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November 2009
Witt advances, setting up regional final at Whitewater
Wittenberg bounced Trine out of the NCAA Division III playoffs with a 34-17 victory on Saturday at Edwards-Maurer Field.
Quarterback Aaron Huffman tied a school record with five touchdown passes, two to Josh McKee, two to Michael Cooper and one to Aaron Huffman.
Corey Weber ran for a career-high 204 yards on 34 carries.
The 12-0 Tigers will meet another 12-0 team in the regional final. They will play at Wisconsin-Whitewater, which beat Illinois Wesleyan 45-7 on Saturday, on Dec. 5. The game starts at noon in Wisconsin or 1 p.m. Springfield time. The teams are two of eight remaining in the playoffs.
It’s Wittenberg’s first regional final appearance since 2001. The Tigers have not reached the national semifinals since playing in the D-III championship game in 1979.
Wittenberg and Whitewater have never played. Whitewater is No. 2 in the nation and the No. 1 seed in the region. It has played in the last three Stagg Bowls, winning in 2007, but losing to Mount Union in 2008, 2006 and 2005.
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Thunder coming to Edwards-Mauer Field
A first look at Trine University, Wittenberg’s opponent in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs:
From the Journal-Gazette in Fort Wayne:
CLEVELAND - Luckily, the world’s leading heart hospital is just a few blocks away from Case Field.
After Trine’s 51-38 win over Case Western Reserve in the first round of the NCAA Division III football playoffs, if any member of the big contingent of Trine partisans was clutching his or her chest, it was just a short stagger to the Cleveland Clinic.
The thrilling, come-from-behind win over the host and heavily favored Spartans advances the Thunder to the second round. They’ll face Wittenberg next Saturday in Springfield, Ohio.
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Wittenberg routs Mount St. Joe in playoff opener
Wittenberg turned a 7-7 game at halftime into a rout with 21 points in the third quarter and beat Mount St. Joseph 42-14 on Saturday, Nov. 21, in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs at Edwards-Maurer Field.
The Tigers will host Trine University, which knocked off previously unbeaten Case Western Reserve, on Nov. 28 in the second round.
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Final: Wyoming 14, Shawnee 7
Shawnee ends its season at 9-4.
Wyoming is 13-0 and headed to the state semifinals.
Twenty seconds after Shawnee scored, Wyoming completed a 64-yard pass to take a 14-7 lead. eight minutes left in the game and Shawnee has the ball.
- Evan Storts completed a 41-yard pass to Brandon Cook and Eric DeWitt ran it in from the 1-yard line to tie the game at 7-7.
We’ve got 8:24 left in the game. Shawnee is getting ready to kick off.
Shawnee’s defense has played lights out in the second half.
- After three quarters, it’s still 7-0 Wyoming.
Shawnee had two chances to score. One drive stalled on Wyoming’s 31. The second was stopped on the 11.
- Wyoming ran out of time at the end of the half and its drive died on the Shawnee 4-yard line. So it’s still 7-0 Wyoming.
Shawnee has forced two turnovers. Wyoming scored on its second drive of the game on a 7-yard pass.
Wyoming has 11 first downs to Shawnee’s three.
The Braves have 51 rushing yards, but none passing. What I thought was a long pass to Steven Sarven was ruled a run (it was a lateral).
Kris Hanaway has 25 yards on five carries, and Sarven 21 on three.
Charlie Sroufe has punted five times.
Wyoming has 181 total yards, including 154 passing from Kyle Seyfried.
- Shawnee finally made it inside Wyoming’s territory, but a third down sack forced a punt.
Wyoming is trying to get a quick score to end the half.
- Shawnee has its second turnover of the game. Eric DeWitt recovered a Wyoming fumble on the snap.
But the Braves went three-and-out, and punted.
- After one quarter, Wyoming leads 7-0. Wyoming looks to be a step faster than the Braves.
Steven Sarven has an interception and a 17-yard reception. Kris Hanaway is plugging away at the huge Wyoming defensive line. Wyoming’s score came on a 7-yard pass. Wyoming QB Kyle Seyfried looks good and has made several good reads.
Shawnee went three-and-out on its first possession. Wyoming had a short field and drove 44 yards to go up 7-0. Kyle Seyfried threw a 7-yard pass to Issiah Nearor.
Steven Sarven picked off a Wyoming pass on the first drive of the game.
The Braves have the ball on their own 4-yard line. Two runs and a penalty so far, with 8:43 left in the first quarter.
- I’ll be posting live from the Shawnee vs. Wyoming high school football playoff game at Welcome Stadium.
We’re about 45 minutes from kick off. I’ll be post updates as they’re available.
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Witt to host Mt. St. Joseph in first round
Wittenberg will host Mt. St. Joseph in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs on Saturday, Nov. 21, the NCAA announced Sunday.
Mt. St. Joseph was undefeated until losing to Thomas More on Saturday. It finished 9-1.
If the Tigers win, they would play Case Western Reserve or Trine in the second round. Mount Union isn’t in Wittenberg’s eight-team bracket.
Wittenberg enters the playoffs not only with the momentum of their first 10-0 season since 2000, but with the confidence that comes with having destroyed two of the top four teams in the NCAC, Allegheny and Wooster, by a combined score of 94-16 in the final two weeks.
In going 10-0, the Tigers outscored their opponents 388-53. Only Wabash played the Tigers close. Wittenberg won that game 10-7 on a last-second field goal by Zack Harris.
This is its first playoff appearance since 2006 when it lost in the first round at Capital. It is seeking its first playoff victory since 2002 when it lost to Wabash in the second round.
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Witt completes perfect regular season
SPRINGFIELD — The trophy changed hands more often in a few minutes than a football at the bottom of the pile. Everyone wanted to touch it. More wanted to kiss it.
Homecoming queens don’t get the attention the North Coast Athletic Conference championship trophy received after Wittenberg beat Wooster 42-6 on Saturday, Nov. 14. The still-undefeated Tigers claimed sole possession of the trophy for the first time since 2001, likely securing home-field advantage in the NCAA Division III playoffs for one round or two.
“Where’s that trophy?” senior wide receiver Patrick Williams asked.
“It’s mine,” said senior cornerback Keenan Freeman later, clasping it to his chest.
Yet no one showed better trophy possession skill than senior linebacker Kyle Lohrman. He made it his personal mission to escort the trophy from Edwards-Maurer Field to the coaches’ offices.
“I’m so excited. I can’t believe this happened,” Lohrman said. “We’ve been working four years for this, all the seniors, and finally all our hard work’s paid off.”
That work resulted in the fourth 10-0 regular season, and the first since 2000, for coach Joe Fincham. Two brave players, obviously secure with their spots on the team, doused him with a bucket of ice water in the closing seconds. Fincham said he had no idea it was coming.
Outside Wittenberg, few saw this 10-0 season coming, either. This team wasn’t ranked until beating Wabash in its sixth game. NCAC coaches picked the Tigers to finish third.
“Going 10-0 is really hard,” Fincham said. “You’re not going to have your ‘A’ game‚ every Saturday, and you’ve got to be talented enough that when you don’t have your ‘A’ game, you can still win.”
The Tigers had their best game Saturday. Aaron Huffman completed 24 of 31 passes for 277 yards and rushed for two touchdowns. All three running backs — Corey Weber, Conner Warye and Jeff Wilbur — had TD runs of more than 16 yards.
And the defense, led by Brad McKinley’s six tackles, cemented its status as one of the most dominant in Wittenberg history. The Tigers gave up just 53 points this season, the best mark in the nation in all divisions of NCAA football and the best total by a Wittenberg defense since 1998.
“Three hundred and 64 days ago,” Fincham said, “we had a team meeting where we talked about the commitment that was needed and the sacrifice and all the things you need to do to have a championship-caliber football team, and guys like Taylor Scherer and Pat Williams and Lance Phillips, and they took it and really did a great job with it.”
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Final: Fort Loramie beats Southeastern 63-21
The final is Fort Loramie 63-21. The Redskins will play Marion Local for the Region 24 final next week.
3:08 left in the third: Reed Florence tossed a 9-yard TD to Tyler Cooper. 42-14 Fort Loramie.
Another interception for Southeastern, and another score for Fort Loramie.
The score was set up by an 81-yard interception return for Jace Humphreys.
42-7 with six minutes left in the third quarter.
- At halftime, Fort Loramie leads Southeastern 35-7.
Some quick stats:
Fort Loramie has 381 rushing yards. Mitch Raterman has 203 yards on 17 carries.
Reed Florence has 172 passing yards and a touchdown, but also has two interceptions.
The Redskins are dominating the line of scrimmage and running through huge holes in the Southeastern defense. They have 14 first downs and 27 passing yards.
The Redskins responded to the Trojans’ touchdown with a five-play, 71-yard drive, all runs, to go up 35-7.
- Southeastern is on the board after a 37-yard touchdown pass from Reed Florence to Austin Mercer.
Fort Loramie is gashing Southeastern with long runs. The latest was a 38-yard touchdown from Mitch Raterman. Fort Loramie’s up 21-0 with 10:43 left in the half.
- After one quarter it’s 14-0 Fort Loramie, and the Redskins are driving again. Fort Loramie had six first downs and 142 rushing yards in the first quarter.
Southeastern has moved the football but Reed Florence has thrown two interceptions.
Reed Florence threw an interception on Southeastern’s first drive. Southeastern’s down 7-0.
Fort Loramie drove right down the field and opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run. We’ve got about eight minutes left in the first quarter.
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Final: Winton Woods 40, Tecumseh 7
Winton Woods advances to the regional final to face Trotwood-Madison. The Arrows finish the season 10-2.
Tecumseh had a good kick return to open the second half, but its drive stalled on the Winton Woods 19.
So then Dominique Brown ran 80 yards on the Warriors’ first play of the half. A quick 1-yard run puts Winton Woods up 40-7 early in the third quarter.
End of the first half: 33-7.
Dominique Brown, who will play football for UC next year, has scored twice. He’s got 132 rushing yards.
Tecumseh’s only break came when Winton Woods fumbled a punt and the Arrows scored on a short field.
Winton Woods is bigger and faster. Plus, Tecumseh’s offense can’t stay on the field. The Arrows can’t move the ball on the ground and the passing game isn’t in sync.
End of the quarter. 13-7 Winton Woods.
The Warriors are driving, on Tecumseh’s 19.
So far, the Warriors are faster and their offense is running all over the Arrows. Winton Woods has no passing yards, and hasn’t attempted a pass.
3:15 left in the first quarter, Tecumseh is on the board.
A Winton Woods fumble on a punt gave the Arrows a short field and Riley Gault connected on a 4-and-7 pass for 31 yards to Ryan Christmann. 13-7 Winton Woods.
Winton Woods has had two drives and scored a touchdown on each. Thomas Owens had a 71-yard run on the third play from scrimmage, and Jeremiah Goins just scored on a 13-yard run and a 13-0 lead (the kick was blocked).
Tecumseh went 3-and-out on its first possession and has the ball again.
3 plays into the game and it’s 7-0 Winton Woods. Thomas Owens ran 71 yards on the third play from scrimmage.
I’ll be reporting live from Centerville Stadium for the Tecumseh-Winton Woods Division II playoff football game.
The Tecumseh (visitor) side is about filled while Winton Woods didn’t bring many fans. We’ve got about 30 minutes before kickoff, so there’s still time to get here.
Check back for updates and analysis. I’ll update as much as I can.
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A No. 2 seed for Witt in football playoffs?
D3Football.com has projected that Wittenberg will earn a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Division III football playoffs. That is contingent on the Tigers beating Wooster on Saturday.
A No. 2 seed would give Wittenberg home-field advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs. The official playoff bracket will be announced on Sunday between 3 and 3:30 p.m. on ESPNews and NCAA.com.
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Wittenberg climbs to 11th in latest poll
Wittenberg jumped one spot to 11th in the American Football Coaches Association poll.
In the D3Football.com poll, it jumped two places to 12th.
The Tigers (10-0) can clinch the NCAC title outright by beating Wooster at home Saturday, Nov. 14., at 1 p.m.
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Dublin beats Springfield 31-12
Final from Dublin Coffman: 31-12. Springfield’s season is over with a 6-5 record.
The Wildcats are running out of time. Seven minutes left and Springfield needs a score.
Dublin is wearing Springfield down: Plays that went for no yards are now going for six or eight, and the Springfield offense has no room to move.
Dublin’s Kyle Clinton just hit a 45-yard field goal. 24-6 Dublin with 8:33 left.
It would have been good from 10 yards past that.
Dublin scored to start the fourth quarter after a 74-yard drive. 21-6 Dublin.
End of three quarters: Dublin 14-6. The Rocks are driving and have the ball on the Wildcats’ 24.
Coffman just completed a 57-yard touchdown pass. The Rocks lead 14-6 with 6:26 left in the third.
Halftime stats: Springfield has 184 yards on 31 plays (154 rush, 30 pass).
George Walker has rushed for 85 yards and passed for 30. Titus Montgomery has 58 yards on four carries.
The big play is B.J. Bush’s 15 yard fumble recovery for a TD. The Wildcats were deep in the Rocks’ territory twice. They missed a field goal and had a 9-yard TD pass called back because of a penalty.
Dublin has 139 yards, 33 rushing and 106 passing. The big play was a 62-yard screen pass from Colton Caldwell to Conner Viers for Dublin’s score.
Halftime, still 7-6 Dublin. Will post stats when they’re available.
2:17 left in the half. Still 7-6. Springfield is faster and more aggressive; Dublin playing conservative.
8:49 left in the half: A Dublin screen pass went for 62 yards. Dublin’s up 7-6.
9:16 left in the half: B.J. Bush picked up a Dublin fumble and ran 15 yards for the score. The two-point conversion failed.
Another sign that things are headed Springfield’s way: Trey DePreist’s kick off went into the end zone.
End of first quarter: 0-0. Springfield had a TD pass called back, but is threatening to score again. A long run from Titus Montgomery put the Wildcats inside the 15 to end the quarter.
Springfield is driving. A 22-yard run from George Walker put the Wildcats on the Shamrocks’ 24.
Springfield and Dublin traded punts to start the game. We’ve got 5:30 left in the first quarter.\
6:25 p.m.: I’ll be posting live tonight from Coffman Stadium as Springfield participates in its first-ever playoff football game.
This is a Division I, Region 3 quarterfinal. Coffman is 10-0 and the No. 1 seed. Springfield is 6-4 and the No. 8 seed.
Quick impressions:
Coffman Stadium is huge. Not a good crowd, yet.
The Shamrocks have a HUGE team, and an even bigger band.
Springfield looks loose. We’ll see how that translates to the game.
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Witt men, women each picked fourth in NCAC basketball poll
From the North Coast Athletic Conference:
WOOSTER MEN, OHIO WESLEYAN WOMEN FAVORED AS NCAC PREPS FOR 26TH BASKETBALL CAMPAIGN
CLEVELAND — Wooster’s men and Ohio Wesleyan’s women were tabbed as the favorites in preseason voting by coaches of the North Coast Athletic Conference.
Five-time defending NCAC champion Wooster topped Ohio Wesleyan in the men’s balloting by a 20-point margin after picking up nine of 10 possible first-place votes to total 99 points. The Battling Bishops were second with 79 points. North Coast tournament finalist Wabash was a point behind (78) in third, followed closely by Wittenberg (74) in fourth with the remaining first-place vote. Hiram totalled 65 points for the fifth spot in the poll, while Allegheny (50), Kenyon (42), Denison (31), Earlham (21) and Oberlin (11) rounded out places six through 10, respectively.
The Fighting Scots return nine letterwinners and four starters from a
team that went 23-7 overall and won the NCAC Tournament. The Scots
will look to junior guards Ian Franks (Greenwich, OH/South Central)
and Nathan Balch (Westerville, OH/Olentangy) and sophomore forward
Justin Hallowell (Worthington, OH/Thomas Worthington) for leadership.
All three were All-NCAC performers a season ago, and Hallowell was the
North Coast’s Newcomer of the Year and conference tournament MVP.
Defending NCAC tournament champion Ohio Wesleyan took seven of nine first-place votes for 78 points in the women’s coaches’ poll to outdistance Kenyon by a 14-point margin. The coaches predicted the three-time NCAC champion Ladies (64) would finish second. Defending conference champion Dension received the remaining two first-place nods and was tabbed third with 61 points, followed by 11-time North Coast champs Wittenberg (57) in fourth, and 2009 tournament finalist Allegheny (48) in fifth. Wooster (39), Hiram (29), Earlham (15) and Oberlin (14) rounded out the women’s poll in positions six through nine, respectively.
The Battling Bishops return 12 letterwinners and four starters from a team that won its fifth NCAC tourney crown after entering the event as the fourth seed. Ohio Wesleyan compiled an 17-12 overall record a year ago and bowed out in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. A trio of juniors, post Kayla Gordon (St. Louis, MO/Mehlville), guard Pam Quigney (Mentor, OH/Mentor) and wing Tyler Cordell (Columbus, OH/St. Francis DeSales) are returning all-conference performers.
The 2009-10 season begins on Sunday, November 15. The NCAC Tournament will be held at the end of February, with the men’s and women’s semifinals and finals at the site of the respective high seeds on Feb. 26-27.
-NCAC-
2009-10 Men’s Poll (Coaches)
1. Wooster (9) 99
2. Ohio Wesleyan 79
3. Wabash 78
4. Wittenberg (1) 74
5. Hiram 65
6. Allegheny 50
7. Kenyon 42
8. Denison 31
9. Earlham 21
10. Oberlin 11
2009-10 Women’s Poll (Coaches)
1. Ohio Wesleyan (7) 78
2. Kenyon 64
3. Denison (2) 61
4. Wittenberg 57
5. Allegheny 48
6. Wooster 39
7. Hiram 29
8. Earlham 15
9. Oberlin 14
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Wittenberg climbs to No. 2 in D-III football regional rankings
Trailing only top-ranked Mount Union, Wittenberg ascended to No. 2 in the North Region, as the NCAA released its Division III regional rankings Wednesday.
The Tigers can clinch a playoff berth and a share of the NCAC title by beating Allegheny at home Saturday, Nov. 7. The regional rankings help determine playoff seeding.
If it wins its last two games against Allegheny and Wooster, Wittenberg would likely gain a high seed and and a home playoff game (or games).
The Tigers ranked No. 12 in the American Football Coaches Association poll and No. 14 in the D3Football.com poll.
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Wittenberg climbs to 14th in latest poll
Wittenberg rose from 17th to 14th in the latest D3football.com Top 25 Poll.
The Tigers beat Denison 41-7 on Saturday, Oct. 31, to improve to 8-0 and 5-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference.
The Tigers have outscored their eight opponents 202-0 in the first half and 264-3 in the first three quarters. Witt’s opponents hold a 34-30 edge in the fourth quarter. Wittenberg has been denied three shutouts because of scores in the final two minutes.
The Tigers host Allegheny on Nov. 7. The Gators are coming off a big win over Wooster. They trail the Tigers by one game in the NCAC.
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