By Ryan Briggs
Grove City SID
Because of the big news that hit this week, I had to take an extra day to prepare this week's column. That big news, of course, is that there are plans in the works for Rocky VI.
So as a tribute to Sly Stallone, one of our generation's finest actors, here is this week's Great Lakes Notebook.
Yo, Adrian!
Adrian rallied from a pair of nine-point deficits to earn a 37-31 double-overtime win over visiting Olivet on Saturday on Homecoming at Maples Stadium.
Randy Hutchison tied the game in overtime with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Joel Musielewicz, then won it with a 13-yard touchdown pass to D.J. Howard.
Olivet led 9-0 early in the second quarter and had a 16-7 lead until late in the first half. However, James Spencer's 27-yard field goal with 45 seconds left cut the lead to 16-10.
Adrian (5-1, 2-1) took its first and only lead in regulation, 17-16, with 1:49 left in the third quarter as Hutchison scored from the 1. Olivet bounced back to take a 24-17 lead on Lonnie Jones' 4-yard run early in the fourth but Chris Clay's second touchdown of the afternoon tied the game at 24 with eight minutes left. Clay finished with 125 yards rushing.
Victory
Waynesburg jumped out to a 21-0 first-half lead on visiting Thiel on Saturday but the undefeated Tomcats (6-0, 4-0) stormed back and pulled out a 35-28 double-overtime victory over Waynesburg at Jack Wiley Stadium.
Thiel quarterback Darrell Satterfield threw for 336 yards to help lead the Tomcats' comeback. He threw a pair of touchdown passes to Brandon Chambers, including a 38-yarder with 5:23 left in regulation. Chambers finished the day with 11 catches for 177 yards.
In overtime, Waynesburg took a 28-21 lead as Dominick Hunter caught an 8-yard pass from Tres Cobb. However, Thiel answered as Satterfield fired a 25-yard touchdown pass to Tom McEntire.
Steve Minton's 6-yard touchdown run in double overtime gave Thiel its first lead of the day. The Tomcats then forced a four-and-out to end the game.
Thiel had a chance to win the game in regulation but Anthony Taylor blocked Sammy Koyl's 24-yard field goal attempt with 29 seconds left.
Surprisingly, neither team had a sack in the game.
Demolition man
Wabash quarterback Russ Harbaugh threw for 452 yards and four touchdowns Saturday as the visiting Little Giants rolled past defending NCAC champion Wooster 44-10 at John Papp Stadium.
As a team, Wabash threw for a school-record 499 yards. Overall, the Little Giants (6-0, 4-0) piled up 654 offensive yards, another team record.
Harbaugh completed 28 of 42 attempts in helping Wabash stay atop the NCAC. "Russ is playing exactly how you would want your senior quarterback to play and then some," Wabash coach Chris Creighton said.
Eric Summers caught seven passes for 151 yards and a touchdown while Geoff Walker and Kyle Piazza both hauled in six passes. Punter Chad Finley only had to punt once. He kept plenty busy, though, kicking five extra points and a 27-yard field goal.
The defeat effectively ends Wooster's reign as conference champion as the Fighting Scots fell to 4-2 overall but 1-2 in the NCAC.
Staying alive
Ohio Northern rallied from a 26-25 fourth-quarter hole to top visiting Otterbein, 44-26, Saturday at Dial-Roberson Stadium in Ada.
Freshman halfback R.J. Meadows scored twice in the fourth quarter to put the Polar Bears (5-1, 4-1) ahead to stay. He ran for 205 yards and five touchdowns on just 16 carries. Derek Garrod ran for 102 yards on 21 attempts. His touchdown run with 3:14 helped seal the win and keep Ohio Northern's OAC title hopes alive.
Rusty Midlam intercepted a pair of passes for Ohio Northern. His 35-yard interception return for touchdown in the second quarter gave ONU a 19-14 lead.
Surprisingly, Ohio Northern went just 1-for-6 on conversion attempts. The Polar Bears missed their first extra point, and then went 0-for-4 on two-point attempts. Finally, Brad Hemphill booted an extra point after Garrod's touchdown.
First blood
Marietta became the first team this season to score in the first quarter against Mount Union as sophomore safety Shawn Ellies returned a fumble 100 yards for a touchdown with 1:59 left in the first quarter. That gave the Pioneers a 7-0 lead.
Then the roof caved in as Mount Union racked up 59 unanswered points en route to a 59-7 win Saturday night at Don Drumm Stadium. It is Mount Union's 110th straight regular-season win.
Mount Union accumulated a school-record 40 first downs and 755 offensive yards in the win. The Purple Raiders ran for 388 yards and threw for 367. Quarterback Mike Jorris threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns while running for two more scores. Aaron Robinson led the Raiders with 147 yards rushing on 18 carries.
While the Purple Raider offense generates a lot of publicity, their defense proved to be just as dominant. Mount Union (6-0, 5-0) held the Pioneers to 39 yards on 46 plays and zero offensive points.
Mount Union's win sets up this week's titanic battle with Ohio Northern in Alliance.
First Blood: Part II
Grove City led for a significant portion of the first half against Washington and Jefferson (6-1, 2-1) Saturday but the Presidents scored 23 second-half points on their way to a 37-14 win over Grove City at Robert E. Thorn Field.
Washington and Jefferson quarterback Chris Edwards completed a school-record 36 passes as part of a 335-yard outing. R.J. Soeder caught 12 passes for 111 yards while consensus All-American Aaron Krepps had 11 receptions for 84 yards. Krepps opened the scoring with a 55-yard punt return for touchdown just 76 seconds into the game.
However, Grove City rebounded to take a 14-7 lead in the second quarter. Following a 2-yard touchdown run by quarterback Bradford Clark, junior safety Clay Piper intercepted an Edwards pass and returned it 96 yards for a touchdown. It was Piper's first career pick.
Cornerback Mike Wilmus intercepted two passes for the Presidents, who have won four straight at Robert E. Thorn Field.
On a side note, I was fortunate to be able to talk about the Great Lakes Region at halftime on WNJR-FM with W+J broadcasters Mario Sacco and Shaun Pfeil. It was definitely a thrill to talk about this great region with those guys during the intermission.
Cliffhanger
Kenyon stayed undefeated in the NCAC by hanging on for a 34-27 home victory over winless Allegheny Saturday afternoon. The Lords stopped Allegheny's Logan Kaleta at the 2 as time expired to preserve the victory. It was the 17th play of Allegheny's game-ending drive.
Allegheny (0-6, 0-3) held the lead three times but could not hang on. Mario Tarquinio ran for three touchdowns, including a one-yard run with 9:34 left in the third quarter that gave the Gators a 27-20 lead.
But Kenyon quarterback Rafael Sanchez tied the game with a 6-yard touchdown run later in the third, then put the Lords ahead to stay with a 12-yard touchdown run with 7:39 left in the game.
Sanchez threw for 240 yards and ran for 123. He threw a pair of touchdown passes to Phelipe Johnson, including a 71-yarder early in the third quarter.
Allegheny quarterback Jimmy Savage also posted impressive dual-threat numbers as the North Canton, Ohio, native threw for 231 yards and ran for an additional 85. Kyle Geiser returned the second-half kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown for the Gators and also caught 13 passes for 97 yards.
Cobra
Quick strikes were definitely en vogue for Albion Saturday in the Britons' 44-7 home win over Kalamazoo. Albion had four touchdown drives of less than 90 seconds in raising its MIAA record to 2-1.
Quarterback Steve Wasil threw four touchdown passes, including two to tight end Troy Rundle. Wasil's 30-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Polnasek with 8:24 left in the first half gave Albion a 14-7 lead. The score capped a 64-yard drive that used just 51 seconds.
Peter Shaw's 17-yard reception closed a 6-play, 57-yard drive that consumed 1:16 while Rundle's first touchdown catch ended a 4-play, 65-yard drive which consumed just 1:21.
The Britons also ran for 251 yards as a team, led by Mike Gehringer's 101 rushing yards.
Rocky
Capital quarterback Rocky Pentello threw for 228 yards and two scores in the Crusaders' 30-13 win at Muskingum.
Pentello is now ranked in the top 10 all-time in OAC annals in every passing category. He's now ninth in completions (605), 10th in attempts (925), 10th in yards (7,284) and 10th in touchdowns (62). Colin O'Reilly led the Crusader ground attack with 113 yards.
Around the MIAA
Alma improved to 5-0 against Division III foes with a 42-26 win over visiting Tri-State Saturday. The Scots trailed Tri-State 14-7 in the second quarter before charging back. Josh Brehm threw for 396 yards and a pair of touchdowns for Alma. He also ran for two scores. Tri-State's Josh Andrews returned a blocked punt 10 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter that pulled the Thunder to within 21-20. However, the subsequent PAT failed ... Hope improved to 2-1 in the MIAA with a 38-7 home win over Wisconsin Lutheran. The Dutchmen defense recorded eight sacks and forced three turnovers.
Around the NCAC
Wittenberg remained unbeaten in the NCAC with a 66-0 victory over Hiram. The Tigers held Hiram to minus-45 yards rushing and minus-1 yards of total offense. Tight ends Nate Cherry and Jon Kirkwood each caught two touchdown passes for the Tigers, who have won three straight after an 0-3 start ... Oberlin earned its first conference win, slipping past Earlham, 13-10. Oberlin native Chris Schubert caught six passes for 109 yards to help the Yeomen improve to 1-2 in the league. Earlham fell to 0-4 ... Ohio Wesleyan held off Denison, 34-28, and improved to 2-1 in the conference. Quarterback Steve Hymes ran for 105 yards on 27 carries to help lead OWU. He also threw for 87 yards. Larry Cappetto threw four touchdown passes for Denison, his third career four-touchdown effort.
Around the OAC
Baldwin-Wallace running back Brandon Hedges earned the Lee Tressel Shrine Classic Player of the Game Award Saturday as B-W held off Heidelberg, 35-22. Hedges ran for 131 yards and two touchdowns. Defensive end Ryan Lewis had two sacks. Heidelberg linebacker Kyle Prosser made 20 tackles in defeat ... Doug Phillips went 25 of 39 passing for 307 yards and three touchdowns to help John Carroll top host Wilmington, 31-14. The Blue Streaks have won four straight.
Around the PAC
Thomas More fell to 4-2 with a surprising 23-6 home loss to Frostburg State. The Saints, who share the PAC lead with Thiel at 4-0, turned the ball over four times and committed 12 penalties that cost the Saints 127 yards ... Westminster's Sean Buggey ran for 216 yards and also threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to quarterback J.R. Barley in the Titans' 34-13 win at Bethany Saturday. Chris Castillo set a new Westminster record by making a 47-yard field goal. Castillo is a fifth-year senior who played four years for the Titan soccer team.
Games of the Week
Ohio Northern at Mount Union: This is one of two games nationally that features two top 25 teams. Mount Union beat John Carroll 70-0. John Carroll beat Ohio Northern 50-25. On paper, it looks like a complete mismatch. But don't be fooled. If any team is going to end Mount Union's run this regular season, it would be Dean Paul's Polar Bears. Still, the Purple Raiders are incredibly difficult to defeat anywhere, but especially in Alliance.
Adrian at Hope, 1 p.m.: Two 2-1 teams square off in a virtual elimination game in the MIAA. Doesn't it seem like every game each week in the MIAA is an elimination game? I think a season of MIAA football would make for a great documentary subject.
Wittenberg at Wabash, 2 p.m. EDT: Two of the NCAC's three undefeated teams meet in Crawfordsville. Wabash is 6-0 overall and looking to re-establish itself as one of the region's preeminent teams. Wittenberg, after a rough start, has pulled back to .500. While Wabash would still have some Pool C hopes with a loss, it's a must-win for Wittenberg who can only get in via the automatic qualifier, one would think.
