Last year, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) football team finished with eight wins — a program record — for the second consecutive season, as well as a third-place finish in SCIAC. While it was a record-tying season, the Stags aren’t eager to relive their 7-9 loss to Chapman in the Surf Division Championship.
The Stags will now play in the other SCIAC football division, the Sun Division, separate from Chapman and 2024 SCIAC champions Pomona-Pitzer (P-P). Beyond the shift in league alignment, however, the team lost crucial experience with the departure of 21 seniors, including quarterback Walter Kuhlenkamp CM ’25.
To people outside the team, this might appear as a tough setback. But offensive captain and tight end Roman Ramirez CM ’26 remains positive that this year’s team can handle it.
“When there’s that big of a change, people are scared,” Ramirez said. “But when it came to our team, I think the guys were more excited than scared.”
Although this season marks a big shift for the Stags, Ramirez highlighted that some things haven’t changed, like the captains’ role as mentors for the rest of the team, which stems from the guidance this year’s seniors were given when they were underclassmen.
“As someone who’s now stepping into mentorship, I really reflect back on what worked from the previous years and what I learned from [previous seniors],” Ramirez said. “Little things … like knowing that the guys on the team are always going to be there for you.”
Head coach Kyle Sweeney emphasized how this mentorship, coupled with the excitement for the season, has led to more competition for starting spots on the team.
“It’s an opportunity for guys that were probably good enough to play before, but were just behind somebody that was older and more experienced,” Sweeney said.
The Stags also lost some key players on the other side of the ball. Defensive captain and linebacker Gabe Gangi-Saroukhanioff CM ’26 expressed his feelings about the defense’s shift into the new season.
“[The seniors] were all playing for three to four years,” Gangi-Saroukhanioff said. “So, the guys underneath them didn’t ever get the opportunity to go out on the field and build the confidence to play.”
As a captain, Gangi-Saroukhanioff has been inspiring confidence in his teammates since the spring.
“I was telling some of these guys who are stepping up into these roles, ‘You’re not here to be those guys. You’re here to be better. You have to have that mentality to want to do that, and if you don’t, then you’re going to fall short,’” Gangi-Saroukhanioff said.
Gangi-Saroukhanioff mentioned that this season was a great opportunity for the Stags to apply this competitive mentality and improve upon last year’s efforts.
“Change is inevitable and could be a good [or] bad thing, depending on how you take it,” Gangi-Saroukhanioff said. “I think we’re in a unique position right now where we have a lot of potential to increase our upward trajectory higher than it’s ever been, and it’s due to this change.”
Sweeney echoed his captains’ excitement and optimism, stressing that the goals for the new season remain unchanged.
“I think the goals are still the same,” Sweeney said. “The goals are still for us to be the best that we can be, and we want to win a conference championship.”
While transitioning into a new year always provides its share of challenges, the CMS coaching staff has always ensured that the team is stable for the long term. While starters do see the most time on the field, this doesn’t prohibit others from getting a chance to play as well.
“I don’t think there was anyone on the roster that didn’t play at all last year,” Sweeney said. “We’re always trying to develop the younger guys. Even though you might not be a starter, you still have to get better because your day will come.”
With their first victory in the books against Lake Forest College on Sept. 7, Ramirez and Gangi-Saroukhanioff expressed their motivation for what’s to come as they enter the new season.
“A lot of people were doubting us, but I think we showed it last Saturday: that we are the same team, if not better; we have just as much talent as we did, if not more,” Ramirez said.
The Stags are back in action this Saturday, Sept. 20, at George Fox University before their first SCIAC game against rivals P-P on Saturday, Sept. 27. They will look to further showcase their new squad and keep their early momentum going.
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