Sean Hackel started against Wabash in 2012, except that was at cornerback. Wooster athletics photo

Sean Hackel had his chance to get onto the football field in his first two seasons with Wooster, but the junior running back never found the spotlight.

It all changed a year ago.

Hackel burst onto the scene for the Fighting Scots, becoming the first 1,000-yard rusher at the school since 2006 and leading the North Coast Athletic Conference in rushing with 1,097 yards.

Not bad for a guy who primarily played on special teams as a freshman and split time between wide receiver, cornerback and kick returner as a sophomore before rising up for a breakout season.

“I honestly never expected a season like that,” Hackel said. “I just worked hard in practice each day and gave the best effort I could. It paid off. I owe a lot of my success to the offensive line. They made me look good.”

Hackel, who said being patient and working hard in his first two seasons was key to his success, has shown no signs of slowing down as a senior. He is Wooster’s top rusher through three games, churning out 450 yards and three touchdowns.

His best effort of the year was in Saturday’s 39-24 win over Hiram. The biology major dissected the Terriers’ defense to the tune of 205 yards and a touchdown.

“I was awesome, especially doing it in front of the home crowd,” Hackel said. “The offensive line did a great job of opening up holes for me.”

Hackel’s breakout season a year ago could not have come at a better time. His success helped fuel the Fighting Scots to a five-game improvement as they finished 7-3. After a season-opening loss to Washington and Jefferson (51-17), Wooster, which entered the year as an NCAC contender, has won two in a row.

“We were fortunate to have the success that we did, but we don’t want to stop at just seven wins,” Hackel said. “We want to be even better this season.”

Hackel is determined to help make it happen. The fact that he is a versatile athlete doesn’t hurt.  He leads the team in all-purpose yards (531) as he has also caught seven passes for 81 yards. Hackel was sixth in NCAA Division III in the category last year, averaging 188.1 yards per game.

“He brings a lot of yards and a lot of points to our team,” second-year Wooster coach Frank Colaprete said. “He is a great runner with a good line in front of him. He has great vision and knows what to do when he has the ball.”

But Hackel said he couldn’t do it without great teammates. And the Fighting Scots certainly have talent.

Richard Barnes, back for a final season of eligibility with a medical hardship year, has thrived at quarterback, throwing for 673 yards and 10 touchdowns. Darrian Owens has caught 13 passs for 294 yards and five scores.

Wooster is averaging 475.3 yards per game and allowing 442.3 behind a defense that is led by Brandon James (32 tackles) and Mitchell Czerniak (31 tackles).

“No one has pressure because we have a lot of guys that can make plays on both sides of the ball,” Hackel said. “We have worked together as a team to be successful.”

Colaprete is pleased with the Fighting Scots’ progress through three games.

“We have played pretty well,” Colaprete said. “We’ve done a nice job playing as a team and the guys are playing with confidence.

The Fighting Scots will face their biggest challenge this week as they head out on the road to face league favorite Wabash.

“It’s a big game against a very good football team,” Hackel said. “We just have to focus and get better every day. We want to be at our best this week.”

On the run

Muskingum used a punishing running attack to beat Capital 36-20 on Saturday in an Ohio Athletic Conference game.

The Muskies rolled up 474 yards, including 416 on the ground, en route to their first win.

Melvin Smith led the way, rushing for 153 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was his first of the season. He averaged 6.1 yards per carry against the Crusaders as he turned in his best performance of the season. Smith has rushed for 200 yards in three games. A year ago, Smith rushed for 264 yards and scored six touchdowns.

Smith is part of a Muskies running game that is putting 220.7 yards per game. Cody Williams (149) and Desmond Waden (111) have also rushed for over 100 yards on the season. Williams has scored two touchdowns and Waden has one.

Making progress

Alma will enter Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association this weekend riding a two-game win streak. The Scots, who had a bye this past Saturday, defeated Concordia-Chicago 24-21 in the Chicago suburbs two weeks ago.

The Scots have made strides since the 72-7 drubbing at the hands of Heidelberg in the season opener.

Alma is averaging 315.3 yards per game and has relied heavily on youth at the quarterback and running back positions. Freshman signal-caller Dylan Zaborowski has thrown for 428 yards and three touchdowns.

The top running back, Tommie Dawson, is also a freshman and has rushed for 175 yards and a pair of scores. Zaborowski is second on the team with 130 yards and three touchdowns.

Alma does have experience at receiver, however, as seniors Erik Hines and Tyler Watters are the top two at the position. Hines has caught 15 passes for 150 yards and Watters has come up with 12 catches for 184 yards.

Impressive defense

DePauw has waited a long time to keep an opponent off the scoreboard. The wait ended Saturday as the Tigers blanked Kenyon 24-0, marking the first time DePauw has earned a shutout since 2009.

The Tigers held the Lords to only 236 yards, including only 97 through the air, as they improved to 2-1 overall and to 1-1 in NCAC play.

Adam Folta and Will Longthorne fueled the effort, tallying 10 tackles apiece, One of the keys to the win was that the Tigers only allowed the Lords to convert twice in 15 attempts on third down.

Longthorne is the leading tackler for the Tigers, tallying 32, while Folta is second with 27. He has also come up with two interceptions for a defense that is allowing 314.7 yards per game.

Win with Blinn

Eric Blinn not only helped Bethany defeat Waynesburg 33-27 in a Presidents’ Athletic Conference game on Saturday, the junior wide receiver also became the career record holder for receptions.

Blinn caught  total of 12 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown. His ninth catch made him the new record holder as he passed Matt Cruse, who finished his Bethany career in 2009 with 177 catches. Blinn needed only 24 games to break the record. He now has 181 catches.

Blinn has caught 36 passes for 391 yards and three touchdowns and has helped Bethany get off  to their best start to a season since 2001. The Bison has won its last three games.

Poll Points

It turned out to be a enjoyable night for third-ranked Mount Union as it celebrated the rededication of its stadium’s 100th year with a 63-7 win over Marietta. The Purple Raiders rolled up 584 yards, including 419 in the first half...No. 6 John Carroll retained the Cuyahoga Gold Bowl Trophy with a 45-7 win over rival Baldwin Wallace. David Porter helped lead the defense, tallying five tackles and his first career interception...11th-ranked Wabash hammered Allegheny 63-0, marking the second straight year it has blanked the Gators. AJ Akinribade and Cody Buresh tallied eight tackles apiece...Zack Jenkins threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns in No. 16 Wittenberg’s 48-10 win over Oberlin. Jenkins was 18-of-22 passing and also ran for a touchdown...Dominique Hayden set the single-game (336 yards) and career rushing marks (4,788) in No. 20 Thomas More’s 49-6 win over Westminster. Saints head coach Jim Hilvert set the record for most wins in program history with 62.

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