Molayo Irefin’s sophomore season ended on the Saint Vincent bench Saturday. Injured on the second play of the previous week’s game against Westminster, the wide receiver from Maryland only could watch as the Bearcats routed Bethany, 52-7, to finish 5-5.
So Irefin played essentially only eight games this season. That makes his numbers seem all the more remarkable.
He caught 61 passes for 809 yards and five touchdowns. He rushed 14 times for 77 yards and a pair of scores. He returned punts and kickoffs for more than 600 yards combined.
Going into the game against Westminster, said Bearcats coach Aaron Smetanka, Irefin was fourth in Division III in all-purpose yards.
“Molayo is really special. Really electrifying,” Smetanka said. “Really good cuts, really good route runner, really in tune with making sure he’s correct on everything. He’s always second-guessing or asking questions to make sure it’s perfect.”
As the Bearcats continue to build toward being a Presidents’ Athletic Conference contender, Irefin (5-foot-9, 165 pounds) figures to be a big part of it. He is one of three classmates from Maryland’s Archbishop Spalding who became regulars in the lineup, offensive linemen Lou Schultz and Colby Missel being the others. (Saint Vincent offensive coordinator Phil Hamilton is an Archbishop Spalding alumnus.)
“I’m super confident with what I’ve accomplished,” Irefin said. “I feel like it’s some of the best football I’ve ever played in my career. Being able to win a lot of the games a lot of people didn’t think we were going to win this year made this special, to be honest.”
The biggest was a wild 42-40 win over Case Western on homecoming Oct. 2. Saint Vincent trailed 14-0 early before storming back to take the lead, then hanging on for the win.
Irefin caught eight passes for 85 yards in that game.
But it was at the end of his season that he stood out. In his final three full games — including PAC heavyweights Grove City and Carnegie Mellon — Irefin caught 30 passes for 418 yards and three scores.
He burned CMU’s top-ranked defense for 10 catches, 112 yards and a touchdown.
“I would say one thing for sure is just knowing how to read a defense a lot better and knowing what to expect when I line up out there,” Irefin said about what has helped him be successful. “Seeing little things that can kind of give me some cues and help me on my routes.”
After playing just two games in the shortened 2020 season and eight this season, Irefin has the equivalent of one season of college football experience. That means, in all likelihood, he will be even better when the 2022 season dawns.
Smetanka said he has talked with Irefin about putting on more muscle in the offseason. That will help him absorb punishment when he catches passes or runs the ball and, Smetanka said, help him as a blocker for the SVC running game.
This season was just the Bearcats’ third season with as many as five wins since the program returned in 2007. For Irefin, that means he is eager to improve to help Saint Vincent continue its climb up the PAC.
“I feel like with how this season has gone, I feel like winning these couple of game should really give us the confidence we need,” he said. “If we just believe we’re a good team, we can play with any team.”