Scoring over 450 points with a 9-1 record, the Guilford College Quakers football team has had a record-breaking season in 2015.

“Winning nine games and being one win from a perfect season is pretty special knowing it has never been done before,” said head football coach Chris Rusiewicz.

This past weekend, the Quakers took on Emory and Henry College in a good oldfashioned conference match-up. Emory and Henry came in with a 6-3 record while Guilford entered the game with an 8-1 record on the season.

At the half, the Quakers were up 13-9 over the Wasps, but in the third quarter Emory and Henry struck.

“Emory and Henry was a team that had nothing to lose,” said senior linebacker Daytwyn Rascoe. “They played with a lot of energy, but we managed to keep our composure and play our style of ball.”

The game was neck-and-neck, a perfect balance of back-and-forth scoring from both teams until finally, in the fourth quarter with under ten minutes left to play, Guilford pulled away from the competition and pushed toward victory.

“Wins are what we play for,” said Rusiewicz. “I think the next one always feels better than the last one. I would like to think that the players feel the same way.

“We all work hard nine to 10 months out of the year to play in 10 regular season games. When you win one, it makes all of your hard work validated.”

The final score was 41-30. Though the Quakers won nine out of 10 games this season, it was not a walk in the park.

“Our game in Lexington was a tough part of the season,” said Rusiewicz. “All of the things that we can’t control affected us that day. Weather was bad, injuries occurred and some calls by the officials did not go our way.”

However, this was not the worst part for the team.

“Not being selected to go into the playoffs was a low point,” said Rusiewicz. “We can’t let something, again out of our control, overlook the great season we had.

“I believe that once the initial shock of not getting the bid to the playoffs wears away, the team will reflect back on their accomplishments this season and how the program has taken a step forward each of the last five years. We never went backwards and always pushed forwards.”

This year, Guilford College’s football team had the best season in school history. Though they did not get into the playoffs, they fought like hell against their many adversaries and conquered all but one.

“We did some really amazing things this year,” said Rascoe. “It was a pleasure to be a part of something so special. I would say that the team met a lot of expectations this past season, and will continue to meet expectations in the future.”