The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
CWRU posts third shutout
With almost his entire defense back for the 2023 season, Case Western Reserve coach Greg Debeljak made it known in the preseason his team would rely on its defense.
Has it ever through seven games.
On Oct. 21, the unit was it again in a 35-0 win over visiting Waynesburg. The shutout was the Spartans’ third this season. Case entered this weekend seventh in the nation in scoring defense, allowing a little more than eight points per contest.
“I’m not really surprised,” said Debeljak about his defense’s performance. “I thought they would be really good. We’re loaded with seniors, including fifth-year guy D.J. Wolfe (of Mentor).
“What we’ve seen out them is a maturity level. These were the same guys we played as sophomores in 2021 and they struggled at times.”
It’s a different story now. Waynesburg — a team known for its offense and one that has put up points on Case in the past — managed just 187 yards of offense and just 2.7 yards per play.
“That’s the best offense we’ve played since Grove City,” said Debeljak.
Case improved to 6-1. It’s only loss is a 27-24 overtime setback to Grove City, which is 8-0 and in first place in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference.
Offensively, the Spartans got more than enough on this day with 35 points and 472 yards of offense.
Quarterback Alex Fromberg was 18 of 27 passing for 231 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 29 yards and another TD. HIs favorite target was NDCL grad Noah Coyne, who had five catches for 84 yards.
The big star on offense was running back and Avon Lake grad Gage Duesler, who totaled 130 yards on just 10 carries and scored two touchdowns on runs of 37 and 63 yards.
“That was his first breakout game and it was great to see him bust loose,” said Debeljak. “We’ve loved him as a protection guy but we were waiting to see him break some big plays.”
With three games to play, Case does not control its destiny to win the PAC and a automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs. That belongs to Grove City, which has two games remaining.
“After the fourth game, we realized winning the conference and making the playoffs were out of our hands and that hurt,” said Debeljak. “But we’ve got three games left to finish strong.”