Traffic is heavy around the Senior Arch this morning.
A beautiful day is in store as the sun shines on the Pioneer Chapel steeple.
First Presbyterian Church members prepare one of the concession stands for the game. Here (from left) Aus Brooks, Sheridan Hadley, Lucy Brooks, and Dale Milligan enjoy a moment of calm before the in-game rush.
Wabash Head Coach Don Morel surveys the field.
Monon Village was prime tailgating territory.
Fans await entry.
Smiles could be seen all morning.
Can't beat a burger on the grill.
Manning the grill takes concentration.
Few things bring Wabash together like the Monon Bell Game.
The Wabash brand is everywhere.
Friendships are rekindled here.
Be sure to get your game face ready.
Smiles abound pregame.
Wabash men love their dogs!
Competition abounds in the Monon Village.
A good pregame meal is so important.
President Greg Hess was busy this morning.
It was a beautiful day.
Rooting for the Little Giants is a generational thing.
The Bell brings a smile to everyone's face.
The day's centerpiece: the Monon Bell.
You can't flip the burgers too soon.
Time for a group pic.
“Wabash Always Fights.”
That’s the motto the football team clung to Saturday, as Little Giants fought their way back into the game after an early 14-point deficit, eventually taking its first lead with six minutes left in the 123rd Monon Bell Classic, and reclaiming it with just over two minutes to play..
But DePauw answered with a touchdown 38 seconds remaining, ending Wabash’s seven-game win streak in the series.
“First of all, you have to give tremendous credit to DePauw,” Wabash Head Coach Don Morel said. “They played an amazing game. And so did Wabash — to come back with two minutes left and take the lead. But then for DePauw to drive the ball 90 yards in two minutes in amazing. It’s a tribute to a great Division III rivalry. Playing in that game, we did everything we wanted to but win it at the end.”
Several drives throughout the game came down to kicker Andrew Tutsie ’17. Though he missed a field goal early in the contest, his continued efforts put his team ahead late in the fourth quarter. All he could do after that was watch from the sidelines.
“It’s hard – I can’t even put it into words,” Tutsie said. “When we were up three points with two minutes left, I thought we were about to close it out. But I guess that’s football.”
Wide receiver Oliver Page ’18 said the entire team was playing for their seniors. Each time they clawed their way back into the game, it was to send the seniors out on the right note.
And even though they didn’t win, quarterback and captain Connor Rice ’17 could not have been prouder of his team.
“No matter what the score is, we believe in ourselves,” Rice said. “It’s a game, but it hurts because this means so much to us. I’m really proud of our seniors, really proud of the school, and really proud of how we responded. We have a great team, and it sucks to lose, but we fought hard today. We got to see the character of our team, and I’m extremely proud of them.”
Wabash still leads DePauw in the rivalry, 60-54-9. Though it’s heartbreaking for everyone now, Coach Morel said this will be used as motivation for the underclassmen. As for the seniors? They always will have a great career to look back on.
“This is a senior group that has played a lot of championship football,” Morel said. “They are such great guys. That’s going to be tough on them, but hopefully not for the rest of their lives. They’ll move on, get married, have kids, and grandkids.”
Still, he said, Wabash men have so much pride, and, “Wabash Always Fights.