BEREA, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace football team kicked off the 2026 season today with its home opener against the Bethany College Bison. The Yellow Jackets made a huge statement early and rode that momentum to an astounding 84-26 victory. With the win, the Yellow Jackets start the year 1-0.
Game Recap
The Yellow Jackets defense set the tone straight from the beginning, forcing Bethany into a three-and-out on its first offensive series and handing the ball off to the offense, which took just two plays to get six on the board, capped off with a 33-yard pass from
Charlie Bubonics to
Xavier Balson.
After another three-and-out by the defense and another touchdown, this time a rushing score by D3Football Preseason All-American George Lindberger, the Yellow Jacket defense electrified the crowd with a 20-yard pick-six by
JD Crouse, giving BW a commanding 21-0 lead with just under seven and a half minutes left in the first quarter.
With total domination brewing for the Yellow Jackets, Coach Hilvert and staff attempted an onside kick after the score. Kicker
Owen Warrick smoked the ball right off the up-man, and
Triston Valley pounced on it to give the Yellow Jacket offense the ball at its own 48-yard line.
Bubonics and Balson capped off the drive by connecting for another touchdown to extend the lead to 28-0.
The Bison managed to score once in the quarter but failed to convert the extra-point attempt, and BW entered the second quarter of play with a 28-6 lead.
The Yellow Jackets continued their domination into the second quarter and put up 35 more points while allowing just 12, walking confidently into the half with a 63-18 lead.
The second half moved slower, but BW still outscored the Bison, edging them out 21-8 and finishing with a huge 84-26 victory to open the season.
The game also made its mark in the BW record book. The Yellow Jackets' 648 total yards of offense rank tied for the second-most in the modern era, matching the 648 yards recorded against Wilmington on Sept. 13, 2025, and trailing only the 670 yards recorded against Capital on Oct. 28, 2023. BW's 84 points scored also mark the second-most points in a single game in program history, trailing only the 118 points scored against Kent State in 1923.
Bubonics led the passing attack, throwing for 313 yards and five touchdowns on 19-of-25 passing.
Boston Mulinix dominated the ground game with 142 yards and three touchdowns on just 11 carries, averaging 12.9 yards per carry. Balson and
Seandelle Gardner led the receiving corps with two touchdowns apiece, while 2025 All-American
Nolan Hartsel paced the defense with eight tackles, 0.5 tackles-for-loss, 0.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one quarterback hurry.
Looking Ahead
The Yellow Jackets will return home next week to face the Alma College Scots at 12:00 p.m. In two meetings with the Scots, the Yellow Jackets are 2-0.
