Photo Credit: Shannon Hardy-AIC Athletics

Friday night AIC Football faced a tough test. They took on the Assumption Greyhounds at home in a game that the Greyhounds needed to stay tied for the top spot in the NE10.

The Greyhounds took advantage of a young AIC team making a few mistakes as the game went on to wrest momentum from the Yellow Jackets any time they seemed to build some.

We have seen teams do this against the Yellow Jackets this year.

This time was different.

This team did not fold and played through adversity the entire night.

The game ended with a Connor Dietz touchdown pass to Fatir Bell with 15 seconds left. Dietz bought time and through the game winning pass to Bell who maneuvered to find it in traffic to win.

On the Friday Night Lights game, this Yellow Jackets team delivered a moment at Abdow Field reminiscent of many comebacks lead by TV Coach Eric Taylor. They never gave up, stuck together, and rallied behind their quarterback who was fourth on the season opening depth chart to find a way to win.

In real life, Interim Head Coach Dan Chipka put his stamp on a season defining win for this team by going against traditional wisdom. On the final drive he let the clock run more than usual as AIC had three timeouts. By trusting in his quarterback and offense buoyed by another solid game from running back Sidki Kone, he gave the Greyhounds no where near enough time to go for a tying field goal.

On defense and special teams, the defense did enough to help featuring multiple blocked kicks against one of the better kickers in the conference , and featuring strong defensive line play. One player that stood out was Nevin Earl, who had multiple tackles for a loss and played after getting a cramp and blocked a field goal of his own. Chris Chasia lead the linebackers with 15 tackles , a career high.

Hear from defensive line coach Rick Istvan ( Coach Hulk) on the win and what it means moving forward, along with his interaction with Earl before Earl blocked the field goal.

“That win was huge. We really needed that. We had a tough start to the season being bit by the injury bug and losing games that we could’ve won. When you lose those type of games it has an impact. However, as a team we didn’t let it effect us. We continued to push through and do what we needed to do to find a way. Coach Chipka always talks about our pillars of Enthusiasm effort and brotherhood. We embraced those things and that made a huge difference. It allowed us to play complimentary football and that is how you win games. You either stick together as a team and win games or you fall a part as individuals and lose them. We found a way to come together and win. When the defense did well the offense did well. If the defense played bad the offense gave us a spark. If the offense played bad, we gave them a spark. Football is a team sport. However there are 11 guys on the field that need to do their jobs so that as a whole the team can be successful. We were able to do that yesterday. As far as me being proud of my D-line that goes without saying. From the beginning they know win lose or draw I am always proud of them. Every day I ask them to just give me all they got and all their effort. I also ask them to leave it all on the field and they did that. They played to the whistle every down and they did what I asked them to do. Nevin Earl Mike Grant, Josh Isaacs, Jah Jacobs, Eric Jennings and Ben Lazo all played to expectation. Mike and Nevin came up with a couple big sacks when they were needed, and the other guys had tackles when they were needed. So, I couldn’t be happier with not only how they played but that they played with relentless effort. When I helped Nevin off the field I told him a couple things. First I said, “if you needed a break, all you had to do was ask.” I then asked him what he hurt and he said his ankle. So I said see the trainer and get it taped. He said it is taped. So I said well get it taped tighter. Obviously it was a moment where we were just joking with each other to lighten the moment. But what I told him seriously was to make sure he was ok and that he played a hell of a game and if he couldn’t go back in I understood. I told him his health is more important. He said to me, “Oh, I am going back in.” My defensive line would run through a wall for me and that means the world to me. The relationship I have with my guys is now and will always be a very important thing for me. As far as the win goes I think it just shows what we can do when we are all on the same page. I think we have a young team that is gearing up for the future. Connor Dietz is a true freshman who has found a way to lead this team. One of the biggest things you can do as a player or a coach is to gain the trust and respect of your team and I believe he has done that. I think we have veteran guys who are returning that are going to continue to be playmakers. We had a great recruiting class this past off season filled with guys who are gonna step up and make an impact. We are going to bring in more talented guys who fit our culture as well and we will put AIC back on the map. I believe in this team and I believe in what we are trying to do. Yesterdays win isn’t the end all be all, but it is a start. We have two games left in this season. WE could potentially win out and go 4-4 in the conference. I think that is a good start to a better future. I believe we are a young team on the rise and AIC football will once again be champions in the near future.”

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