at Kentucky Wesleyan on Oct. 19, 2013. It is the largest margin of victory in program history, surpassing the 65-0 whitewashing of Haskell Indian Nations on Sept. 27, 2014.

The shutout was the 10th posted by the QU defense since the program was reinstated in 1986.

“We didn’t have penalties, we executed on special teams, we executed on defense, we executed on offense and that’s what it should look like when you do those things,” Bass said. “When you do those things, you don’t have to worry about the score.”

The game began with a 53-yard kick return by the Hawks’ Jalen Lawrence, and it led to a seven-play drive capped by Jadon Washington’s 3-yard touchdown run with a little more than two minutes elapsed. Two minutes later, it was 21-0 after Anthony Gilpin Jr. returned a punt 61 yards for a score and Hans Wisnewski caught a 31-yard touchdown pass.

Just 90 seconds later, following the second interception thrown by Madonna quarterback Arthur Brantley, Lawrence hauled in a 31-yard touchdown pass from Drake Davis.

It continued to snowball. The Hawks led 49-0 at the end of the first quarter and 75-0 at halftime.

“That was the biggest point we made at halftime,” Bass said. “I told our guys that they had to understand that we needed to play. I said, ‘I don’t care who’s in. We talk about playing four quarters. I never said the starters have to play four quarters. As a football team, we have to play four quarters in all phases of the game.’

“I thought our kids did a nice job of doing that, which is huge. From a discipline standpoint, we cut the penalties out, which is huge. Our kids went out and executed football plays.”

The Hawks will play the third of their five consecutive home games to open the season at 1 p.m. next Saturday against the University of Fort Lauderdale.