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Ryan Holmes

The Wittenberg football team has fallen and, at least for this season, won't be able to get all the way back up. Heartbreakingly close losses the last two weeks at Ohio Wesleyan and Wooster, two teams that will play for the North Coast Athletic Conference championship this weekend, have left the Tigers with no shot at a coveted NCAC title or NCAA Division III Tournament berth. Now 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the NCAC, the Tigers will put the wraps on the 2004 season on Saturday against Allegheny College. It is Senior Recognition Day for the team's 13 players who are scheduled to take to Edwards-Maurer Field one final time as collegiate athletes.

They are quarterback Ryan Holmes (Oxford, Ohio/Talawanda), wide receiversRyan Barksdale (Gahanna, Ohio/Lincoln) and Joe Rumschlag (Maumee, Ohio/Toledo Christian), offensive linemen Corey Chatman (Mansfield, Ohio/Senior), Brad Kassner (Circleville, Ohio/Circleville) and Brandon Murray (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh), kicker/punter Jacob Thomas (New Albany, Ohio/New Albany), defensive linemen Jarrett Brown (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles), Jamie Hoover (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North), Joe Torrens (Utica, Ohio/Utica) and Chris Vennefron (Somerville, Ohio/Edgewood), linebackerAndrew Nichols (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay) and defensive back Kyle Keriazes (Springfield, Ohio/North).

Against Ohio Wesleyan, the young, shorthanded Tigers were stunned 28-24 by Ohio Wesleyan. Wittenberg was missing key players in every facet of the game, most noticeably junior wide receiver Jered Glover (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown), and it showed by game's end.

Offensively, the Tigers moved the ball fairly well, but they lacked the big-play capability that Glover, the team's leading receiver each of the last two seasons, possesses. Junior tailback Tristan Murray (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh) tried to pick up the slack as he finished with 28 carries for 123 yards and two touchdowns, but the OWU defense had the luxury of keying on him on a windy day that made the passing game that much more treacherous.

Defensively, Wittenberg gave up a whopping 364 rushing yards, out of 397 total yards for the Battling Bishops. OWU converted three fourth downs on its final drive, the last one culminating in a game-winning three-yard touchdown run with just over two minutes remaining.

Wittenberg's scoring came courtesy of a 33-yard field goal by freshman Mark Porter (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland), a seven-yard touchdown run by Holmes and a pair of second-half touchdown runs by Murray.

Holmes threw for 165 yards, and he spread the ball around to seven different receivers, led by junior wideout Braden Freeman (Prospect, Ohio/Marion Pleasant) with four receptions for 69 yards. Defensively, sophomore safety Mitch Fonseca (Miami, Fla./Christopher Columbus) accounted for a game-high 15 tackles, and junior safety Adam Hewitt (Piqua, Ohio/Lehman Catholic) contributed 11 tackles and a fumble recovery.

Against Wooster, the Tigers again came up just short, this time falling 64-58 in overtime. In losing back-to-back games for the first time since 1992 and the first time ever under ninth-year Head Coach Joe Fincham, the young Tigers showed the kind of heart and spirit that will be necessary if Wittenberg is to return to its championship form in 2005. Wittenberg rallied from a 48-17 third-quarter deficit by feeding off a defense that came up with a couple of key stands as the game wound to a close.

First-half scoring for the Tigers included a rushing touchdown by Murray, a field goal by Porter and a 16-yard touchdown connection between Freeman and Holmes. After Wooster scored 35 straight points in the second and third quarters, Wittenberg rallied as Murray scored two touchdowns in a three-minute span, Freeman caught a 36-yard touchdown pass, junior tailback Will Block (Troy, Ohio/Troy) ran a kickoff back a school-record 98 yards for a touchdown, sophomore Eric Kubilus (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover) caught a 27-yard touchdown pass and Holmes tied the game on a three-yard scoring run on fourth down with 15 seconds remaining.

In overtime, an interception on the Tigers' first play from scrimmage led to a game-winning touchdown for the fifth-ranked Scots and just their second win over Wittenberg since 1949.

Individually, Holmes had the greatest day statistically ever for a Wittenberg quarterback as he threw for a school-record 439 yards. Murray added 107 yards rushing and 105 yards receiving, and Freeman had a career day, catching 10 passes for 177 yards. Fonseca was the top player for the Tigers defensively as he finished with 12 tackles, including a stop for a loss on third down late in the game that set the stage for the final drive.