Franklin Holds off Mount 40-35 to Stay Unbeaten in HCAC Action
October 25, 2008
CINCINNATI , OH - Franklin (6-1, 4-0 HCAC) improved to 6-1 on the season and remained a half game behind Rose-Hulman for first place in the conference standings with a 40-35 victory at Mount St. Joseph (4-3, 2-3 HCAC) Saturday afternoon.
The Grizzlies utilized a balanced attack and finished with 430 yards of offense against the Lions. Quarterback Chad Rupp (Evansville , Ind. /Memorial) tallied three more touchdowns and completed 19 of his 29 passes for 294 yards and an interception. Jon-Erik Bennett (Martinsville , Ind. /H.S.) rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries to establish the FC rushing attack.
The blue and gold roared out to a 26-0 advantage late in the second quarter before the Mount added a six yard touchdown pass from Vince Palmer (Cincinnati , Ohio / Anderson ) to cut the deficit to 26-7 at the half.
Franklin scored on their first play from scrimmage in the second half on a 43 yard Bennett touchdown run to stretch the lead to 33-7. Palmer orchestrated three touchdown drives in the third and fourth quarters to bring the Lions back into contention but it was not enough. The senior quarterback finished 17 of 32 for 232 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions.
The Grizzlies will look to remain unblemished in conference action next weekend at home against Rose-Hulman. Both teams enter the contest unbeaten in HCAC play and will have the conference championship on their minds when they line up at Faught Stadium. Mount St. Joseph remains home to face Manchester .
In other HCAC action.
Hanover College (1-5, 1-3 HCAC) continued its success against Manchester (4-3, 2-2 HCAC) with a come from behind 35-34 win. The Panthers claimed their twelfth straight win against the Spartans and have won 35 of the past 36 games in the series. Manchester dominated the game statistically, outgaining the Panthers 499 to 356 and held the ball for 39:17 in time of possession compared to Hanover 's 20:43. Brandon Wells (Woodburn , Ind. /Woodlan) paced the Spartans rushing attack with 149 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries. Quarterback Caleb Grimes (South Haven, Mich./H.S.) completed 22 passes for 246 yards and two scores and added 91 yards on the ground. Hanover trailed 21-14 heading into the fourth quarter and turned to senior wide receiver Tyler Thiems (Indianapolis , Ind. /North Central) to bring the Panthers back. Thiems caught three of his four touchdowns in the final stanza, including the game-winner with 56 seconds remaining. The senior finished with 102 yards and four scores on 12 receptions. Freshman quarterback Nick Sharp (Indianapolis , Ind. /Franklin Central) continued to impress, finishing his afternoon 19 of 30 for 196 yards and five touchdowns. Manchester will travel to Mount St. Joseph next weekend, while Hanover will look for its second straight win against Defiance .
Rose-Hulman (7-1, 5-0 HCAC) remained in first place with a 42-14 home win against Bluffton (1-6, 0-4 HCAC). The Engineers utilized a steady rushing attack to hold off the Beavers at Cook Stadium. RHIT finished with 324 yards on 47 carries and totaled 464 yards of total offense against Bluffton to earn the win. Calvin Bueltel (Huntingburg , Ind. /Southridge) scored three times and gained 137 yards on 22 carries to lead the Rose running game. Junior quarterback Derek Eitel (Marshall , Ill. /H.S.) completed 12 of his 23 passes for 140 yards in the win. Bluffton turned the ball over four times in the loss and managed 249 yards of offense against the Engineers. Freshman quarterback Derek Dunlap (St. Mary's, Ohio/Memorial) made his first college start and finished 12 of 26 for 119 yards and two interceptions. Rose will look to lock up at least a share of the conference championship next weekend at Franklin . A win would also secure the conference's bid into the Division III NCAA Football Tournament.
Defiance (1-6, 1-3 HCAC) earned its first win of the 2008 season with a 21-13 win over Anderson (3-4, 2-2 HCAC). The Jackets dominated the Ravens on the ground, outgaining the high powered AU rushing offense 253 to 32. Lewis Caralla (Tampa , Fla. / East Lake ) followed up last week's great performance with 156 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. The senior tailback got the Jackets off to a great start with a five yard score in the first quarter and added a 37 yard scamper to give DC a 14-0 lead early in the third quarter. Anderson has now dropped two straight games after running off a three game win streak. Darryl Stott (Union City , Ind. /H.S.) struggled to get anything going and finished with 35 yards on 10 carries. Quarterback Chase Thurston (Yorktown , Ind. /H.S.) returned under center and completed 32 of his 71 attempts for 314 yards and an interception. Defiance heads to Hanover next weekend to face the Panthers, while AU returns home to host Bluffton.