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Mount Union 42    Wilmington 7

                                                                     by Dick Ross

FREE NATURE SHOW ON THE TOLL ROAD

     Saturday morning dawned bright crisp and clear.  The trip to Alliance was a bit different this week, as we took my wife's dad and sister and detoured through Richfield to pick up "Sis."  My wife's family also has a preference for the turnpike.  Every time we go that way, I make my "it was supposed to be free by now" speech: the response is much rolling of eyeballs.  The fall colors are reaching their peak in Northern Ohio.  They are a bit further along as we head South, because the Northern edge of our area is still warmed, a bit, by Lake Erie.

     With the students back in school, parking was harder to come by and the line for the lunch buffet moved a bit slower, but was every bit as good.  Those custom waffles and omelets are surely worth the wait.  While standing in line, I overheard Mrs. Kehres say, when asked about today's game, "We don't really know a lot about them, we're treating it like a playoff game."  In fact, the last time the two schools met (1969) Larry Kehres was a Junior at Mount, sharing time at Quarterback.

FRIENDS FROM ZINZI

     Wilmington College was founded in 1870 by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).  They currently enroll 1,200 students at their main campus at Wilmington, in Clinton County, with at least 500 more at two satellite Campuses in Cincinnati.  The school colors are green and white and today they arrived wearing white shirts, with green numerals, black pants and green helmets.  The helmets had an interesting design: a black hatted Quaker in a "swoosh" much like the "Patriot" of New England's NFL entry.   Taking Mrs. K's
advice, Mount wore their black and purple "playoff" jerseys, with purple trousers and headgear.  One thing that Wilmington and Mount have in common is that Jim Ballard appears in the record books of both programs: I believe he may hold the single game record for interceptions at both schools!

     Warmer weather, 74 degrees at kickoff, allowed Mount's cheerleaders to show off their new "summer" style uniforms: bare shoulders, with "Mount" on a white bib, with straps and a black dress, they actually broke these out for JCU, but this is my first chance to report on them.  Seatmate Judy Hixon noted the absence of the voice of long time booth announcer Dan Buckel, who had a dose of laryngitis, and our sideline "superfan," missing from our first 3 home games this year.  I sensed the absence of Angelo Pisanello, long time leader of the side line "Chain Gang" who passed away last winter.

     Mount took the opening kickoff, but stalled at midfield. # 1 Jr. Rodney Chenos, our all purpose Kicker from the Columbus area, put the ball inside the visitor's ten yard line.  Wilmington came out with a Mount Union style offense, less the running game, and drove the field to the North 9 yard line, before Mount's "D" men forced three straight incompletions.   The wind, which had been blowing in from the south suddenly reversed itself, as Wilmington lined up for the field goal, and blew directly in the kicker's face.   "Larry must have the switch in his pocket" I thought, as the kick drifted wide right, and Mount took over on the twenty.

GROUND CHUCK

     The Raiders got going on the next series: runs by # 31 Soph. RB Dan Pugh of Norwalk/St Paul and # 10 Jr. Chuck Moore of Mogadore, got the ball down to the Wilmington 31.  # 16 Sr QB Gary Smeck of Lancaster lobbed one about ten yards over the middle, with # 81 Adam "Big Red" Irgang rumblin' in for the TD.  Chenos added the point to make it 7-0.

     Wilmington continued to hang tough behind their small left handed QB, # 12 Jr. Adam Ryan of Cincinnati/Elder.  The Quake got as far as the Mount 19 before Monty's Defensemen stiffened, with two straight sacks and a forced incompletion, and brought up 4th and 20 from the 29.  Ryan, who also handles the team's punting, tried a "pooch" kick but it bounced across the goal line for a touchback, giving Mount the ball at the twenty, a net nine yard punt.

AND MOORE

     The Raiders are well known for taking advantage of opportunities, this was to be no exception.  After passes to # 88 Sr. WR Rob Sondles of Wadsworth and Chuck Moore, Moore "popped" the line for a 27
yard TD, his first of two, today, after two straight games with four each.  The Mount Union record is six TD's in a game, scored by Leo Grimes in 1931; Chuck shares the season record of 22 with Mike DiBlasi (1970) and, if he stays healthy, has a shot at destroying Russ Kring's 1980's career record of 45.  Aided by a penalty, Wilmington's next drive started at the MUC 48, Adam Ryan ran a one yard "keeper" to score the Quakers only TD, as time ran out in the quarter.  Their Kicker Soph. # 17, Arthur Steele who lists the same home town, Hilliard, as our Rod Chenos, but a different H.S., added the extra point.

FIRST QUARTER SCORE: MOUNT UNION 14, WILMINGTON 7

WELCOME TO THE OAC 

     Wilmington's Media Guide notes that the OAC is the third oldest conference in the Nation: older than the World Series, the Rose Bowl and even the NCAA itself, dating from 1902.  The Quakers continued to be a tough bunch of pacifists through the second quarter, Mount scored again on a quick six play 67 yard drive, early in the Quarter, but the story of this period was the defensive teams of both schools, who both held high powered offenses from scoring.   Just before the half # 97 Soph. DT Jeff Knoblauch of Pickerington, was credited with an interception at the MUC 6, to end a scoring threat, kept alive by a fake punt.  The game felt a lot tighter than the Half-time score indicated.  The rousing foot stomping show by the 136 member marching band felt real good; then the flags were lowered to half staff, to remember the Sailors killed aboard the USS Cole.

HALF TIME SCORE: MONT UNION  21, WILMINGTON 7

     The Quakers started the second half, but stalled quickly.   Mount started at their own 20, alternating Moore and Pugh with a ten yard scramble by Smeck mixed in: 11 plays 80 yards, half the quarter gone, and things are feeling better.  Towards the end of the period Mount's Offense ran out of downs at the Quaker 15, but the Mount Defense stepped up in dramatic fashion: # 17 Soph. DB Chris Kern of Fairbault Minnesota intercepted a pass tipped by OLB # 49 Sr. Jesse Pearson of Columbus/Troy and returned it to the 15.  On the next play Dan Pugh took it the rest of the way; the Quakers got a bit rough, but their coaches quieted down the offending players, Mount declined the penalty and Chenos' kick upped the count to 35 as the men in green mentally started picking their seats on the buses parked behind the East stands.

THIRD QUARTER SCORE: MOUNT UNION 35, WILMINGTON 7

     Starting the fourth period, Wilmington ran 8 plays and gained 5 yards, before punting.  This time it was Dan Pugh's turn: he carried the ball on 6 of 8 plays, including the final 2 for the TD that upped the count to 42.  Wilmington got one more "3 and out" and those of us who were left, got to see # 15 Fr. QB Brian Reisert from Cincinnati/Moeller and # 22 Soph. RB Dustin Blake of Columbus/West Jefferson run out the clock.

     The Alumni reception, in the Campus Grounds, with popcorn, doughnuts and local cider, from North Benton, was particularly good, in spite of OSU loosing on the big screen TV.

FINAL SCORE: MOUNT UNION 42, WILMINGTON 7

     Next week Capital U. at Whitehall - Yearling H. S.  Field in Columbus.  I'm going to skip this one, because of the 7:30 P.M. start and the 2 1/2 hour drive home.  Perhaps one of our list members could post some impressions. I do plan to be at the rest of the regular season games, two in Alliance and one in Berea, and then, on the road back to Virginia.

Dick Ross
Class of '66