By Ryan Briggs
D3sports.com
The regular season is over for much of the Great Lakes Region. But for about one-sixth of the teams (six of 37), the season will continue this Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.
Two region conferences produced a pair of playoff participants. The OAC is sending champion Mount Union and league runner-up Capital into the 32-team battle royal while the PAC is sending kingpin Thiel and second-place finisher Washington and Jefferson. Those two would meet in the regional semifinals Nov. 26 if both win this week.
The Great Lakes Region is guaranteed of having at least one team advance to the final 16 as NCAC champion Wabash, one of two 10-0 teams in the region (along with Thiel), will host MIAA champion Albion in Crawfordsville, Ind.
Wabash capped its 10-0 regular season by pulling out a 17-14 victory over DePauw in the annual Monon Bell game.
Meanwhile, Albion wrapped up the MIAA with a 36-19 victory at Olivet.
Thiel preserved its 10-0 season by rallying from a 28-14 deficit in the fourth quarter for a 50-48, triple-overtime victory at Carnegie Mellon. It is Thiel’s third overtime win on the road this season.
Washington and Jefferson was off last Saturday and was more or less assured of a Pool B berth when Willamette fell to Linfield. Mount Union clinched the OAC title the previous week but still rolled up a 63-0 win at Heidelberg Saturday.
Finally, Capital earned its first berth since 1987 by topping Wilmington, 48-10.
But before we delve into this weekend’s playoff matchups, let’s take a look at the final week of the regular season for several teams in the region.
Gator bait
It has not been the best of seasons for Allegheny as the Gators suffered numerous tough losses this year, including two in overtime and three other games that came down to the final play of the season.
Saturday, the Gators (3-7, 3-4) closed 2005 with their second straight victory, however, as Allegheny popped Wittenberg (5-5, 5-2), 31-21, in Meadville, Pa.
Quarterback Jimmy Savage threw for 204 yards and three touchdowns to help lead the Gator attack. His seven-yard touchdown pass to Logan Kaleta with 2:13 sealed the win. The touchdown capped a 12-play, 83-yard drive that used up over five minutes of clock.
If you looked at Allegheny’s season stats, you would think that the Gators were at least 6-4, maybe 7-3.
This season, Allegheny:
*outscored their opponents, 247-218
*accumulated 35 more first downs than the opposition
*outgained teams by 23 yards per game
*committed 20 fewer penalties than foes
*converted 43 percent of their third-down situations
When the Gators were good, they were very good. And when they were bad, they really weren’t too bad — just not quite good enough to get over the hump.
No helping hand
Waynesburg piled up 294 rushing yards and 539 yards of total offense Saturday in closing 2005 with a 40-13 home victory over Westminster and the Titans’ first-year head coach Jeff Hand. Hand had been Waynesburg head coach for four years before returning to his native Lawrence County as Westminster head coach.
Eric Daniels ran for 154 yards and three touchdowns for Waynesburg while backfield mate Ryan Abels ran for 140 yards on 23 attempts. Abels set a new Waynesburg single-season record with 1,299 yards. He also went over the 3,000 mark for his career.
In addition to having two 100-yard rushers, the Yellow Jackets also had two 100-yard receivers. Ivan Hawkins caught seven balls for 106 yards while Dominick Hunter caught six passes for 118 yards.
Briton bonanza
Albion quarterback Steve Wasil threw five touchdown passes to help the Britons top Olivet, 36-19, and win the outright MIAA title. Tight end Troy Rundle caught two touchdown passes while Peter Shaw also pulled in two scoring passes.
In addition to throwing for 272 yards, Wasil also ran for 61 yards. He is the MIAA Offensive Player of the Year.
By George
Baldwin-Wallace middle linebacker Joe George became the school’s all-time tackle leader with 334 stops in the Yellow Jackets’ season-ending 17-14 win over crosstown rival John Carroll. The win gives B-W a 21-20-4 edge in the all-time series, including a 9-8 advantage in the Cuyahoga Gold Bowl.
For John Carroll, the loss dashed any Pool C hopes the Blue Streaks may have had. John Carroll’s Joe Motley did tie a school record with 43 career games played.
Satterfield six-pack
Thiel quarterback Darrell Satterfield threw six touchdown passes Saturday to help the Tomcats rally for a 50-48, three-overtime win at Carnegie Mellon Saturday. The win secured a home game in the first round of the playoffs for Thiel.
Satterfield threw a pair of touchdown passes in overtime to Brandon Chambers as well as the game-winning two-point conversion. Chambers finished the day with 15 receptions for 177 yards. Dan Hess led Thiel with a career-high 169 yards on 32 carries.
Carnegie Mellon defensive back Aaron Lewis recorded 22 total tackles for the Tartans.
Hanging Chad
Kenyon kicker Chad Rothschild booted a 39-yard field goal as time expired Saturday, giving the Lords a 45-42 home win over Denison in the season finale. Just 32 seconds earlier, Denison tied the game at 42 as Larry Cappetto threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Peter Jarowey, pulling the Big Red to within 42-40. Cappetto’s two-point pass to Matt Petersen tied the game.
However, the Lords moved 29 yards in just five plays to set up Rothschild’s heroics.
Denison piled up 28 first downs and 510 yards of offense but never led. Cappetto threw for 365 yards and three touchdowns while Fred Lee ran for 124 yards and three touchdowns. Petersen caught six passes for 124 yards.
Quarterback Rafael Sanchez ran for 180 yards for Kenyon while Javier Arbolaez gained 118 yards on 32 attempts. Each ran for three touchdowns.
Kenyon finishes NCAC play 6-1, good for second place.
Moving on
Bethany relieved head coach/athletic director Steve Lee of his duties last weekend. Bethany posted back-to-back 1-9 seasons under Lee. The Bison opened this season with a 34-21 upset of Franklin and Marshall but then dropped their final nine games.
Also let go were defensive coordinator Charlie Giangrosso and offensive coordinator Mark Lee. Assistant coach Andy Upton is interim head coach until a successor is named.
So often, we see such transactions in the newspaper or read about them in “Notables” and don’t think anything of it. But when it is someone that you know and respect, it has a bigger impact on you.
I have gotten to know Steve Lee through a number of PAC functions, such as Football Media Day and other conference get-togethers and have a great deal of respect for him. He is a good man and I wish him the best.
Academic All-District picks
A total of 32 student-athletes from the Great Lakes Region earned Academic All-District honors last week from ESPN The Magazine and the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Often times, the academic excellence of our region’s players get overlooked in favor of total tackles, touchdowns, etc. So here’s a tip of the cap to these young men who are getting it done on the field and in the classroom.
Washington and Jefferson led all Great Lakes Region schools with five selections while Baldwin-Wallace and Grove City each had four Academic All-District picks.
Here is a breakdown by school:
Baldwin-Wallace – District IV
Mark Zaranec, Offensive Line, First Team
Mike Finamore, Defensive Back, First Team
Joe George, Linebacker, First Team
Matt Davis, Defensive Line, First Team
Bethany – District II
T.J. Parker, Wide Receiver, Second Team
Capital – District IV
Matt Evans, Defensive Line, First Team
Carnegie Mellon – District II
Bryan LeBude, Offensive Line, First Team
Aaron Lewis, Defensive Back, First Team
Case Western Reserve – District IV
Santo Maimone, Defensive Back, First Team
Grove City – District II
Garret Choby, Linebacker, First Team
Richard Welch, Defensive Line, First Team
Jordan Johnston, Defensive Line, Second Team
Matt Weil, Running Back, Second Team
John Carroll – District IV
Doug Phillips, Quarterback, First Team
Andrew Dunn, Offensive Line, First Team
Kenyon – District IV
Andrew Hammack, Wide Receiver, First Team
Ohio Northern – District IV
Bryan Gasser, Tight End, First Team
Wes Hostetler, Defensive Back, First Team
Aaron Mochon, Defensive Line, First Team
Ohio Wesleyan – District IV
Kyle Sherman, Defensive Line, First Team
Olivet – District IV
Jeff Iciek, Offensive Line, First Team
Travis Sleight, Running Back, First Team
Otterbein – District IV
Joshua Bope, Wide Receiver, First Team
Wabash – District V
Will Certain, Offensive Line, Second Team
Washington and Jefferson – District II
Chris Edwards, Quarterback, First Team
Aaron Krepps, Wide Receiver, First Team
R.J. Zitzelsberger, Running Back, First Team
Cory Walsh, Defensive Back, First Team
Chris Teter, Offensive Line, Second Team
Westminster – District II
Adam Hadbavny, Defensive Line, First Team
Wittenberg – District IV
Tristan Murray, Running Back, First Team
Wooster – District IV
Rick Drushal, Offensive Line, First Team
Around the MIAA
Kalamazoo pulled out a 41-40 win over Tri-State as Jared Randall blocked the potential game-tying PAT with 35 seconds left to preserve the win. Hornets’ quarterback Tim Kaselitz threw for 309 yards on 30 of 47 passing while Jeff Green caught 10 passes for 184 yards. Kalamazoo finished 4-6, a three-game improvement … Adrian played its final game at Maple Stadium Saturday, earning a 31-14 win over Wisconsin Lutheran. The Bulldogs will move on campus next year. Taz Wallace had 25 tackles for Adrian while Chris Clay ran for 203 yards on 24 attempts … Hope had the ball for over 40 minutes in a 38-20 win over Alma Saturday. Hope ran 98 plays. Quarterback Joe Schwander ran for 209 yards and threw for an additional 156 yards. His 64-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter sealed the Dutchmen’s win.
Around the NCAC
Nick Rice ran for one touchdown and threw another as Ohio Wesleyan topped host Wooster, 21-7. Quarterback Ryan Sir Louis ran for 132 yards and a touchdown for the Bishops, who didn’t garner a great deal of ink this year. Yet, Ohio Wesleyan put together a very solid 7-3 campaign this year under head coach Dr. Mike Hollway … Oberlin earned a 52-17 home win over Hiram as the Yeomen scored 39 second-half points. Chris Pisani had four total sacks for Oberlin.
Around the OAC
Ohio Northern rolled to a 58-7 win at Heidelberg to clinch an 8-2 season. Quarterback Adam Quirk threw for 300 yards and four touchdowns on 16 of 24 passing while Rusty Midlam intercepted his ONU-record 22nd career pass … Kyle Wolfe caught two touchdown passes and also blocked two field goals in Otterbein’s 13-9 win at Muskingum. The Cardinals finished 7-3, their first winning season since 1999 … It’s been 14 quarters since an opponent broke into the end zone against Mount Union. Saturday, the Purple Raiders closed the regular season with a 63-0 win at Heidelberg. Scott Casto racked up 112 receiving yards on seven catches and also returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown … Rocky Pentello’s 29-of-43, 366-yard passing performance helped Capital to a 48-10 win over Wilmington. Kive Kraft caught nine passes for 120 yards.
Games of the Week
Albion (7-3) at Wabash (10-0): This is the only playoff game between Great Lakes Region teams. Wabash is a strong favorite, but don’t be surprised if the Britons pull the upset. Albion has won six in a row and is averaging 49 points per game in that span. That offense will face perhaps its toughest test of the season though, against Wabash. This could turn out to be the best game of the weekend.
Johns Hopkins (8-2) at Thiel (10-0): Two first-time playoff entrants meet in Greenville, Pa. Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan will be there. I’ll be there too and I am looking forward to this one.
