By Ryan Briggs
Grove City SID
Capital defeated Baldwin-Wallace for the first time in Berea since 1987. Thiel defeated Westminster for the first time since Harry S Truman lived in the White House. And Mount Union almost lost a regular season game for the first time since another two-term Democrat, Bill Clinton, was President.
Meanwhile, a pair of "W" schools, Washington and Jefferson and Wooster, remained unbeaten with lopsided "W's" in conference play.
Up north, Alma and Hope both remained unbeaten in the MIAA with victories last Saturday.
Staying alive
Capital kept its Pool C hopes alive Saturday by pulling out a 20-18 victory at Baldwin-Wallace on Saturday afternoon in Berea, Ohio. Capital led 17-0 after the first quarter but had to rally past the Yellow Jackets for the critical OAC victory. Kicker Tyler Kazee kicked a 34-yard field goal with 11 minutes left, which proved to be the eventual game-winning points.
For now, Capital owns second place in the OAC based on its win over Baldwin-Wallace (6-1, 5-1 OAC).
The Crusaders (6-1, 5-1 OAC) grabbed their 17-0 lead as Kazee booted a field goal and a two-yard touchdown run from sophomore Charlie Smith. An interception return by standout safety Kyle Hausler set up the Crusaders' first touchdown.
The lead grew to 17-0 as sophomore quarterback Rocky Pentello fired a 5-yard touchdown strike to Kive Kraft with 22 ticks left in the opening period.
However, a pair of 48-yard scoring plays put Baldwin-Wallace back into the game. Another standout sophomore in the game, running back Brandon Hedges, raced 48 yards for a score early in the second quarter. The extra point failed, however, setting off a chain of events that turned out to be costly for B-W.
Trailing 17-6, Baldwin-Wallace cut the lead to five as triggerman Mike DiAngelo pitched a 48-yard touchdown pass to Gary Kopchak. Having missed its first conversion, B-W went for two and missed, leaving the score 17-12.
Baldwin-Wallace assumed its only lead of the game with 4:45 left in the third quarter on Hedges's second touchdown of the game, an 18-yard run. Again, Baldwin-Wallace went for two and came up empty. Had the Yellow Jackets simply kicked the extra point on each of their last two touchdowns, they would have had 20 points in all likelihood. Entering the game, kicker Aaron Redd was 19-of-21 on extra points.
This is certainly not a criticism of the B-W coaching staff but it does reinforce the adage of going for one early and going for two late unless there are extreme circumstances, such as a large deficit.
Now, B-W is trying to avoid getting two, as in two losses. The Yellow Jackets host Mount Union this Saturday at Finnie Stadium. The Purple Raiders can clinch a playoff berth with a win while Baldwin-Wallace can remain in the playoff hunt by pulling the upset. Speaking of pulling upsets (almost):
Polar opposite
Ohio Northern did what no other team has done this year -- throw a scare into Mount Union. The Polar Bears led Mount Union 27-20 in the third quarter but ONU turned the ball over twice in Purple Raider territory in the fourth quarter and fell to top-ranked Mount Union 41-27 at Dial-Roberson Stadium in Ada.
Rick Ciccone tied the game at 27 with an 18-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, capping Mount Union's 13-play, 82-yard drive. Ohio Northern drove into Raider territory but Jesse Clum intercepted a Corey Minnfield pass at the 7, giving Mount Union possession. Two plays later, Zac Bruney fired a 90-yard touchdown pass to Jason Cavell that put Mount Union up 34-27.
Cavell finished the day with touchdown catches of 33, 39 and 90 yards. He caught five total passes for 184 yards.
Undaunted, Ohio Northern drove into Raider territory again but Minnfield's fourth-down completion to Rob Dellaposta came up four yards short with 10 minutes left.
Ciccone slammed the door on Ohio Northern by catching a 7-yard touchdown pass from Bruney, who threw for 327 yards on 17-of-27 accuracy. Ciccone ran for 148 yards on 35 carries and also caught five passes.
Ohio Northern (5-2, 4-2) visits Capital this weekend. The Polar Bears' playoff hopes are rather slim at this juncture with two losses. But I think it is pretty obvious that a team that can stay with Mount Union for 58 minutes is one of the 28 best teams in the country.
Grinding it out in Greenville
Prior to the 2004 season, the Thiel Tomcats were picked to finish fifth in the Presidents' Athletic Conference preseason poll. Well, Jack Leipheimer's squad finishing the task of blowing that prognostication out of the water Saturday with a 28-0 whipping of visiting Westminster. It is Thiel's first win over Westminster since 1950, a span of 18 games.
Thiel finished 4-1 in the PAC and can finish no worse than second in the league. More importantly, the Tomcats are 6-2 overall and have a shot at a potential Pool B berth.
Saturday, Thiel relied on freshman halfback Stephen Minton as the rookie ran for 157 yards and three touchdowns. As a team, Thiel gashed the Titans for 277 rushing yards and an edge of more than 17 minutes in time of possession.
Defensively, Thiel held Westminster's Scott Froelich, the PAC's leading rusher, to just 44 yards on 17 carries.
Thiel clinched its first winning season in 13 years with the win. The four PAC wins are the most for the program since Thiel went 4-2-1 in 1981. Thiel's transition from Homecoming fodder into a contending program has coincided with Leipheimer's hire prior to the 2001 season.
"It hasn't happened overnight," Leipheimer, a 1974 Thiel alum, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Dave Mackall. "There are 17 seniors we recruited when we got it here and it's paid off.
"It is tremendously gratifying to see the program get to where it is right now, to see our kids perform and respond like they are now and to see our coaching staff do the work it is doing."
Let's be Frank
Washington and Jefferson strong safety Frank Pilato intercepted three passes in a 10-minute span during the first half as the Presidents became the Great Lakes Region's first 8-0 team with a 56-0 win at Bethany. Pilato became Washington and Jefferson's all-time leading interceptor with 16 picks.
Pilato returned his third interception of the first quarter 28 yards for a touchdown, capping the Red and Black's 35-point first quarter. Quarterback Chris Edwards fired an 18-yard touchdown pass to Jon Miller late in the first half to extend the lead to 42-0 by the half.
Edwards threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns while completing 18 of 23 attempts. The Presidents can clinch their 18th PAC title in 21 years Saturday with a win against Waynesburg at Washington's Cameron Stadium.
Bethany's rough year continues as the Bison are now 0-7 overall and 0-5 in the PAC. Bethany visits Chicago this Saturday, then travels to Carnegie Mellon on Nov. 6. Don't forget the Defiance-at-Bethany clash that was rescheduled for Nov. 20. Those two teams are a combined 0-14.
Department of Defense
Regular readers of this column (you know who you are) are aware that I frequently mention the general lack of defense played in the MIAA. Saturday, Hope and Adrian bucked that trend as Hope pulled out a 7-0 win at Adrian.
Neither team managed 100 yards rushing and both teams turned the ball over four times. Adrian's Dan McKeown intercepted three Joe Schwander passes, earning MIAA Defensive Player of the Week honors. Want some more evidence? Hope punted seven times; Adrian punted the ball away eight times.
Adrian linebacker Taz Wallace had another active day in defeat, ringing up a game-high 18 tackles. Hope safety Andy Snyder intercepted a pass, blocked a punt and also made 10 tackles for the Dutchmen, who are now 5-2 overall and 4-0 in the MIAA.
Schwander's 12-yard touchdown pass to Joe Verschueren with 5:09 left in the third quarter provided the game's only scoring.
Revenge of the Tigers
Last year, Wabash crippled Wittenberg's NCAC title hopes with a 41-14 whipping in Crawfordsville, Ind. On Saturday, Wittenberg turned the tables on the Little Giants with a 49-35 home win that extended Wittenberg's win streak to six.
Tristan Murray ran for 218 yards and four touchdowns for Wittenberg, which put the game away after a late Wabash special teams gaffe. Wittenberg held a 41-35 lead with 2:45 left but had to punt. Senior Jacob Thomas boomed a punt that skipped on the wet turf toward the Wabash end zone. Return man Ray Green could not handle the bouncing spheroid and the Tigers recovered the ball at the 5. Moments later, Murray plowed across the goal line.
Wittenberg raced out to a 31-7 halftime lead but Wabash eventually pulled to within 41-35 with 8:35 left on Russ Harbaugh's 13-yard pass to Brandon Roop. Harbaugh finished the day with 344 passing yards. Nine of his 24 completions went to Brandon Clifton, who gained 128 yards.
The teams combined to go 11-for-11 in the red zone. Wabash outgained Wittenberg, 452-449, but could not overcome three turnovers. Wittenberg visits Ohio Wesleyan this weekend in an NCAC clash, the Tigers' final tune-up before their potential de facto championship game at Wooster on Nov. 6.
More revenge
Oberlin pulled the shocker of the season last season when the Yeomen downed Wooster, 14-7, at Dill Field. Saturday, Wooster also gained a measure of revenge with a 59-13 win over the Yeomen.
Wooster All-America tailback Tony Sutton ran for 183 yards, his career average, while wide receiver/kicker Richie McNally accounted for 23 points in his dual role. The Scot defense sacked Oberlin quarterback Ryan Squatrito eight times. Andy Mizak tied the new school record with four sacks in the victory.
Squatrito did complete 16 of 31 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns.
Around the MIAA
Albion improved to 3-1 in the MIAA and 5-2 overall with a 41-7 win over visiting Wisconsin Lutheran. Steve Wasil went 21 of 40 for 330 yards and four touchdowns. The Britons scored the final 41 points of the game. ... Josh Brehm threw for 416 yards in leading Alma to a 38-14 win against Kalamazoo. The Scots' defense held Kalamazoo to minus-13 yards rushing and forced four turnovers. ... Olivet threw for 164 yards in a 41-21 road win at Tri-State. Marcus Robinson completed six of 10 attempts. The Comets still ran for 254 yards.
Around the NCAC
Allegheny running back Mario Tarquinio tied a school record with five rushing touchdowns in the Gators' 59-0 win over Hiram. Tarquinio ran for 186 yards in the victory. Four of his touchdowns came in the first quarter. ... Hiram has yet to score in conference play. ... Senior halfback Eric Indiciani scored three touchdowns, including two in the fourth quarter, as Ohio Wesleyan held off Kenyon 30-24. Cisco Clervoix had two and a half sacks for the Battling Bishops. ... Don't look now, but Ohio Wesleyan is 3-1 in the NCAC and is just one game back of Wooster and Wittenberg. Maybe they are a "dark horse" after all. ... Fred Lee's 112-yard outing helped lead Denison past Earlham, 20-7. The Big Red is now 4-3 overall.
Around the OAC
Marietta improved to 4-3 with a 12-7 victory over Muskingum on Saturday. ... It is the Pioneers' first four-win season since 1998. Steven Wagner ran 60 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter while Bobby Lemasters booted field goals of 42 and 36 yards. ... John Carroll kept Heidelberg winless with a 24-0 victory. The Blue Streaks held The Berg to just 59 yards of offense. Anthony Fanelli intercepted two passes while fullback Tim Kay scored twice. ... Wilmington upended Otterbein 20-13, thanks to a season-high 492 yards of offense. Freshman Jermaine Isaac ran for 167 yards for the Quakers while quarterback Corey Smith threw for 215 yards and a touchdown.
Around the PAC
Waynesburg scored the final 41 points of its home game with Grove City Saturday, picking up a 51-14 win over the Wolverines. Waynesburg did not punt the entire game. ... Grove City led twice, 7-3, and 14-10 before things snowballed.
Games to Watch
Waynesburg (5-2, 2-1 PAC) at Washington and Jefferson (8-0, 4-0 PAC), 1:30 p.m.: Washington and Jefferson can clinch the Presidents' Athletic Conference title Saturday with a win over their rivals to the south. Waynesburg needs a win both Saturday and then Nov. 13 at Westminster to clinch a share of the PAC title for the second straight year. ... The Presidents are looking to potentially earn a top seed in the playoffs.
Ohio Northern (5-2, 4-2 OAC) at Capital (6-1, 5-1 OAC), 1:30 p.m.: Capital can move one step closer to sewing up a Pool C berth by winning at home Saturday. Ohio Northern needs a win to keep its slim hopes alive.
Mount Union (7-0, 6-0 OAC) at Baldwin-Wallace (6-1, 5-1 OAC), 1:30 p.m.: These are two of the elite teams in Division III, no doubt. Still these are college kids. How will these two teams react after tough games last week. Mount Union has been rarely challenged this season but got all it could handle from Ohio Northern. Baldwin-Wallace suffered a tough home loss against Capital. What does each team have left in the tank for this week? Chances are, the answer is "plenty." Mount Union can clinch a playoff berth with a victory but it is quite likely that the Purple Raiders will have another dogfight on their hands Saturday.
Albion (5-2, 3-1 MIAA) at Hope (5-2, 4-0 MIAA), 1:00 p.m.: Albion has its final shot at staying in the MIAA race Saturday in Holland, Mich. The Britons have won three straight over the league's second-division teams. Now they can pull into the thick of the race with a road victory. Hope looks to remain undefeated in the league.
