By Ryan Briggs
Grove City SID
The ninth week of action in the Great Lakes Region provided plenty of excitement in games that were expected to be exciting. Other games that looked lopsided on paper turned out to be just as exciting, if not more so.
Ohio Northern held off Capital in an Ohio Athletic Conference clash, 38-35, while Mount Union wrapped up a playoff berth with a 24-7 win over longtime rival Baldwin-Wallace. In the MIAA, Albion returned to the conference race with a 17-13 win at Hope.
Washington and Jefferson all but clinched a Pool B berth with a 35-30 victory over defending Presidents' Athletic Conference champion Waynesburg in a PAC tilt while Allegheny earned an overtime win at Wabash, 16-10, giving the Gators two road overtime wins this year.
But the shocker of the weekend emanated from Selby Field in Delaware, Ohio, where homestanding Ohio Wesleyan stunned Wittenberg, 28-24.
Quarterback Ryan Sir Louis scored on a one-yard touchdown run on fourth down to give the Battling Bishops the lead with 1:54 left. Freshman linebacker Bo Mayer sealed the win by intercepting a deflected pass in the closing seconds.
The lead changed six times in the game. Ohio Wesleyan trailed 10-7 at halftime but Sir Louis' 30-yard touchdown run put the Bishops ahead 14-10 with nine minutes left in the third quarter. Wittenberg regained the lead, 17-14, on the first of Tristan Murray's two touchdown runs.
However, OWU halfback Eric Indiciani tore through the Tiger defense for a 63-yard touchdown run with 13 minutes left in the game. Another Murray touchdown jaunt with 9:48 remaining put Wittenberg back on top.
Sir Louis led the Bishops with 137 yards rushing on 20 attempts while Indiciani added 85 yards on six attempts, showcasing the balance of the Wing-T offense. Murray ran for 123 yards on 28 rushes and also caught four passes.
Prior to the season, I said Ohio Wesleyan would be the dark horse in the North Coast Athletic Conference race. But after the Battling Bishops stumbled to an 0-4 start, I suggested that dark horse should be sent to the glue factory.
How things have changed! Ohio Wesleyan has strung together four straight victories in NCAC play. The Bishops scratched out narrow home wins over Allegheny and Kenyon around a 35-6 win at Denison Oct. 9. A 4-4 record isn't exactly what you would expect from a legitimate playoff contender.
But if Ohio Wesleyan can survive its trip to 0-8 Oberlin this weekend, the Bishops will be on the doorstep of the playoffs. Ohio Wesleyan hosts Wooster Nov. 13 in the season finale. If OWU wins out, the Bishops are guaranteed a playoff berth.
Currently, Wooster is 5-0 in the conference. Wittenberg is now 4-1, as is Ohio Wesleyan. A three-way tie at 5-2 is possible, but very unlikely. Wooster and Ohio Wesleyan can get in by winning out. Wittenberg must win out and hope that Ohio Wesleyan loses to Oberlin and/or Wooster.
Perhaps Wittenberg got caught looking ahead of the Bishops in anticipation of this week's game with Wooster. In any case, this loss did more damage to the Tigers' playoff hopes than their season-opening loss to Capital.
Briton Steal
Alright, it's a lousy take-off on the famed Judas Priest album British Steel, but for those who thought that Albion's MIAA titles hopes vanished with a 27-20 loss at Adrian Oct. 2, you've got another thing comin'!
Albion remained in contention by more or less stealing a 17-13 win at Hope on Saturday. The Britons had just nine first downs and were out-gained 366-179. But Albion sophomore defensive back Chase Chandler set a MIAA record with four interceptions in the game, helping the Britons rally in the fourth quarter.
Albion quarterback Steve Wasil went just 9-for-23 with two interceptions. But two of his biggest completions came in the fourth quarter. Hope held a 13-3 lead with 8:21 left but Wasil cut the lead to 13-10 with a three-yard touchdown pass to tight end Troy Rundle.
On the Britons' next possession, Wasil fired a 45-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Adam Schantz with 4:13 left. The Dutchmen had the ball twice in the final four minutes but Chandler thwarted both drives with interceptions near midfield.
Now 4-1 in the MIAA, Albion visits Alma (5-0 MIAA) Saturday. An Albion win would give the Britons the inside track to the conference title as well as a playoff berth. Alma hosts Albion and Hope to close the season -- the Scots control their own destiny.
Northern turns out the lights
Ohio Northern effectively ended Capital's playoff hopes Saturday by holding on for a 38-35 road victory in Bexley, Ohio. The Polar Bears rode a career-high 232 yards from senior back Zach Weber, who scored twice in the win. Ohio Northern trailed 14-9 at the half but smacked the Crusaders with a 22-point blitzkrieg in the third quarter.
Weber opened the second half with a 65-yard touchdown run. Corey Minnfield's two-point pass to Brian Lee gave ONU (7-2, 6-2 OAC) a 17-14 lead. Minnfield then fired a 5-yard touchdown pass at the 11:22 mark to Bryan Gasser, extending the lead to 24-14.
An 8-yard pass from Minnfield to Lee late in the third quarter pushed the gap to 31-14. "Weber had a great day and this was a big win for us," head coach Dean Paul said. "We did a great job of gaining momentum in the third period."
Capital (7-2, 6-2) eventually whittled the lead to 38-35 as Rocky Pentello threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Kive Kraft with 84 seconds left. However, Capital's onside kick attempt failed.
Pentello went 28 of 53 for 308 yards and three scores. Minnfield, meanwhile, completed 17 of 35 attempts for 161 yards and three touchdowns. A senior transfer from Defiance, Minnfield has thrown for 1,141 yards and 15 touchdowns this season for Ohio Northern. He has just four interceptions in 175 attempts.
Breaking news!
We interrupt this column for this stunning development in eastern Ohio: Mount Union has qualified for the playoffs!
Saturday, Mount Union clinched the OAC title and a playoff berth with a 24-7 victory against Baldwin-Wallace in Berea, Ohio. It is the 102nd consecutive regular season win for the Purple Raiders.
High winds throughout the Great Lakes Region affected play in nearly every game. Mount Union's pass attack generated a meager 58 passing yards, a very uncharacteristic number for the Purple Raiders.
However, Mount Union amassed 314 yards rushing, led by 147 yards from Rick Ciccone and an additional 108 yards from Jeff Strauch. "The wind, as strong as it was today, dictated that you had to rely heavily on your run offense and run defense," Mount Union coach Larry Kehres said. "Whoever would win those battles up front would control the game."
Baldwin-Wallace managed just 141 total yards. Brandon Hedges ran for 111 yards and a touchdown that slashed Mount Union's lead to 14-7 in the opening moments of the third quarter.
Mount Union owns a two-game lead over Baldwin-Wallace, Capital and Ohio Northern with two games left. The Purple Raiders have defeated all three of those opponents.
Paint It black (and red)
Washington and Jefferson wrapped up the Presidents' Athletic Conference title Saturday with a 35-30 win over Waynesburg at historic Cameron Stadium in Washington. Quarterback Chris Edwards, a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection as a sophomore in 2003, fired five touchdown passes in helping the Presidents to victory.
Edwards went 16 of 21 for 319 yards against the Yellow Jackets. Aaron Krepps hauled in three touchdowns while Jacob Shields caught a pair from Edwards. As a team, the Presidents had 385 total yards. Yet, Waynesburg dwarfed that figure, piling up 507 total yards.
Quarterback Jeff Dumm went 33-for-41, picking up 356 yards. But Dumm threw three interceptions and the Yellow Jackets also fumbled twice. It's hard to win any game when you're minus-3 in turnovers.
Washington and Jefferson led 21-3 at the half as Edward threw two touchdowns in the final 2:30 of the second quarter. The Jackets stormed back, though, as Dumm pitched a pair of touchdowns to Dominick Hunter. Hunter caught 13 passes for 118 yards in defeat.
Ivan Hawkins cut the Presidents' lead to 35-24 with one minute left in the third as he caught Dumm's third touchdown pass of the quarter, a 20-yarder.
Halfback Ryan Abels scored on a four-yard touchdown run with 4:34 left, trimming the lead to 35-30. The two-point attempt failed. Waynesburg forced a punt with two minutes left but Hawkins fumbled the punt and President special teams ace Justin LeDonne recovered it. An Edwards-to-Krepps 11-yard completion picked up a first down, sealing the win.
The Presidents host Washington University (Mo.) Saturday in the season finale. Washington and Jefferson is the nation's only 9-0 team.
Nice Tri
Tri-State had 24 first downs, 415 yards of offense and an eight-minute edge in time of possession. The Thunder also owns a 30-12 loss to Adrian despite that effort Saturday as Tri-State committed six turnovers, including four fumbles.
Two of the turnovers led directly to 14 points. Tri-State fumbled the opening kickoff and Adrian's Jon Bowman recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. In the third quarter, Dan Regan returned an interception 90 yards for an Adrian touchdown. Earlier in the game, Regan recovered a blocked field goal attempt.
Around the MIAA
Olivet executed 82 running plays Saturday in a 42-20 win at Kalamazoo. ... The Comets attempted just one pass and gained 353 total yards, all rushing. ... Kalamazoo managed just 20 rushing yards on 19 carries. ... James Edington ran for 212 yards in helping Alma roll past Wisconsin Lutheran, 44-21. ... Cole Thelen caught 13 passes for 191 yards for the Scots. ... Wisconsin Lutheran's Matt Kehl ran for 179 yards and two touchdowns.
Around the NCAC
Mario Tarquinio's one-yard touchdown run in overtime vaulted Allegheny to a 16-10 win at Wabash. ... It is the Gators' third straight win. ... Denison is 5-3 for the first time in 14 seasons after thumping Oberlin, 35-14. ... Phil Bouwhuis ran for 131 yards in the Big Red's win. ... Wooster kept Hiram scoreless in the NCAC with a 59-0 win Saturday. ... Tony Sutton ran for 239 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. ... The Fighting Scots haven't been 8-0 since 1923. ... Despite 198 rushing yards from Alby Coombs, Kenyon fell to Earlham, 49-32. ... Quaker quarterback Justin Rummell went 33 of 49 for 390 yards and four touchdowns. ... James Jewell (115) and Kevin Carr (105) each had 100-yard receiving days.
Around the OAC
Otterbein lowered the boom on John Carroll, 31-0, snapping a 10-game losing streak against the Blue Streaks. ... Reserve running back John Scott led the Cardinals with 120 rushing yards and two touchdowns. ... Wilmington's Brandon Tisdale is second in NCAA Division III history with 86 tackles for loss after making 2.5 tackles for loss Saturday. ... Still, the Quakers suffered a 48-7 loss at Marietta. ... The Pioneers improved to 5-3 overall and 4-3 in the OAC with the win. ... Marietta chewed up 311 yards rushing as Steven Wagner ran for 122 and Chris Sidick added 105 on the ground. ... Muskingum mustered a 21-12 win over Heidelberg. ... Trevor Cooper went over the 100-yard mark for the fifth straight game for the Muskies, picking up 106 yards on eight carries.
Around the PAC
Westminster improved to 4-4 with a 25-13 win at Frostburg State in non-conference action. ... Halfback Scott Froelich ran for three touchdowns and threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to quarterback Joe Getsy on a broken play. ... It is Froelich's fourth career touchdown pass. ... As a team, the Titans have four touchdown passes this year -- two from J.R. Barley and one each by Getsy and Froelich. ... Thiel improved to 7-2 with a 32-6 victory over NAIA Ohio Dominican in Greenville, Pa.. ... Strong safety Shaun Jackson intercepted two passes. ... Grove City dropped a 16-0 decision to 7-1 Alfred. ... The Wolverines committed six turnovers in the loss, falling to 3-6. ... The six teams that have defeated Grove City have a combined record of 43-7.
Around the UAA
Case Western Reserve rallied for a 24-14 victory over visiting Carnegie Mellon Saturday at Brush High School in South Euclid, Ohio. ... Jason Bodart fired three touchdowns for the Spartans, who trailed 14-3 in the second quarter. ... Case improved to 4-5 overall and 1-1 in the UAA while CMU fell to 4-4, 1-2.
Games to Watch
Wittenberg (6-2, 4-1 NCAC) at Wooster (8-0, 5-0 NCAC), 1 p.m.: a must-win for both teams, but especially Wittenberg. ... The Tigers need to win out and have Ohio Wesleyan lose one of its final two in order to slip into the playoffs. ... Wooster can move closer to its first-ever NCAA playoff berth with a win.
Albion (6-2, 4-1 MIAA) at Alma (7-1, 5-0 MIAA), 1 p.m.:on looks to pull off the double Saturday by winning on the road for the second straight week. ... Will Albion's opportunistic defense be too much for the Scots? Or will Alma move closer to a playoff berth. The winner definitely has the inside track to the MIAA crown.
Westminster (4-4, 1-2 PAC) at Grove City (3-6, 1-3 PAC), 1 p.m.: Why is this in Games to Watch? Because it's the one I'll be watching Saturday. ... It's Senior Day at Grove City as a dozen seniors will be playing their final college game Saturday. ... Senior Day is never easy because you get to know these kids during their four years at a school and then they move on and new ones come along. ... For the vast majority of teams across the country, the next two weeks will be "it" for the season. ... Two things to watch for in this game: Grove City hasn't beaten Westminster since Oct. 6, 1979 (I was 26 days old then). ... Since then Westminster has won all eight matchups (1980-83; 2000-present). ... Senior All-America candidate Mike Choby needs seven tackles to become Grove City's all-time leader in tackles. ... He currently has 339.
Best of luck to all of the seniors around the region who will be taking the pads off for the final time over the next couple of weeks. You will be missed.
