Waukesha, Wis. – The Thunder football team, ranked 22
nd this week in both the AFCA and D3football.com Top-25 polls, closed out the regular season on Saturday with a 71-0 win at Carroll University. The 71 points scored by Wheaton today is the most since the Thunder scored 73 points in a victory at North Park on October 21, 2006. Wheaton is now 8-2 overall and 6-2 in CCIW play.
Senior Sola Olateju ran for a career-high 273 yards today, with four touchdowns. The Thunder running back now has 3,194 career rushing yards to break Pedro Arruza's (1992-95) long-standing school record of 3,179 career rushing yards. Olateju and Arruza are the only running backs in Wheaton history to surpass the 3,000-yard milestone in a career. Olateju's four touchdowns today gives him 34 career touchdown's, a mark that is tied for fifth in program history with Garrett Granberg (2001-04). His 204 career points is tied for ninth in Wheaton history.
Senior defensive end Chase Greenlee (PICTURED LEFT) recorded five solo sacks among his eight solo tackles today. His five-sack effort is the second-highest single-game total in Division III this season. Greenlee now has 15.5 sacks for the year, tied for the third-highest single-season total in program history. Greenlee's effort is behind only the school-record efforts of 17-1/2 sacks by
Andy Studebaker (2006) and David Hoover (1995). Greenlee has registered 31.5 sacks in his Thunder career. He is now second on the career sacks list, just 5.5 behind
Jeff Peltz's (1977-80) school record of 37 career sacks.
Wheaton amassed 585 yards of offense on the day, rushing for 349 yards with 236 passing yards. Carroll registered 125 total yards on the day with 76 passing yards and 49 rushing yards.
Olateju's 273 rushing yards came on 25 carries today as he averaged 10.9 yards per rush. His four touchdowns was part of seven total rushing touchdowns for the Thunder as T.J. Williams, Jerome Grey and Spencer Peterson each had a touchdown on the ground.
Quarterback Jesse Furrow completed 14 of his 21 passing attempts for 236 yards, with two touchdown passes. Chase White (PICTURED RIGHT) caught six of Furrow's passes for 110 yards with one touchdown. Tight end Zach Lindquist had four receptions for 76 yards, with a 56-yard touchdown catch.
Greenlee led the Wheaton defense with eight total tackles, all solo stops. His five sacks totaled minus-36 yards. He forced a fumble on a sack in the second quarter, with a fumble recovery by Austin Hoover. Hoover scooped up the ball and returned it four yards for a touchdown. Luke Sahly (PICTURED LEFT) tallied seven total tackles, including four solo stops. Eric Stevenson also had seven total tackles, with four solo stops and a forced fumble. Luke Smith and Corey Kennedy each had six total tackles. Kennedy had two tackles for loss (-10 yards) and Smith had a tackle for loss (-1 yards) with a fumble recovery.
