By Ryan Briggs
Grove City SID

For much of the Great Lakes Region, last weekend served as the halfway point of the 2004 season. The sixth week of play featured many of the same trends that the first five showcased: ridiculous point totals, outstanding offensive performances and few upsets.

With that in mind, I thought it would be appropriate to give out a few mid-term grades. Not A's, B's and C's (or even Pass/Fail) but some midseason awards instead. 

So here's a look at the respective conferences within the region at the halfway point, more or less. The week's wrapup will follow. 

Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Head of the Class: Alma. The Scots are 4-1 overall and tied for first in the MIAA at 2-0. Alma is 4-0 against Division III teams as the lone loss came against scholarship program Tiffin. In addition, Alma is 3-0 on the road.

Making Strides: MIAA defenses. Conference teams seem to be making a conscious effort to play defense this year. Last year, it seemed just about every game featured basketball-like scores. This year, defenses seem to have closed the gap somewhat.

See Me After Class: Olivet. As loyal readers know, I have a soft spot for any team that has a 9-to-1 run-to-pass ratio. But the Comets went 0-for-the-MIAA last year and are 0-2 in league play after a 3-0 start in non-conference action. Olivet also went 4-0 outside of the league in 2003 -- and finished 4-6.

Offensive Player of the Half-Year: Quarterback Josh Brehm, Alma. Brehm leads the MIAA in passing yardage (1,380), touchdown passes (14), total offense (301 yards per game) and has completed a MIAA-best 58.7 percent of his passes. 

Defensive Player of the Half-Year: Inside linebacker Taz Wallace, Adrian. With apologies to several other players in the league, including teammate/sackmaster Mike Lewis. Wallace leads the MIAA in total tackles (66), solo hits (44), is tied for the lead in forced fumbles with two and is also ranked among the MIAA leaders in tackles for loss. Adrian is ranked either first or second in just about every defensive category in the league.

North Coast Athletic Conference
Head of the Class: Wooster. The Fighting Scots are currently one of three unbeaten teams in the NCAC, along with Wabash and Wittenberg. Both Wooster and Wabash are 5-0 and the Little Giants are actually a half-game ahead in the league. But Wooster has been quite impressive both in conference play and in non-league action. 

Making Strides: Denison. The Big Red is 3-2 so far this season and has an excellent shot at a winning season with games against Ohio Wesleyan, Earlham, Oberlin and Kenyon all remaining on the schedule. The Big Red also has Wabash at home.

See Me After Class: Hiram. Hiram is 0-5 overall and has yet to score a point in NCAC play this season. Hiram gets to host Wittenberg this Saturday. 

Offensive Player of the Half-Year: Halfback Tony Sutton, Wooster. Sutton leads the league in scoring, rushing and all-purpose yardage. He has 14 total touchdowns and averages 175 yards rushing per game. Sutton is definitely a strong candidate for national honors. 

Defensive Player of the Half-Year: Linebacker Tim Parker, Wabash. Wabash is the top defense in the NCAC and Parker is a main reason for the Little Giants' success. He leads the conference with six sacks and has seven total tackles for loss. Wooster's Andy Mizak and Wabash's Tamarco White are also strong contenders for this honor.

Ohio Athletic Conference
Head of the Class: Mount Union. Baldwin-Wallace is having a great season at 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the OAC. But the Purple Raiders have the inside track to "valedictorian" status at 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the OAC. B-W has a couple of narrow wins in conference play; Mount Union is running roughshod.

Making Strides: Ohio Northern. The Polar Bears stumbled out of the gate in 2003 and never recovered. This year, new head coach Dean Paul has ONU in the thick of the OAC race. Dial-Roberson Stadium is quickly becoming a house of horrors for visiting teams.

See Me After Class: Heidelberg. Fitting that the Student Princes are featured in such a setup. Heidelberg has scored just 36 points all season and has been shut out at home twice already. The Berg is 0-5 and unfortunately, four of those five games were at home.

Offensive Player of the Half-Year: Quarterback Zac Bruney, Mount Union. Capital's Rocky Pentello has had a fine season no doubt, leading the conference in passing yardage and has just one interception in 160 attempts. But Bruney has been masterful with the Purple Raider offense. Eleven touchdown passes and more than 1,100 passing yards are pretty impressive for a team that is: a) not necessarily a pass-oriented offense and: b) has had several large leads, which means Bruney hasn't played four quarters very often.

Defensive Player of the Half-Year: Defensive end Jason Trusnik, Ohio Northern. Trusnik has 11 and a half sacks in five games this year, which leads the OAC. He also leads the league in tackles for loss with 18.5 and has 55 total tackles. Throw in two forced fumbles and two recoveries and you have a major reason as to why Ohio Northern owns one of the OAC's premier defenses.

Presidents' Athletic Conference
Head of the Class: Washington and Jefferson. Washington and Jefferson is the only 6-0 team in this region and may very well be the No. 2 team overall in the region. They can beat you with the run, the pass, special teams and defense. They are very reminiscent of their outstanding teams of the early 1990s. 

Making Strides: Thiel. The Tomcats are 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the PAC after winning the Mercer County Cup at Grove City on Saturday. Their only losses are to UW-Platteville and Washington and Jefferson (combined records: 10-1). If Thiel can win out, a Pool B bid just might be a possibility.

See Me After Class: Bethany. Bethany is 0-5 and has given up an average of 47 points per game. In addition, the Bison average minus-3 in the turnover battle. That is minus-3 per game, not for the season.

Offensive Player of the Half-Year: Quarterback Chris Edwards, Washington and Jefferson. This was a tough choice as several players came into consideration, including Thiel quarterback Darrell Satterfield and receiver Brandon Chambers and Waynesburg running back Ryan Abels and quarterback Jeff Dumm. Edwards' numbers might not be as flashy as some others but they are still quite good. He leads the league in efficiency and touchdown passes. Plus, he's completing 64% of his passes. I feel that Washington and Jefferson's schedule has been a bit tougher so far than Waynesburg, also.

Defensive Player of the Half-Year: Linebacker Mike Choby, Grove City. Call me a homer. I don't care. The guy is having another great year for the Wolverines. He leads the PAC in total tackles (64) and tackles for loss (nine). Defense has been a strong suit for the 3-3 Wolverines, who have forced 26 turnovers in six games and are holding opponents to 3.2 yards per carry. Apologies to Thiel defensive end George Kum-Nji and Washington and Jefferson safety Frank Pilato. 

I love the 80s
Wooster set a new NCAC single-game scoring record Saturday with an 84-21 win at Kenyon. The Scots amassed a conference-record 791 yards of total offense (the most in Division III this season) while kicker Richie McNally drilled a league-record 12 extra points. Kenyon led twice in the first quarter, 6-0, and 12-7, but Wooster blew the game open with 28 points in the final seven minutes of the first quarter. Wooster led 49-21 at the half and then tacked on 35 second-half points.

All-America running back Tony Sutton ran for six of Wooster's 12 touchdowns and finished with 286 rushing yards on 28 carries. His understudy, Kevin Williams, ran for 158 yards and a touchdown. The Scots finished with a school-record 541 rushing yards and 34 total first downs. 

Kenyon didn't exactly have a bad day offensively, either. The Lords amassed 417 yards, including 273 passing yards by quarterback Nick Stalick. Alby Coombs ran for 182 yards, including a 90-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

Another one bites the dust
Adrian's undefeated run ended abruptly Saturday with a 27-7 loss at Alma. The Scots held Adrian to just 124 total yards and forced five turnovers, knocking the Bulldogs out of a share of first in the MIAA. Quarterback Josh Brehm threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns on 29 of 45 passing. Taz Wallace did lead Adrian with a game-high 20 tackles, including 14 solo stops.

Battling back
Ohio Wesleyan broke into the win column for the first time this season with a 17-14 home win over defending NCAC champ Allegheny on Saturday. Nathanael Jonhenry's 16-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter vaulted the Battling Bishops to victory. Allegheny went 7-0 in NCAC play last year but it is still looking for its first league win in 2004. 

Kehl yeah
Wisconsin Lutheran's Matt Kehl ran for 166 yards and three touchdowns Saturday as WLC rallied past Kalamazoo, 21-14, in Wauwatosa, Wis. Kehl ran for a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter, erasing Kalamazoo's 14-7 lead. His 3-yard run with 5:45 left in the game cut the lead to 14-13. Kehl then put the Warriors up with a 12-yard touchdown run with just 75 seconds left. It is Wisconsin Lutheran's first victory of the season.

Cup runneth over
Thiel reclaimed the Mercer County Cup Saturday with a 24-9 win at Grove City in the 21st battle for the Cup. The Tomcats forced five Grove City turnovers, including four interceptions, as Thiel won the Cup for the third time in four years.

The aforementioned Kum-Nji had two sacks in the victory and became Thiel's all-time leader in that category with 23.5. Freshman tailback Steve Minton ran for 135 yards for Thiel, giving him 509 rushing yards on the season. He needs 399 to become Thiel's single-season record-holder for rushing yards. In 100 years of football, Thiel has never had a 1,000-yard rusher. That could change very easily this season.

Grove City owns a 14-7 edge in the Cup series, dating to 1984. 

Sweet Louwaert
Albion senior running back Dustin Louwaert set a new school record with 256 yards rushing in the Britons' 51-19 win over Tri-State on Saturday. Louwaert ran for five touchdowns in the victory, including three in the first half. 

Not to be outdone, Albion kicker Andy Cline tied the school record with a 52-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.

Hedges hogs awards
Baldwin-Wallace running back Brandon Hedges won B-W's equivalent of the Triple Crown, earning the third leg Saturday in B-W's 31-24 win against Otterbein. He ran for 192 yards on 24 attempts, earning the Frank Ropollo Homecoming Player of the Game award. Earlier this year, Hedges won the Community Night and Shriners' Day MVP awards. He is the first player to win all three awards. 

With a win over winless Heidelberg on Saturday, Baldwin-Wallace (5-0) will clinch its 38th consecutive winning season.

Around the MIAA
Olivet outgained host Hope, 448-416, but the Comets fell to 0-2 in the conference with a 41-24 setback. ... Hope quarterback Joe Schwander threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns. ... Olivet back Drew Nielsen charged through the Dutchmen defense for 214 yards on 24 carries. 

Around the NCAC
Denison held Hiram to just 19 rushing yards in the Big Red's 23-0 win Saturday. ... Brandon Clifton had a career-high 158 receiving yards in Wabash's 44-17 win over Oberlin. ... The Little Giants held Oberlin to 28 rushing yards. ... Wittenberg nailed down a 56-14 win over Earlham as Jered Glover hauled in eight passes for 121 yards. 

Around the OAC
Rocky Pentello completed 25 of 29 passes to help lead Capital to a 43-7 victory over Marietta on Saturday. ... Pentello threw for 307 yards in the win. ... Mount Union scored twice on special teams in a 49-7 win against visiting Wilmington. ... Shaun Spisak returned a blocked field goal for a score while Jason Cavell returned a punt 71 yards to paydirt. ... John Carroll reversed its road woes with a 14-7 win at Muskingum, the Blue Streaks' first road win since Oct. 25, 2003. ... Matt Martin threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Matt Matteucci late in the first half for the eventual game-winning points. ... It is JCU's first touchdown pass of the season. ... Ohio Northern had no trouble with Heidelberg, 59-0. Jason Trusnik had three sacks while running backs Derek Garrod (107) and Zach Weber (102) each ran for over 100 yards.

Around the PAC
Washington and Jefferson featured near-perfect balance in a 54-14 rout of Westminster Saturday. The Prexies ran for 280 yards and threw for 270. Aaron Krepps and Jon Miller both caught two touchdown passes while R.J. Zitzelsberger ran for two scores. ... Waynesburg continued to keep pace in the PAC with a 56-17 win against visiting Bethany. ... The Bison led 10-7 after the first quarter but the Yellow Jackets scored the final 35 points of the game. Waynesburg had 308 rushing yards. ... Quarterback Jeff Dumm moved into first place in school history in both total offense and touchdown passes. 

Games To Watch
Wooster (5-0, 2-0) at Wabash (5-0, 3-0): First place in the NCAC is at stake in Crawfordsville. The league's top offense faces the NCAC's stingiest defense. The key matchup may be the Wabash offense against Wooster's defense, a unit that allowed over 400 yards at Kenyon last week.

Baldwin-Wallace (5-0, 4-0) at Heidelberg (0-5, 0-4): Why is this listed in Games to Watch? Because B-W can clinch its 38th consecutive winning season with a victory over The Berg. Plus, it's B-W's final tune-up before back-to-back home dates with Capital and Mount Union.

Waynesburg (4-1, 1-0) at Thiel (4-2, 2-1): Thiel tries to keep its slim PAC title hopes alive Saturday against the defending league champions. A victory would clinch no worse than a .500 season for Thiel while Waynesburg looks to run its PAC win streak to seven.