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| Hope's Chandler Brown tackles Aurora's Malik White as the Flying Dutchmen improved to 2-1. Hope athletics photo by Tom Renner |
The MIAA took a memorable victory in the NACC-MIAA challenge, Hobart won on the final play, while Alfred State got a goal-line stand and matched its best Division III start in program history in Saturday's Division III football action.
Kyle Thomas ran for three touchdowns and threw five touchdown passes, four of them to his brother, Justin, as Albion defeated Eureka 56-41. The game was part of the NACC-MIAA challenge, in which the MIAA took six of eight games. Two more were just as thrilling, if not better, as Hope beat Aurora by two and Adrian defeated Wisconsin Lutheran in two overtimes.
Hope survived Aurora and handed Don Beebe his first loss as a Division III head coach, 34-32. The Spartans scored on a hook-and-ladder play with under a minute remaining, but the Flying Dutchmen recovered the onside kick attempt to win. It was the third TD of the fourth quarter for Aurora, but the Spartans only converted one point-after in five attempts on the day in the loss.
Wisconsin Lutheran scored two touchdowns in the final four minutes of regulation, then survived a missed field goal attempt at the final horn of the fourth quarter to force overtime. Nick Yockey threw for 391 yards for WLC, but Adrian picked him off four times. One of those came at the 5 in the first overtime, but the Bulldogs were unable to capitalize, missing a 40-yard field goal. Cooper West came up with the 26-yarder in the second overtime to give Adrian the lead and Wisconsin Lutheran missed a 30-yard kick that would have forced a third extra session as the Bulldogs came away winners, 32-29.
Hobart rallied from a 17-3 deficit and Kyle Hackett kicked a 28-yard field goal as time expired to get the Statesmen past Rowan 20-17. Elijah Rehm scored one play after an interception to put the Profs (0-3) up 17-3 early in the third quarter, but Hobart (3-0) scored on its next possession, then tied the game on a Ryan Hoffmann touchdown pass with 4:37 left in the game. Rowan had the ball with excellent field position in the closing minutes after a short Hobart punt, but Jared Leake forced a fumble and Hoffman hit Ray Conley for a big gainer to get the team into position for Hackett's game-winning kick.
Ohio Northern scored three consecutive touchdowns to take a 38-35 lead for the first time in the game, but Wilmington engineered a 90-yard drive capped by a go-ahead score with 28 seconds left to defeat the Polar Bears 42-38. The win was Wilmington's first over ONU since 1956 and snapped a 25-game losing streak to the Polar Bears. After ONU took the lead, Wilmington took over on its own 11 with 2:12 left and quarterback Kyle Barrett moved them down the field, hitting Itika Wynn Jr. for an 8-yard TD, giving Wilmington the lead back with 28 seconds left in the game.
Four Spartans combined to rush for five touchdowns on Saturday night, as Case Western Reserve put an end to Grove City's nine-game winning streak with a 52-14 win over the Wolverines in its home opener. Case Western Reserve's rushing attack, which accumulated 169 yards on the ground, was led by the duo of junior Zach Hall, who carried the ball 14 times for 66 yards and a touchdown, and sophomore Donald Day III, who ran it 11 times for 57 yards and a pair of scores.
St. Olaf maintained possession of the Goat Trophy for the sixth consecutive season with a 36-19 victory over crosstown rival Carleton in the 100th all-time meeting between the two programs. Jordan Embry and Khayleb Willis each ran for more 100 yards and a touchdown for St. Olaf (3-0, 1-0 MIAC), which racked up 501 yards of offense. After trailing 24-6 midway through the third quarter, Carleton (2-1, 0-1) threatened to make it a one-score game, but senior Max Karpinske returned a blocked extra point 98 yards for two points to keep the Oles ahead by two scores.
Alfred State matched its best win total in the program's Division III history as the Pioneers won for the first time this season, defeating Rochester 27-21. ASC needed to come up with a goal line stand in the final minute to secure the win. Alfred State has had six wins against four-year varsity programs in six years of Division III football.
The offense came out to play for Brockport as Freddy June threw for 191 yards and ran for 100 more in a 55-28 win vs. Buffalo State. The Golden Eagles blew the game open with 28 third-quarter points. The Golden Eagles were also efficient in the red zone, going 4-for-4 on chances inside the 20-yard line after leaving points on the table vs. Framingham State in Week 2.