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Mount Union 10    St. John's 7

                                                                     by Dick Ross

A HOLE IN THE RAIN

SIXTEEN WEEKS IN PURPLE

     The Mount Union football season, which officially began sixteen weeks ago on a warm and sunny day in Meadville, Pa., ended Saturday in the mists of Salem, Va.  As many of you know, I've missed a few games, this year, and was unsure that I'd make this one, even as last week's game was ending; my brother Dave decided that we were going, and took charge of arrangements.  We left, from a snow covered Cleveland, Thursday, and spent the night in West Virginia, taking our time on the last leg, into Roanoke/Salem on Friday.  We left the snow behind, in northern Ohio, and found warmer temperatures as we headed south.  Arriving in Roanoke we were knocked a bit off stride to find that "our" hotel was decked in Red and White and had become the team headquarters for the other team.  Apparently, the practice of putting one team in Salem and the other in Roanoke has ended.  Our team was in the Clarion Hotel, just behind the Wyndham.

     The Friday night party, at the Wyndham, was well attended, as usual.  I spotted several former players, our former President, Harold Kolenbrander and his wife, retired Dean Terry Taylor, and retired professors Hugh Jae, Dr. Jim Rodman, former Coach "Duke" Barret and Mr. Wm. Markley, former Math teacher, founder and Coach of Mount's first Soccer team.  Back then, the only members of the team who'd played the game were exchange students and prep schoolers, the rest of us were just too small or too slow for other sports and just did the best we could.  Also present at the Wyndham reception were current President Jack Ewing, Dean Saundra Tracy, several current faculty members, Dorothy Davis, of course; Coaches Kehres, Montgomery and their Assistants, along with 300-400 other Alumni, students and friends who stopped by during the evening.

     The opponent Saturday was Saint John's University, an all male Catholic school, of about 1,800, on a peninsula, in a lake in Minnesota.  Like many other all male schools there is a women's school nearby.  In this case, the women's College of St. Benedict is actually affiliated with St. John's.

     The Johnnies arrived at today's game with a 13-1 record.  They were the seventh seed in the Western Region, winning four playoff games on the road, including the defeat of the defending Champion, Pacific Lutheran at their home, in Tacoma, Washington.  Their 52-man play-off roster is all from Minnesota, except for two from Wisconsin and two from North Dakota.   Mount's roster is "all Ohio" except one from New York, two from Pa. and one from Minnesota, # 17 Soph. DB Chris Kerns is from Fairbault, Minn., and played last year for St. Cloud State, near St. John's.  He was recruited by St. John's, but decided to come to Mount, when the program at St. Cloud was going through some major changes.

RED AND WHITE, GREEN AND PURPLE:

     While we found much milder temperatures in Virginia, the forecast was for an all day rain.  After the party Friday, and again Saturday morning we watched broad green bands of rain sweep up from the Southwest towards the Northeast.   Although it was raining outside the hotel windows, it was possible, on the TV screen, to extend a stripe of clear weather through Salem, for the rest of the day, as we checked out of the hotel and headed for the Stadium.

     Purple predominated in the parking lot, with patches of red, less evident than the Rowan yellow of our more recent trips.  As Mount Union fans began to gather in and around a College sponsored tent in the parking lot, the rain began to slacken into a moist mist.  For the fans this lucky "Hole in the rain" held for the most of the afternoon.

     At the Stadium we experienced the first of the TV delays; it seemed like neither team wanted to be the first to come out on the field, in fact, it appeared that both were being held until the "set up" was complete.  Then Mount was introduced to the accompaniment of aerial bombs, followed by St. John's, who got the same treatment.  Saint John's colors are listed as "cardinal and blue," the designated home team, they took the field in red jerseys, white trousers, with a red stripe, white helmets with a red stripe and their jersey numbers repeated, like Alabama or the old San Diego Chargers.  If there was any blue, I didn't see it.  Attendance was listed as 4,643, 500 more than last year, but the smallest Stagg Bowl involving Mount Union.  St. John's brought a small, but very vocal crowd.  The Salem Stadium is an intimate place, it's a football only facility, with no track, and the stands come right down, almost to the benches, leaving no room for the cheerleaders inside the 25-yard lines.

     Mount took the field, and the opening kickoff, in the same solid white we saw at B-W, and here, two years ago.   Mount "ran the table" on their opening drive with runs by # 10 Jr. RB Chuck Moore of Mogadore and # 31 Soph. RB Dan Pugh of Norwalk/St. Paul, and passes to Pugh, # 88 Sr. WR Rob Sondles of Wadsworth and #81 Sr. TE Adam Irgang of Johnstown, Pa.   The touchdown pass went from # 16 Sr. QB Gary Smeck of Lancaster to Adam "Big Red" Irgang, extending the streak of games with TD passes, which dates back to 1991.

     Heavily favored because of our 56-8 win in the last meeting, it looked like the Mount "Machine" was getting ready to roll, especially when Defensive Captain # 4 Sr. ILB Matt LaVerde of Oil City, Pa. "stuffed" their big Fullback for a three-yard loss, on the first play and # 49 Sr. OLB Jesse Pearson of Columbus/Troy stopped the first completed pass for no gain.   St. John's third play was an interception, with a ten-yard return, by # 12 Sr. DB Brooks Greenleaf of Stow, off a deflection by # 39 Soph. DB Matt Sotcan of Alliance.   The rest of the half, in fact the rest of the game, turned into a punting contest.   A defensive battle, between two great offensive teams, held in check by two great defensive units.  The teams were like two giant Sumo wrestlers struggling for an advantage on a moist and misty afternoon.  In this game neither team gave up a big play, or a cheap score.

FIRST QUARTER SCORE: MOUNT UNION 7, SAINT JOHN'S 0

    The St. John's Johnnies mounted their first, and only, scoring drive late in the second quarter.  They were able to go 49 yards in eight plays, including a 23-yard pass and a one-yard run by their Fullback # 41 Sr. Chris Moore of Edina, Minn.

ALMOST PURPLE

    Half time entertainment was, as usual, by the maroon uniformed "Pride of Salem" State Championship H. S.  marching band.  Considering the conditions, I was surprised the NCAA let them on the field.  I was even more surprised by what came next - I've been to a lot of playoff games, and four out of our five Stagg Bowls and, I thought, that the NCAA had very strict "neutrality" rules, but the College of St. Benedict dance team took the field, and performed, wearing St. John's colors. 

     Not much happened in the third period, Smeck suffered his second and third interceptions of the day, compared to five for the rest of the season.  Mount's defense also got three, one each by Brooks Greenleaf, # 13 Soph. DB Mike Miller of Cuyahoga Falls and # 20 Alex Grinch of Grove City.   I was already looking for the crucial, turning point, play, but the third period didn't produce it.

THIRD QUARTER SCORE: MOUNT UNION 7, SAINT JOHN'S 7

PURPLE COLORED CURTAINS MARK THE END OF DAY

     The beginning of the final period saw Mount's best drive, so far, of the second half.  When the drive stalled after 12 plays at the south 18-yard line, # 1 Jr. PK Rodney Chenos came on to attempt a 35-yard field goal, spotted at the 25-yard line.  The attempt was blocked by # 5 in red, who came flying in around the corner on the kicker's right.  There were over nine minutes remaining, but it seemed much later, because of the season and all the extra time required for the TV timeouts.   Both teams had chances to move the ball, but didn't.  The crucial play may have come when # 92 Jr. DE Todd Braden of Vinton County/MacArthur batted the ball loose from the St. John's QB and # 89 Soph. DE Matt Campbell registered the "sack" and forced the Johnnies to punt, with just over four minutes left.

AT LAST, AT TWILIGHT TIME

     The "good guys" in white, took over at their own 32 and began to move forward slowly and deliberately. In the definition of "clutch" player # 2 Sr. WR Adam Marino of Cuyahoga Falls pulled in his longest catch of the day, 20 yards, to move the ball past midfield.  Seven yards by Dan Pugh, a scramble by Smeck, a short pass to Moore and a thirteen-yard catch by Marino got the ball to the Red twenty.   From there it was Moore up the middle.  Straight ahead, keep it centered, and wind the clock.  "We knew we had it in us" said Gary Smeck, in the post game interviews.  Moore got the ball to the three and Mount called its final time out, with four seconds left.  Rodney Chenos, our "little tiger" came out and waited through two St. John's time outs.  During the first, defensive captain Matt LaVerde joined the huddle to offer encouragement, during the second, QB Gary Smeck came on.  "I promised the Seniors that, if it came down to me, I'd be ready" said Chenos.  Rodney then punched his own "hole in the rain" through the south end uprights.  When asked if he watched the kick go through, he said quietly "yeah, oh yeah."

A fast fingered clock operator kept the game alive, with one second left.  The Raiders had to kick off from their own twenty, having been penalized 15 yards for "excessive celebration" following the Championship Field Goal.  The Johnnies tried a U of Cal type multiple lateral play, which kept going until # 40 Soph. OLB Chris Carter of Wyoming, Ohio picked up the ball and downed it at the Johnnies twenty, to drive home the final nail.  Unlike most defeated crowds, the red-clad fans didn't leave right away, but hung around for the trophy presentations.  It would have been easy to gloat, but I got the sense that they looked a lot like we must have, after Rowan's victory last year.  "Does winning ever get to be old hat." Larry Kehres was asked, after the game, "No, we have a different group of kids every year, so it's always new," he said.

FINAL SCORE: MOUNT UNION 10, SAINT JOHN'S 7

     Mount Union wins its fourth title in five years, fifth overall.  Chuck Moore, who gained 146 hard banging yards in 32 attempts, caught three passes and returned kicks, was the unanimous selection as the game's most outstanding player.  We paused at the College's "afterglow" tent; found the rain, just north of Salem, and drove in it for most of the eight hours coming home.  It would have been much tougher without the "W" under our belts.

     After Christmas many of these fine young men will return to face the real test - graduation and the rest of their lives.   I'll see you in September, when the Allegheny Gators will meet the "new crew" in Alliance.

Dick Ross
Class of '66