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Mount Union 32 Wittenberg 15 by Dick Ross |
ON SUCH A WINTER'S DAY Word of the Saturday buffet must be spreading, it seems the crowd gets larger every week. This week we had students, player parents and quite a bit of Wittenberg Red in the crowd. Attendance was listed as 4736, but it looked to me like more, as the visitors side was almost completely filled, with standees around the Hartshorn end.
Wittenberg is a Lutheran school of about 2,000 students located in Springfield, Ohio, near Dayton and Cincinnati. Their team arrived wearing white with red numerals and dual red stripes down the trouser leg and the centerline of the helmets, which also featured a script "W" on the sides; Mount wore the play-off black jerseys, with purple pants. Mount got the opening kickoff,
and the first possession would have been completely unremarkable except that # 2 Sr. Adam
Marino of Cuyahoga Falls, who went off hurt last week, returned. Wittenberg did
something we're accustomed to seeing from our Mount Union boys; their first play was an
80-yard pass and run down the east sideline by their # 13 Jr. Mike Aljancic, from just
down the road in Louisville, Ohio. It was almost a repeat of a play he Mount's Offense had a bit of
difficulty getting started this day but the Defense stepped up. Wittenberg's Casey
Donaldson, who'd run roughshod over the NCAC was held to a net of less than 100 yards, on
29 carries. With ten minutes gone in the first period, fumbled, when hit for a loss,
by # 4 Sr. lLB Matt "the Oil City Kid" LaVerde. The fumble was picked up
by Sr. OLB # 49 Jesse "James" Pearson of Columbus/Troy, who returned it for a
34-yard TD.
Pearson, you may recall, was
the Defenseman who had five TD's in a four game stretch, last year, and was also credited
with the extra point block. # 1 Rodney "Poco Tigre" Chenos of
Galloway/Hilliard Davidson came on to kick the conversion and give Mount the lead at 7-6.
One of the Goodyear Blimps appeared out beyond Wilson Hall and turned southeast,
probably headed for Sunday's NFL game in Pittsburgh. Three minutes later the Defense
set up Mount's next score: # 89 Soph. Matt Campbell of Massillon/Perry intercepted a
screen pass at the Tigers 29; it took # 10, Jr. Chuck Moore of Mogadore two runs to cover
the distance to the north end zone. Chenos conversion gave Mount 14. On the ensuing kickoff # 17
Soph. DB Chris Kern of Fairbault, Minn. had a very nice 43-yard return, but will probably
have to endure the jesting of his teammates as he was knocked out of bounds by the kicker.
Later in the quarter Mount got a nice return from # 13 Soph. DB Mike Miller of Cuyahoga
Falls, setting Mount up at the Wittenberg 48-yard line. Chuck Moore needed only two
plays, and 36 seconds, with runs of 46 and 2 yards, to tally his second TD of the day,
with nearly 150-yards net rushing for the day.
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Game time temperature was listed as 28,
about as warm as it got, but the skies continued to clear.
made, at the same spot, in the 1998
game. The extra point try was blocked. 
locker rooms and Adam Marino grabbed an
overcoat, using the 20-point lead to rest his injuries for another week. The first
points of the second half came on a 25-yard field goal by the Tigers # 38 Sr. Ryan Walker
of Newark. 
Where's Widener? The 61-27 winner over Springfield (Mass), was the most asked
question, as Alums and friends warmed up at the post game reception, in the Campus
Center. The answer is: it doesn't matter, they will be next week's opponent, IN
ALLIANCE, at noon. Overall, a hard fought victory over the toughest opponent, so
far. The Raider Defense stepped up to the challenge, but the Offense had way to many
penalties (10 for 109 yards) for a championship team. The number to call to confirm
your tickets is 1-330-821-6759, starting at 9 A. M. Monday.