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| Tanner Mendoza made a number of Linfield defenders miss in Chapman's first-round win. Chapman athletics photo by Michael Newman |
By Brian Lester
D3sports.com
Probably an hour or so had passed since Chapman’s Tanner Mendoza crossed the goal line to put an exclamation point on a thrilling 68-65 triple-overtime victory vs. Linfield in the opening round of the NCAA Division III playoffs Saturday afternoon.
Mendoza was still in the locker room, the crazy celebration had given way to silence, and the sophomore running back was still attempting to soak it all in, to wrap his hands around the magnitude of a moment no one around here will soon forget.
“I sat in the locker room a good 30 or 40 minutes after our celebration, just sitting there thinking about what we just accomplished and how amazing that feat was for us,” Mendoza said. “I was kind of in a trance. I couldn’t believe what just happened.”
It was hard for anyone involved to believe what just happened, especially with the Panthers taking down a traditional power in Division III football.
This was a maddening game, a roller coaster of emotions and a battle of momentum swings unfolding on a November Saturday at Ernie Chapman Stadium.
The Panthers led 21-7 after one, held a 28-27 lead at halftime and found themselves tied at 34 after three and all knotted up at 48 after four quarters of exhausting, lay-it-all-on-the-line football.
“Our guys understood it was going to be like two heavyweights going at it,” Chapman head coach Bob Owens said. “Each team was going to have to absorb some body blows and we were prepared to do that.”
Chapman always expects a fight in what has been an historic season for a team set to compete in the second round of the playoffs for the first time in program history.
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| Dillon Keefe was all over the field for Chapman, on defense and offense. Chapman athletics photo by Larry Newman |
The hours of preparation long before game day have set up the Panthers to be ready for one.
“We go in expecting it to be a fight. Now, no one is expecting three overtimes, but we expect to be in tight situations, to have our backs against the wall or be in a situation where there is frustration," Owens said. "Our guys understand we have to fight through it because those things aren’t an excuse to lose. We have to fight through all that stuff if we want to be a champion. That’s part of the deal.”
Never before this season has Chapman gone unbeaten in the regular season. This year the Panthers went 9-0. And never before has this program played in the postseason at home. That all changed this season as well.
So when Mendoza found the end zone on a 13-yard run shortly after Linfield was held to a field goal on its drive in the third OT, the celebration was on.
Mendoza soaked in the excitement with his teammates. He finished with 173 yards and three touchdowns.
“It was one of the best experiences of my life,” Mendoza said. “To put the game away and see the crowd reacting and see my teammates when I turned around in the end zone, it was awesome,” Mendoza said. “I was just awestruck. There were so many emotions. I was almost crying because it was so powerful. We worked hard all season. To have this home playoff game, to win this game and see the fans and alumni and my teammates, it was amazing.”
Dillon Keefe, who is listed as a linebacker but is one of the most versatile players on the team, had similar feelings about the outcome.
“I don’t think it was much a sense of relief that the game was over as it was a sense of excitement,” Keefe said. “We are in new territory for the third time this season. We were excited to win. It’s something we wanted to have happen and we were excited to accomplish it and have another game to play.”
Keefe played a key role. He came through with 10 tackles and a sack while also scoring a defensive touchdown off a fumble recovery.
On the offensive side of the ball, Keefe scored off a 10-yard run and threw a 25-yard scoring strike to Spencer Corona in the second overtime to put the Panthers up 62-55.
“I’ve always been the type of player to do whatever coach needs me to do,” Keefe said. “I might have preferences on what I want to do, but it comes down to what the team needs.”
And about that touchdown toss?
“I was so shocked I threw a touchdown pass,” Keefe said. “I never thought I’d do that in my career.”
Owens said it was one of those games you can’t truly appreciate until you step away for a day and then go back and look at the film and realize just how amazing it really was to be a part of a chapter of Chapman history that is always going to be remembered.
Owens said the success this season on the heels of that 5-4 season in 2018 isn’t a surprise. The Panthers went into the year with lofty expectations and everything has come together.
“The guys set some concrete goals they wanted to accomplish as a team and there were clear-cut guidelines for what needed to be done to accomplish those goals,” Owens said. “When the goals we have set and the expectations of the program meet, it’s easy for us to be successful. We are a pretty tough football team. You don’t know how good we are until you line up and play us.”
Keefe recalls the countless hours of workouts in the summer months, on the field, in the weight room and on the beach. He loves the way it’s all paid off.
“We definitely worked our butts off in the offseason,” Keefe said. “To see it all come together on the field, it’s almost a masterpiece to watch it unfold.”
Mendoza added that this team is selfless and that has helped fuel the Panthers’ success.
“No one is selfish on this team. We all just want to win,” Mendoza said. “We don’t need to pass all the time or run the ball all the time. It’s not like that. We just have to win football games.”
Chapman hopes to win one more game Saturday. The next opponent is St. John’s, another traditional Division III power. The Johnnies reached the quarterfinal round of the playoffs last year.
The Panthers are hosting the second-round game, another first.
“Our team does a great job of preparing and understanding our opponent each week,” Owens said. “There are certain things St. John’s does that we will address and prepare for, but our mental attitude and makeup is as much about us as it is about them.”
Mendoza agrees.
“At the end of the day, we do what our coaches say and do our jobs,” Mendoza said. “It’s the only thing they can ask of us and the only thing we can do. We’re ready for another great week.”