NKyTribune staff
The Thomas More College football team begins the season Saturday with a road game at North Carolina Wesleyan. The contest is scheduled to kick off at noon at the Rocky Mount Athletic Stadium.
Thomas More, playing as an NCAA Division III independent this season, finished 6-4 last year. The Saints won their last five games of the season and will be under the guidance of first-year head coach Trevor Stellman this fall. Stellman is a 2010 graduate of Thomas More and has been an assistant coach for the Saints the previous eight seasons.
Thomas More averaged 38.9 points per game last season. The Saints rolled up 479.9 yards per game, with 278.9 yards on the ground and 201 yards per game passing. Junior quarterback Justin Post will start under center after playing in eight games last season and going 13-of-27 passing for 180 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed the ball six times for 103 yards.
Seniors Hjavier Pitts and Luke Zajac will split time at running back in 2018. Pitts carried the ball 178 times for 1,132 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, while Zajac had 136 carries for 801 yards and eight touchdowns. Senior Logan Winkler is the top returning receiver as he hauled in 19 receptions for 466 yards and five touchdowns last fall.
North Carolina Wesleyan averaged 27.3 points per game in 2017. The Battling Bishops averaged 360.2 yards per game. Senior quarterback Nate Gardner returns after passing for 968 yards and seven touchdowns last season. The Battling Bishops’ top returning rusher is senior running back Adrian Minondo, who had 92 carries for 318 yards and seven touchdowns.
This is the first-ever meeting between the two colleges on the gridiron.
TMC MEN’S SOCCER PLAYS WILMINGTON: The Thomas More men’s soccer team opens the season on Friday with a home game against Wilmington. The action begins at 2:30 p.m. at BB&T Field in Crestview Hills.
Wilmington owns a 10-3 lead in the all-time series, but Thomas More has won the past three meetings. The Saints defeated the Quakers by a 2-1 score last year.
Thomas More finished with a 14-4-2 overall record last season, including a 7-0-1 mark in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. The Saints posted a 10-1 home record a year ago.
Wilmington posted an 8-9-2 record last season, with a 2-6-1 mark in the Ohio Athletic Conference.
(Information compiled from TMC Athletic Communications and staff reports)