|
|
| www.MtUnionFootball.com | Main Page Email |
 |
Mount Union 56 Marietta 10 by Dick Ross |
|
SONS OF THE PIONEERS HAPPY TRAILS TO YOU 
Approaching winter finally arrived in
Northern Ohio, during the past week. Cold rain and freezing
temperatures, overnight, brought the fall colors to their max, during the
week. Thursday evening a huge red sun, perched just above the horizon,
truly appeared as if it was on fire as the clouds above it took on the
appearance of a smoke plume, with a truncated rainbow appearing just to the
north. Friday evening the rains turned to a light fluffy snow, for
many of the high school playoff games. As Mom and I headed for
Alliance, seeing dawn again, following the time change, the snow remained
only in the angles of the rooftops when we made the turn south on I-271,
which replaces "Broadway," for the first leg of the trip south. We
were treated to the bright patchwork colors of autumn, all along the way, as
the brilliant sun
rose higher, to clear the hilltop in Alliance.
The town of Marietta, settled in 1788
by a group of pioneers lead by General Rufus Putnam, is the oldest
recognized settlement in the "Northwest Territories," an area which included
all or parts of what later became six states between the Great Lakes, Ohio
and Mississippi Rivers. Marietta was considered the gateway to Ohio
when animal and Native American trails lead to the headwaters of the Ohio
River, which
According to the poet, James Wright,
"Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio, in the Shreve High football stadium"
where Mount Union's #8 So. QB Zac Bruney played his high school games.
I-77 finally put Marietta back on the map, in bold letters. If you've
ever traveled I-77, the river is the spot "where all the miles are counted
from" and exit #1, at the base of the bridge, is the turn for Marietta
College and Ohio University.
Marietta's colors are navy blue and
white. Marietta College is not only the oldest school in the Ohio
Athletic Conference, which is celebrating its 100th season this year, it is
the oldest school in Ohio. Mount Union, which joined the OAC in 1914,
is the oldest continuous member of the conference. Marietta can trace
its roots to the Muskingum Academy in 1797, making it older than Ohio
University (1804) and any Their football program claims the first legal forward pass, in a win over Ohio University, and claims, among its greatest victories an 1895 win over Ohio State, a 1920 win over Michigan State, a 1935 victory over Bowling Green, a one-point victory over Wittenberg in 1954, a 1995 win over Baldwin-Wallace and a big 1977 Homecoming win against Mount Union. Earlier this week Marietta's head coach, Gene Epely, 59, announced that he will retire at the end of this season, winless in 12 seasons, against Mount Union.
Marietta arrived today wearing their
navy blue trousers and white shirts with a white "M" in a blue triangle on
their shoulders. Their blue helmets display a large serif "M" in the
center, much like one Mount wore long ago, except that theirs has "Marietta"
imposed in smaller letters, through the center, and is worn on the left side
only.
After food and conversation at the campus center, I headed for the field under mostly sunny skies, upper thirties temperatures and a stiff wind out of the west. I visited, briefly, in the concrete stands, wondering if the sun and the breeze on the east side might be more comfortable than the protection of my shaded, but probably colder seats under the roof. In the end, I chose my regular seats, on the home side, and they were colder. Mount's men poured out of the south tunnel, while the band played heartily, the wind must have been too strong for the usual cheerleaders banner.
The Raiders, in solid purple, got the
first possession and ran the table with 50 yards in seven carries, by #31
Sr. RB Dan Pugh of Norwalk St. Paul, who scored the touchdown, into the
north end. #7 Sr. QB Rob Adamson of Akron/Manchester added 25 more
yards on passes to Pugh and to #4 So. WR Jason
After the extra point and kickoff, by
#11 So. PK Chad Teague of Orrville, Marietta, with a penalty first down,
advanced the ball to the Mount Union 43 before punting to the 11. The
Marietta drive included a quarterback "sack" by #40 Sr. DE Chris Carter of
Cinncinnati/Wyoming and #90 So. DT Josh Ludwig
Zac Bruney, pride of Martins Ferry,
came in to run the second series, which featured runs by Bruney and Pugh,
Bruney to Pugh "options" and passes to #5 Sr. Josh Liddell of Bemus Point,
NY, #82 Jr. Randell Knapp of Kent/Field and to Pugh, who grabbed a low toss,
for the second of his two touchdowns. Both Knapp and Liddell are
listed as tight ends, and both are big enough to play at that spot but,
increasingly, they are in at the same time, with one lining up outside the
other as a split end or wide receiver. Those
two guys on the same side must put some real pressure on the guys that they
are facing. Marietta opened the second quarter with a "three and out," #3 Marietta's Mike Hess of Groveport must have had a long afternoon - punting eleven times. I'm picturing him icing down his leg, or sitting in the whirlpool while I type this.
Mount Union, moving south with Adamson in charge on the field, required two plays to score. A 49-yard run by Pugh, even when tripped by a shoestring around the farside 20, he managed to struggle forward to the 13 before hitting the ground. The final 13 was an Adamson to Knapp toss for his first of two, again, today. Marietta completed their standard three plays on the next series when coach Kehres went to his third "first team" quarterback #12 Jr. Jesse Burghardt of Uniontown/Lake. I've seen Mount's "tag team" quarterbacks described as "A-bomb and the Killer B's" on Internet "talk boards." Not to be outdone, Burghardt tossed to #6 Sr. WR Derrick Leach of Summerfield/Shenandoah, ran himself, and handed off to #34 So. RB Rick Ciccone of Coshocton, led by #42 Sr. Vince Ilacqua of Willoughby/Lake Catholic, for the touchdown. With Mount up by 28, Marietta managed their first sustained drive of the day, 11 plays to the Mount Union 12, where they kicked a 30-yard field goal, with 30 seconds left.
With so little time left, Marietta
tried a "safe" bouncing kickoff which went right to Knapp, at the 35.
Though he was really there as a blocker, Randell did know what to do with
the ball and he didn't stop till he Mount's Marchers, still well over 100 despite some students traveling in Europe, debuted a rousing patriotic show climaxed by goal line to goal line "Stars and Stripes Forever." They promise an even better show, with some special effects, for the season finale, in two weeks. "Good music makes us all feel better." Much as we disliked Wooster, I'll never forget their bagpipers as they came over that hill, it's hard to believe that they ever lost at home.
I was still in my halftime kibitzing
mode, when I sensed something wrong, looked up and saw kicker Chad Teague
chasing a Marietta man across the north goal line as Marietta returned the
second half kickoff, wire to wire. As often as Mount scores, it's bound to
happen sooner or later but, if you go by
Mount Union's first attempt of the
second half was a nine-play. 70-yard drive which featured Bruney, Ciccone
and Ilacqua running, and an Adamson pass to Knapp. It was good to see
Ilacqua get the
Marietta made two first downs, one by
penalty, on their next series which was ended with a quarterback sack, by
the same Josh Ludwig. Adamson came in, passing, on the next series.
From the 14-yard line, he tossed one to #3 Sr. WR Rourke Skelton from
Chelsea MI, who caught the ball, but was beyond the endline. What was
left of the crowd groaned in tune with his disappointment. "Only in
Alliance" said the guy in front of me, "would you hear that - with a
32-point lead." Moments later Adamson connected with Liddell, to make
it 38 and Teague upped the lead to 39. Burghardt closed the period
with his first punt of the afternoon.
Mount Union got the ball back quickly
from Marietta's second team quarterback - and inserted our fourth of the
day, #13 So. QB Robert McDavid of Canal Winchester/Pickerington, handing off
to #29 So. RB Jeff Strauch who broke loose for a one-play, 66-yard touchdown
run, for the only fourth quarter score. With Next week we play the wounded, but still dangerous Ohio Northern Polar Bears in Ada, OH. The following week, Nov. 16, we will be back home in Alliance for the final regular season game, against Wilmington.
The theme this week was written by
Dale Evans, but was always the ending of the Roy Rogers TV show - last of
the "Silver Screen" cowboys - who sang, in his show, with "The Sons of the
Pioneers" on Black and White TV.
Dick Ross
|
|
became
an expressway to Marietta, and the south. Marietta's prosperity was
cut short, when it was by-passed by the railroads and the National Road,
which ran to Wheeling and crossed, by boat, at Martins Ferry.
school in the entire Northwest Territory, though it was re-chartered as
Marietta College in 1835. The college has had a "Petroleum Studies"
program since 1945, and its engineering dept. has had ties to Case, Penn,
Columbia and Duke. 
play, to make up for the missed point. Zac took the
snap, rolled left and tossed to Josh Ludwig, DT, lined up in an eligible
position. Josh caught the pass and now has a highlight reel equivalent
to Doug Dieken's. I remember that, when he retired, they played his
single reception on a continuous loop. Doug was an 