Tooth be told…sorry, truth be told, losing is no fun. And it cuts even deeper when you’ve been on an 11-year drought – now 12, but who’s really counting anyway? But has anyone ever considered that maybe that’s been the DC’s real plan all along? Come on, everyone loves a comeback era, and people always root for the underdogs anyway. Not to give away strategy here, but The Daily Campus just needed one more year to lose (teeth included) to solidify their comeback bid for the 2025 season. Although the DC may have fallen 21-14 in this year’s Pearlman Cup, trust them when they say next year will be the one… (even though that’s what they all said about this year.)
The campaign began at 10 a.m. Sunday on the Morrone turf – rumor has it the stadium is cursed against local newspapers, but that’s all hearsay – and the 17-person Daily Campus calvary arrived early to get warm and scope out the competition. By the looks of it, the DC was strong, united and out for vengeance. I mean, come on, who would doubt a bunch of kids with one football to their name?
The DC started with the ball and the magic began on the first snap. And while some may be saying the DC “couldn’t get a first down,” the term, “unparalleled athleticism” is preferred.
No bones about it, it was a fight across the 70-yard field and the endzone might as well have been the DC’s Everest. The writers struggled to gain early momentum and got caught up with several incomplete passes. However, the challenges weren’t one-sided. UCTV was no Tom Brady, they couldn’t find their way into the endzone either. Ever heard of offensive efficiency? Neither have the Tier-III’s…but that’s unimportant. Incomplete passes, failed rushes, the list goes on. UCTV can’t say they had a flawless game by any means.
With the DC more ready than ever to change the narrative, the efforts appeared even as neither Tier-III could seal the deal with those precious seven points. Sure, some may point to the final score, but if the game ended at the end of the first half, it would have been a deadlocked stalemate.
Luckily for The Daily Campus, they had a secret weapon in their back pocket, freshman Jake McCreven. Though new to the organization, McCreven might as well take everyone’s job as he earned the MVP title with four picks and two touchdowns.
McCreven was electric in the first half, lighting up the offense and routinely connecting with Opinion Editor Tomas Hinckley, Managing Editor Connor Lafferty and the DC sports Tyler duo: Tyler Lato and Tyler Pruneau.
“I think we gave a hardy team effort today that fell just short of upending the streak. The sluggish first half on offense ended up hurting us in the end but everyone on our defense played so well at every level of the field,” McCreven said.
“I think our chances of winning increase with every year and I’m sure we’ll be back and stronger than ever in 2025,” he said.
Coming into halftime, the Tier-III’s were deadlocked with the DC looking positive and by the third quarter, onlookers couldn’t tell the difference between the DC and a professional team. The strong performance showed off only the best qualities of The Daily Campus: agility, resilience, versatility, the list goes on.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and UCTV finally broke the stalemate in the third quarter. Though some called it luck, the TV-goers weaseled their way into the end zone to steal a 7-0 advantage. Then again in the fourth quarter…but that’s neither here nor there.
However, the DC is no stranger to the underdog role and retaliated in a classic fashion. McCreven stole the show for the two newspaper touchdowns in the fourth quarter to tie it up 14-14. Ultimately a final touchdown from UCTV secured their 21-14 win…but little did everyone know things were just heating up.
The real action finally arrived at the very end of the second half as The Daily Campus got a visit from the tooth fairy. In a collision with the opponent, Hinckley slammed face-first into a UCTV member in a tooth shattering break – the victims: Hinckley’s pearly whites. “Well losing sucks, losing teeth also sucks,” he said.
Despite the damage, Hinckley remained positive. “Shoutout to my dentist and shout out to my orthodontist. My teeth are repaired now, all is well. Now that I’m back, UCTV better watch out for next year, 13 is an unlucky number and year 13 of the Pearlman Cup could be one for the win streak snap,” he said.
While the DC fought through their 12th consecutive loss (really, no one is counting), the squad held tight to their dignity and by the fourth quarter, that’s just about all they had left. Still, the squad remains hopeful.
“We left everyone out there on that field as not only players, but as journalists. As journalists we must report the truth, and the truth is, we’re winning this next year. October 27, 2025. Get ready for the headline,” said Lafferty.
Luckily for the DC, the dream isn’t dead, and the dynasty is just beginning. Out of the ashes, a new era of The Daily Campus was born, and the squad is finally prepared for a comeback era.
Word on the street is that a spring semester basketball match is in the works, but until then, the DC will remain vigilant with their orthodontists on speed dial.
Dan Hurley, head coach of the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team and winner of back-to-back NCAA Championships, once said:
“You better get us now. Because it — it’s coming.”