By Ryan Briggs
Grove City SID
Summer faded into autumn last weekend as thoughts of apple cider, hayrides and Homecoming dance through people's heads. It may be cooling down meteorologically but football-wise, things are just starting to heat up throughout the region.
Several teams broke through with much-needed wins last week, including Wittenberg, which rolled past Alma, 42-24. Westminster recovered from a pair of blowout losses to shock visiting Adrian in double overtime, 27-24, while Waynesburg trimmed Grove City for its first win after an 0-3 start.
Wabash kicked off North Coast Athletic Conference play with a victory over winless Ohio Wesleyan while Capital, Mount Union and Ohio Northern all stayed unbeaten in the OAC.
Working overtime
Two Presidents' Athletic Conference teams needed overtime to get much-needed wins Saturday.
Thiel began the defense of its PAC title Saturday by rallying for a mud-filled 17-14 overtime victory at Thomas More.
Thiel tied the game with 19 seconds left in regulation as Billy Blankenship fired a 6-yard touchdown pass to Marc LaScola on fourth-and-goal. In overtime, Sammy Koyl drilled a 27-yard field goal to give Thiel the lead. Cornerback Steve Boyle then dashed Thomas More's hopes by intercepting a pass at the 10, clinching the win.
Thomas More led 14-0 late in the first half before a special teams play sparked the Tomcats. Robert Hughes blocked a punt with 20 seconds left, scooped the ball up and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown.
Neither team generated much offense in the rainstorm; Thomas More had just 107 total yards, including 55 rushing yards on 40 attempts. Thiel managed just 51 rushing yards on 25 attempts. Each team had eight first downs.
Thomas More took a 14-0 lead on Rashawn West's 65-yard interception return late in the first half.
Westminster improved to 1-2 with its 27-24 double-overtime win over Adrian at Memorial Field Saturday afternoon. Fred Romeo booted a 21-yard field goal in the second overtime to give Westminster a win over the MIAA's preseason favorite.
Westminster's victory was similar to Thiel's win in many respects. Westminster also scored late in regulation as Nick McKolosky plowed in from the 1 with 30 seconds left, tying the game at 21-21. The Titans also struggled on the ground, managing just 69 yards on 35 attempts.
However, freshman quarterback Kevin Franz posted the finest performance of his young career for the Titans. Franz, a side-winding right-hander, completed 30 of 43 passes for 376 yards.
Adrian trailed 14-0 in the second quarter but stormed back to take a 21-14 lead with 1:30 left in the third quarter on TJ Williams' 3-yard run. Taz Wallace led the Bulldogs with 18 total tackles, including 15 stops.
Eye of the Tiger
Wittenberg senior halfback Tristan Murray ran for 191 yards and a pair of touchdowns to help Wittenberg improve to 1-2 with a 42-24 victory over Alma.
Murray's 83-yard touchdown run with 9:42 left helped extend the Tigers' lead to 35-24. The game was tied 21-21 at the half.
Freshman quarterback Aaron Huffman completed just nine of 19 attempts. However, three of his completions went for touchdowns. In addition to throwing for 182 yards, Huffman also ran for 59 yards.
Adam Hewitt recovered a pair of fumbles for Wittenberg, including returning one 23 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. Hewitt also had a dozen tackles.
Alma amassed 508 total yards. Quarterback Josh Brehm threw for 340 yards on 29-of-43 accuracy. He did not throw an interception but the Scots did fumble the ball away three times.
Question answered
Prior to the season, one of the major questions in the NCAC was "Who is going to replace Russ Harbaugh as Wabash's starting quarterback?" Well, senior Dustin Huff has answered that question in resounding fashion.
Huff threw five touchdown passes and ran for a sixth as Wabash began defense of the NCAC title with a 42-28 win against Ohio Wesleyan. He completed 22 of 28 passes for 416 yards. Four of the five touchdowns came in the second half as Wabash expanded on a 14-7 halftime lead.
Huff isn't a one-hit wonder, either. He has 1,115 passing yards and 13 touchdowns in three games this year.
Geoff Walker hauled in seven catches for 96 yards while Mike Russell had six receptions for a game-high 127 yards for Wabash. Graham Nelson caught three passes, two of which went for touchdowns.
Brotherly love
Wooster (3-0) won the Baird Brothers' Golden Stringer for the 10th consecutive year, earning a 21-7 win over previously unbeaten Case Western Reserve on Saturday.
Dustin Sheppard, the 2005 NCAC Newcomer of the Year, made his 2006 debut for Wooster and ran for 109 yards on 19 carries. Wooster took a 21-0 lead late into the game before CWRU quarterback Angelo Mirando scored on a 6-yard touchdown run.
Wooster went undefeated in non-league play for the fifth consecutive season.
Abels (and willing)
Waynesburg senior running back Ryan Abels became the Yellow Jackets' all-time leading rusher Saturday in Waynesburg's 29-18 win against Grove City. Abels ran for 122 yards on the afternoon and now has 3,350 career yards.
Abels helped seal the Jackets' win with a 56-yard touchdown run. That came on the first scrimmage play after Anthony Taylor returned a blocked Grove City extra point for a defensive two-pointer with 5:49 left in the game.
That flurry turned the game from a one-possession game (20-12) into a three-score game (29-12). Grove City posted 21 first downs and held a 373-298 edge in total offense.
Golden opportunities
Ohio Northern forced six John Carroll turnovers Saturday as the Polar Bears handed JCU a 23-9 defeat at Don Shula Stadium.
Ohio Northern managed just 219 total yards and also committed 10 penalties for 146 yards. However, the Polar Bear defense picked up the slack. Defensive end Jason Trusnik recovered a fumbled, posted two sacks and blocked an extra point. Austin Netzley intercepted two passes and also recovered a fumble for ONU.
R.J. Meadows, who ran for a 60-yard touchdown in the first quarter, helped cement the win with a 2-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. His touchdown was the lone score in the final three periods.
Four to score
Mount Union has become synonymous with scoring avalanches over the years. Saturday, the Purple Raiders out-did themselves in a 62-0 win at Muskingum.
Mount Union recovered four fumbles in the first quarter, helping set the stage for a 42-point first quarter. That is the most points ever scored by an OAC team in one period.
Mount Union turned all four fumbles into touchdowns. Justin Wray scored twice while Pierre Garcon caught two touchdowns from Mike Jorris.
Chris Kappas returned an interception 18 yards for a touchdown in the second half for the Purple Raiders, who have now 75 straight regular season games on the road.
"We did a good job of taking advantage of turnovers early," head coach Larry Kehres said. "We had five straight opportunities to score with the ball inside their 50 and that made it hard for them to battle back."
Thunderstruck
Tri-State's upset bid of undefeated Franklin came up short Saturday as the Thunder dropped a 31-28 home decision. Machy Magdalinos booted a 30-yard field goal with three seconds left to give Franklin the win.
Tri-State ran for 271 yards on 55 attempts. Mikeal Glidden led the Thunder with 93 yards on 16 attempts. Glidden's 1-yard touchdown run with 7:17 left tied the game at 28-28. Tri-State trailed 21-7 at the intermission.
Balancing act
Carnegie Mellon became the Great Lakes Region's first 4-0 squad with a 34-14 dismantling of Franklin & Marshall on Saturday in Pittsburgh. The Tartans ran for 238 yards and added 235 yards through the air.
Tight end Derek Wisnieski caught four passes for 131 yards, including two touchdowns. The Tartans, for now, would appear to be positioning themselves quite well for a run at a Pool B bid.
Around the MIAA
Hope fell behind 28-0 against visiting Wheaton Saturday and could not recover, falling 35-21. Doug VanEerden caught seven passes for 161 yards to lead the Dutchmen. ... Olivet allowed a pair of defensive touchdowns in a 33-16 home loss to Elmhurst. Deshaun Warren returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown for Olivet. He also broke up a pair of passes. ... Kalamazoo had a chance to force overtime but a 20-yard field goal with 46 seconds left missed the mark and visiting Bluffton escaped with a 17-14 win. Blake McDonald posted 3.5 sacks and 13 total tackles for Kalamazoo.
Around the NCAC
Chris Schubert returned a punt 77 yards for a touchdown and also caught a three-yard touchdown pass but Oberlin dropped a 33-13 decision to W&J at Dill Field. ... NCAC play will begin en masse this weekend.
Around the OAC
Matt Lepley caught a pair of scoring passes from Mickey Mental as Baldwin-Wallace topped host Wilmington, 14-0. Mental threw for 204 yards in the victory. ... Capital handed Heidelberg its 29th consecutive loss, 65-7. Capital owned a 532-86 edge in total yardage. Crusader quarterback Rocky Pentello completed all but four of his 22 attempts for 301 yards and four touchdowns. ... Otterbein ended Marietta's undefeated start to 2006 by earning a 27-24 win in Westerville Saturday. Paul Stelzer threw four touchdown passes in the win for the Redbirds.
Around the PAC
Washington & Jefferson won its third in a row, earning a 33-13 win at Oberlin Saturday. Ryan Mendel ran for 192 yards while Peter Briggs (this writer's favorite W&J player) hauled in a 50-yard touchdown pass from Bobby Swallow. The Presidents held Oberlin to two net rushing yards. ... At 2-1, Bethany had a well-deserved off week.
Games of the Week
Wittenberg at Wooster, 1:00 p.m.: These two longtime rivals meet in the schools' respective NCAC opener. Over the past decade, this game has often played a major role in determining the NCAC champion. It could very well do so again this year. Wittenberg won last year's clash in surprisingly easy fashion, 45-0.
John Carroll at Baldwin-Wallace, 6:30 p.m.: The Cuyahoga Gold Bowl is on the line in Berea at George Finnie Stadium Saturday night. More importantly, each team is looking to stay in contention in the OAC. Each team currently has one league loss.
Colorado College at Carnegie Mellon, 7:00 p.m.: Colorado College makes a cross-country trek to the Steel City Saturday night. CMU is looking to improve to 5-0. Such cross-country matchups are rare in Division III. It will be interesting to see how the Tartans stack up against their western foe.
