|
| Hobart came away from St. Lawrence on Saturday with reason to celebrate. Photo by Pat Coleman, D3sports.com |
|
| Wesley's defense kept the Salisbury offense in check. Salisbury athletics photo by Joey Gardner |
Wesley remained in control in the NJAC, Hobart handed St. Lawrence its first loss of the season and Case Western Reserve rallied to keep its at-large bid hopes alive in Saturday's Week 10 action in Division III football.
Bryce Shade caught six passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns and Alex Kemp added two TD catches of his own as Wesley rolled past its Rte. 13 rival and knocked off No. 18 Salisbury 44-27. After losing its first two games of the season, Wesley has run off seven wins in a row and can clinch its return to the playoffs with a win vs. William Paterson in next week's regular season finale.
Capp Miller led the Wolverines defense with 11 tackles, 10 solo, and a forced fumble, while Roderick Caine forced and recovered two of Salisbury's three lost fumbles.
Brandon Shed set five receiving records for Hobart on Saturday, including tying the school record for receptions in a game with 12 and taking them for a program-best 241 yards as the Statesmen won comfortably for once, defeating No. 16 St. Lawrence 34-18. Shane Sweeney and the Hobart offense took advantage of the mismatch to the tune of 29-for-48 passing for 363 yards anf five scores in the win. Hobart can clinch the Liberty League automatic bid with a win next week at Rochester. The Saints had cut a 20-10 lead to 20-18 thanks to a safety and a touchdown with 1:34 left in the third quarter, but the two-point conversion failed and they did not score again.
Jacob Burke dove in from the 1-yard line on fourth down with 4:25 left, and Case Western Reserve recovered a Westminster (Pa.) fumble with 39 seconds left to win, 26-22, and remain unbeaten. The Spartans also remain in the race for a share of the PAC title and an at-large bid, since Thomas More is on track to win the tiebreaker.
Westminster (6-3) led 15-0 at halftime, and even after giving up the go-ahead score, seemed calm and under control. The Titans ran the ball nine consecutive times with four players, the last a 17-yard run by Brice Hill that set up a first and goal on the 3-yard line. After a timeout, the handoff went to Dom McKinley, the Titans' leading rusher. But on his 26th carry, the handoff never hit its mark and ball bounded off McKinley's legs and into a pile of players. Case linebacker Justin McMahon emerged with the season-saving fumble recovery, and the Spartans (9-0) ran out the clock.
Wilkes scored two touchdowns and got a two-point conversion in the final six minutes of the game and rallied to defeat No. 14 Stevenson 38-35. The Colonels, who won for just the third time all season, rolled up 536 yards, including 453 passing yards against the vaunted Mustangs secondary as Jose Tabora threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more in the win. Stevenson missed a field goal that would have tied the game with 40 seconds left. The Mustangs can still win the MAC automatic bid next week with a win at Lycoming.
UW-Whitewater won the WIAC automatic bid, but scuffled in the process, defeating UW-River Falls 27-20 in overtime. Chris Nelson, who has taken a back seat at quarterback for the Warhawks, came off the bench to score the winning touchdown in overtime, accounting for all 25 yards on six running plays. Nelson ran for 72 yards on 12 carries, while Cole Wilber was just 8-for-24 passing and threw two interceptions. Colin Buck had a pair of interceptions for the Warhawks on defense.
Johns Hopkins rolled out to a 35-14 lead and cruised to a 48-28 win at Franklin & Marshall, clinching the automatic bid from the Centennial Conference for a record eighth consecutive season. It's the Blue Jays' 40th consecutive regular season win and their 36th win in a row in conference play.
Matt Naton threw for 504 yards, 371 of them combined to William Coon and Mike Collichio as No. 23 St. John Fisher rolled to a 68-40 win over Hartwick. Coon caught 11 passes for 222 yards and three touchdowns, while Collichio added nine catches for 149 yards and a score in the win. That win, along with No. 15 Alfred's 35-21 win at Utica, keeps next week's showdown between the two for the Empire 8 automatic bid.
The NCAC first-place tie is down to two teams. No. 19 Wabash defeated Denison 22-14 to hand the Big Red their second consecutive loss, while No. 22 Wittenberg had no trouble with Kenyon in a 64-17 win. If Wittenberg defeats 1-8 Allegheny next week, the Tigers will win the automatic bid by virtue of having beaten Wabash earlier this season.
St. Thomas clinched the automatic bid from the MIAC, as the Tommies defense limited Gustavus Adolphus to 128 total yards in a 40-6 win. North Central handled Carthage 34-21 to win the AQ from the CCIW. ... Belhaven threw for 428 yards, but UMHB ran for 560 and accounted for 749 yards of total offense for the game in a 59-21 win. The Cru are in position to wrap up their playoff bid next week vs. Louisiana College. ... Mount Union and John Carroll remained on track for a head-to-head showdown for the OAC automatic bid next week, as Mount blanked Muskingum 44-0 and JCU rolled past Otterbein 49-6.