Tim Gaal
It looked like a mismatch on paper, and by game's end, it was exactly that. The Tiger football team, now ranked No. 11 in the nation, scored at will and emptied the bench in the process of defeating Kenyon, 79-0 on Saturday at Edwards-Maurer Field. So many players saw action in the game that the statistics program couldn't keep up. No less than 125 Wittenberg players played at least one snap in the game, including five kickers and seven quarterbacks. Seven different players scored touchdowns, four different players kicked extra points and 39 different players recorded at least one defensive statistic.
The scoring started almost immediately. The first time Wittenberg touched the ball, senior tailback Jason Stephan (Brookville, Ohio/Brookville) capped a three-play drive with a four-yard touchdown run, the first of three touchdowns on the day that ran his two-week total to eight. Also in the first half, junior defensive back Tim Gaal (Amanda, Ohio/Clearcreek)blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown, freshman wide receiver Jered Glover (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown) had one rushing score and one receiving score, sophomore fullback Raymar Hampshire (Lima, Ohio/Elida) scored on a five-yard run and senior fullback Trent Coffman (Springfield, Ohio/Northeastern) rounded things out with a seven-yard burst.
In the second half, senior defensive back Geoffrey Moorehead (Columbus, Ohio/East) scored on a 48-yard interception return, freshman tailback Kyle Williamson (Newark, Ohio/Catholic) scored touchdowns from 23 yards and 70 yards and freshman kicker Justin Bockbrader (Columbus, Ohio/Franklin Heights)capped things with a 22-yard field goal on a second down play.
No Wittenberg player had more than nine carries in the game, and every running back who touched it had at least 20 yards for 434 total in the game. Senior quarterback Greg Cornett (Franklin, Ohio/Franklin) completed five of eight passes, and the rest of the Tiger signal-callers handed the ball off. Defensively, senior linebacker Andy Pope (Hamilton, Ohio/Lakota East) finished with game-highs of nine tackles, including two for a loss of eight yards. Senior defensive tackle Lloyd Hudson (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore) was one of four players with at least six tackles, and he topped the team with three tackles for a cumulative loss of 13 yards.
Wittenberg, which is now 8-1 overall and 5-1 in the NCAC, wraps up the season this Saturday at Wooster, another 8-1 and 5-1 team. The Tigers must win that game to have a chance to advance to the NCAA Division III playoffs for a fifth consecutive year.