HIRAM, Ohio — The Wittenberg Tigers had every reason to celebrate in the muck and mire of Hiram College's Henry Field following Saturday's 35-0 victory.
For starters, the Tigers captured a share of their eighth North Coast Athletic Conference title and a berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament for the 12th time in school history. In addition, Head Coach Joe Fincham reached a significant milestone, earning win No. 100 in his illustrious career.
Fincham became the second Wittenberg head coach to reach 100 career wins. The leader in coaching victories is the legendary Dave Maurer, who compiled 122 victories and two national titles between 1969 and 1983. After Saturday's victory, his team and coaches presented Fincham with a special football to commemorate the occasion.
This one was all Wittenberg and in many ways was trademark Joe Fincham. His team controlled the game with a punishing ground game that struck for five first-half touchdowns and a stifling defense that allowed just 45 yards on 46 plays in the entire game - 30 through the air and 15 on the ground.
Leading the charge defensively was senior linebacker Joe Swanson (Germantown, Ohio/Valley View), who finished with eight tackles, including two for a combined loss of 17 yards. His first-half sack set the tone in many ways as the Tigers established a season high in tackles for loss and shut out Hiram for the seventh straight year.
Offensively, the recipe was simple, pound the ball on the ground, starting with senior tailback Tristan Murray (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh), who ran for 175 yards and four touchdowns on just 14 carries before exiting the game before halftime. Murray topped 4,000 yards and 330 points in his collegiate career with his regular season-ending performance. Murray also was Wittenberg's leading receiver on the day with three catches for 30 yards.
The offense stalled after Murray and the other first-teamers took a seat, but the defense held strong throughout. Freshman quarterback Aaron Huffman (Newark, Ohio/Newark) completed 5-of-8 passes for 44 yards, and he added five carries for 27 yards. Sophomore tailback Tony Hall (Columbus, Ohio/Eastmoor) got a career-high 17 carries, adding 43 yards and the Tigers' fifth touchdown to the effort.
Defensively, senior linebacker Tyler Harmon (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian)added five tackles. Three turnovers were generated as well, including interceptions by senior safeties Mitch Fonseca (Miami, Fla./Christopher Columbus) and Will Block (Troy, Ohio/Troy).
Wittenberg will find out its NCAA Division III Tournament fate Sunday during a conference call. The Tigers will take a 7-3 overall record and a 6-1 NCAC mark into the postseason, Wittenberg's first since 2002. The conference crown is Wittenberg's first since a five-year run between 1997 and 2001.