Fighting Scots Look to Continue to Close Season on High Note

Mike Redick

The College of Wooster is aiming to keep its late-season momentum going this Saturday, Nov. 10, when it hosts North Coast Athletic Conference foe Kenyon College (2-7, 1-5 NCAC) in the teams’ season finale. Wooster, which played nationally-ranked and NCAC-champion Wabash College tough during a 21-10 loss two weeks ago and then routed Earlham College 66-14 last Saturday, can extend its streak of finishing in fifth-place or better in the NCAC to 13 seasons with a win. The Fighting Scots enter this week in a tie for fifth with Allegheny College, while Kenyon hopes to improve on its current ninth-place standing. Kickoff at Wooster’s 4,500-seat John P. Papp Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST.

On the Air: Wooster’s football games can be heard live each week in the Wooster area on WKVX 960 AM, or anywhere in the world on the College’s Web site (www.wooster.edu/interactive/). This week’s game will be called by Mike Breckenridge and Ron Hamilton.

Saturday’s game will also be televised on tape delay in Wooster by Clear Picture, Inc. Handling the play-by-play as usual will be Jon Heavlin and Kenny Fisher provides color commentary. It will be aired on Saturday at 4:30 p.m., followed by additional broadcasts on Sunday and Monday at noon and 3 p.m. each day.

All-Time Series: The Scots have won about two-thirds of the games in the all-time series with Kenyon, holding a 44-22-3 advantage (.679). Since the two schools helped form the NCAC in 1984, Wooster is only ahead 12-9 (.571), however, the Scots have prevailed in nine of the last 10, with the only exception being a 24-21 decision for the Lords in 2005, which ended Wooster’s 14-game regular season winning streak – the sixth longest streak in NCAA Div. III at the time.

Last Week: On Nov. 3, the Scots forced five turnovers, including three interceptions by Bryan Albani (Warren, Ohio / Howland), and scored a season-high 42 points during the first half alone, and they went on to a 66-14 win over Earlham College in NCAC action at Richmond, Ind.

It was a day of milestones for Wooster. The 66 points marked the seventh-most in team history. Albani became just the fourth Scot with three or more interceptions in a game, with the last being a four-pick day for Seth Mastrine at Allegheny College on Oct. 2, 1999. Also, Keith Adams (Mogadore, Ohio / Field) set the Wooster record for career punt return yardage with 11 such yards, which raised his total to 988, eclipsing Mastrine’s mark of 981 from 1997-2000.

The game started out innocently enough, as neither squad scored on the first two possessions. Then, Jeff Geffert (Mentor, Ohio / Mentor) picked off an Earlham pass, marking his first interception of the season. The Scots took over around midfield and quickly marched 52 yards, capped by a 17-yard pass from Austin Holter (Johnstown, Ohio / Johnstown-Monroe) to freshman Mike Redick (Wooster, Ohio / Northwestern). It marked the freshman wide receiver’s first career touchdown. Following a lengthy kickoff return by the Quakers, Wooster got the ball back two offensive plays later on a fumble, forced and recovered by freshman defensive end Luke Drake (Valrico, Fla. / Newsome). The Scots’ offense then went 66 yards over 13 plays, culminating in a Holter 18-yard rushing score. Wooster made it 21-0, when Earlham again turned it over two plays into its offensive series, as Albani intercepted his first career pass and brought it back 55 yards for his first career touchdown.

In the second quarter, Wooster would add to its cushion after another Albani interception. From the Quakers’ 33-yard line, it took just three plays for the Scots to punch in another score, with Holter finishing again on a rush (five yards). Albani’s third pick came with less than 4:00 remaining in the half, and on the very next play, Holter connected with Will Miska (Hillsborough, N.J. / Hillsborough) for a 33-yard touchdown pass. The ensuing possession ended when Earlham had a wild snap on a punt deep in its own territory, and the Scots again took advantage, as three plays later, Holter found Ben Schrock (Wadsworth, Ohio / Wadsworth) for a 20-yard touchdown pass.

Leading 42-0, Wooster started out the third quarter with its longest offensive drive of the game, as it covered 79 yards in nine plays. Dustin Sheppard (Johnstown, Ohio / Johnstown-Monroe) set the tone with a 24-yard scamper on the first snap and eventually scored from six yards away. The Scots would make it 52-0 on a 20-yard field goal by Andy Milligan (Orrville, Ohio / Orrville) before the Quakers finally got on the scoreboard.

During the fourth quarter, Wooster tacked on touchdown runs by Orlando Jones (Elyria, Ohio / Elyria) and Kyle Murdock (Marysville, Ohio / Marysville) of 19 and 60 yards, respectively. For Murdock, it marked the freshman running back’s first career score.

Overall, the Scots gained 30 first downs for just the fourth time in school history and totaled 584 offensive yards, both season highs, and the defense limited Earlham to 12 first downs and under 300 yards (290).

Individually, Holter, who was involved in five of Wooster’s first six touchdowns, was 14-of-23 through the air for 183 yards and added 43 yards on the ground. Sheppard reached the 100-yard rushing mark for the fifth consecutive game, netting 119 on 21 carries, while Murdock nearly did so as well, as he ended up with 97 yards on just four attempts. Miska led the receivers with 78 yards on four catches. In addition to Albani’s breakout game, Geffert and Matt DeGrand (Stow, Ohio / St. Vincent-St. Mary) keyed the defense with seven tackles apiece.

Team Award Winners: For his efforts (see above), sophomore cornerback Bryan Albani (Warren, Ohio / Howland) earned the team’s Defensive Player of the Week and “Gamebreaker” awards, while sophomore quarterback Austin Holter (Johnstown, Ohio / Johnstown-Monroe) and senior return specialist Keith Adams (Mogadore, Ohio / Field) were the Offensive Player of the Week and Special Teams Player of the Week, respectively. Senior right guard Steve Zumbrun (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Central Catholic) graded out as the top offensive lineman, and thus received the “Mule” award.

This and That: With a combined 38 rushing and passing attempts on Saturday, Austin Holter (Johnstown, Ohio / Johnstown-Monroe) would set a Scot-record for total offensive plays in a season, currently held by Craig Lombardi (361 in 1987). Additionally, Holter is currently second in completion percentage for a season (.575) ... With two field goals made, Andy Milligan (Orrville, Ohio / Orrville) would tie the school record for the most in a season with 10, while Kevin Friedman (Pepper Pike, Ohio / St. Peter Chanel) has the fourth-highest punting average (41.0 yards) right now.