Panther football returns to Wilson Field
The Chapman football team returns to Wilson Field on Sat., Sep. 11 to face La Verne after no formal competition took place in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) during the 2020 Fall. All seven teams in the conference return to the gridiron for the 2021 season.
The Panthers enter the season as the defending SCIAC champions. During the 2019 campaign they posted a 7-0 record in conference play with a 10-1 overall record. The Panthers gained the automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship and came out on top in the first round winning 68-65 in an overtime victory against Linfield. They later fell 26-55 to Saint Johns (Minn.) in the second.
The Panthers have garnered some national attention going into the 2021 season. In its annual preseason top 25 report, D3football.com ranked Chapman at 21st in the nation while the College Football America Yearbook ranked the Panthers even higher at No. 13.
Dillon Keefe returns to the Panther defense for his fourth season. The 2019 SCIAC Defensive Athlete of the Year and First-Team All SCIAC member started all 11 games for Chapman during the 2019 season. He led the team with 72 tackles,10.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss. Keefe blocked four kicks to put him atop the SCIAC and ranked fourth in DIII. He led the SCIAC in sacks and tackles for loss ranking top-50 in the nation in both categories. Keefe threw the 25-yard touchdown that secured the overtime win over Linfield in the championship first round.
Nico Ragas, another key returner for the Panthers, played in all 11 games as a junior and led the SCIAC while tying for the DIII lead with two kick return touchdowns in 2019. He holds the Panther record for kickoff return touchdowns. Ragas ranked fifth in Division III with an average of 29.2 yards per return.
Chris Tsirtsis returns to the Chapman defense for his third year as a Panther. Tsirtsis had a career-high three interceptions during the 2019 season, one in each of the first two games. Blake Siemsen joins Tsirtsis on the defensive side for his second season, he ranked second on the team in 2019 with 53 tackles including 3.5 for loss.
Johnston Maclntyre started all 11 games for the Panthers as quarterback in 2019 and returns for another season at Chapman. He ranked third on the team in rushing yards with 469 and five rushing touchdowns. Maclntyre went 17-20 for a season-best 246 yards in a 28-17 win at La Verne while rushing 13 times for 55 yards.
Timmy Hanna and Simon Hall represent some of the younger talent on the defensive side looking to make an impact on the field in 2021. The Panthers head into the season with an array of new and returning talent to bolster the 2021 squad.
The Panthers kick off the 2021 season on the road against the Pacific Boxers on Fri., Sep 3 at 7 p.m. before returning for the home opener on Sat., Sep 11 at 7 p.m. against La Verne.