Franklin Looks to Clinch Football Title at Manchester
November 6, 2008
N. MANCHESTER , IN - Franklin will travel to Manchester Saturday afternoon with their eyes on the HCAC football championship. The Grizzlies can clinch their second straight football crown and berth into the NCAA Division III football playoffs with a win against the Spartans.
The No. 22 ranked Grizzlies (7-1, 5-0 HCAC) took a huge step in earning the conference championship last week with a 42-7 domination of Rose-Hulman. Manchester (4-4, 2-3 HCAC) enters the contest after dropping their second straight game, falling 28-6 to Mount St. Joseph.
Franklin will look for its eleventh straight victory over Manchester , including a 52-33 decision last season and has run off 16 straight league victories heading into Saturday's conference tilt.
The blue and gold's offense continued to roll last weekend, running up 480 yards against the Engineers. Chad Rupp (Evansville , Ind. /Memorial) completed 19 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns in the victory and the Franklin ground game totaled 210 yards on the day. Rupp ranks eighth nationally in passing yards per game (302.5), ninth in passing efficiency (166.7), and leads the league with 26 touchdowns and a 64.8% completion rate. As a team, Franklin 's offense ranks ninth nationally in passing yards per game (315.6), 12 th in scoring offense (41.4 ppg), and 22 nd in total offense (430.75 ypg).
Manchester will look to snap their 10 game skid against the Grizzlies and move back to .500 in the league standings. The Spartans offense struggled last weekend against the conference's top defense. Against MSJ, Manchester only managed 157 total yards and seven first downs on the afternoon. Running back Brandon Wells (Woodburn , Ind. /Woodlan) finished with 66 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Wells stands second in the league with 746 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.
Franklin has won ten straight over the Spartans and holds the all-time series advantage 31-20-1. Manchester 's last win came all the way back in 1997.
Kickoff from Carl Burt Stadium is set for 1:30 PM.
In other conference action .
Bluffton (1-7, 0-5 HCAC) will welcome Hanover (1-6, 1-4 HCAC) to Salzman Stadium Saturday afternoon in search of its first conference win of the season. The Beavers fell to Anderson 38-10 last weekend on the road, while Hanover lost a heartbreaker in overtime to Defiance 31-28. Bluffton allowed 272 rushing yards to the Ravens in the loss and only managed five yards rushing against the Anderson defense. Freshman quarterback Derek Dunlap (St. Mary's, Ohio/Memorial) made his second start under center and completed 15 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown. Hanover surrendered 21 unanswered points and let a 10 point fourth quarter lead get away in the loss to Defiance . Senior receiver Tyler Thiems (Indianapolis , Ind. /North Central) broke his own school record with 19 receptions and totaled 145 yards and a touchdown, earning the league's Player of the Week award. Freshman quarterback Nick Sharp (Indianapolis , Ind. /Franklin Central) completed 40 passes for 346 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. Something has to give on Saturday when Bluffton and Hanover meet. The Beavers rank last in total offense (192.9 ypg) and points scored (8.9 ppg), while Hanover sits at the bottom in the conference with 447.1 yards and 40.3 points surrendered per game. This weekend will mark the 32 nd time these two programs have met, with Hanover holding a commanding 26-5 mark in the series. Hanover claimed a 24-21 win last season and has won 12 of the last 13 meetings.
Rose-Hulman (7-2, 5-1 HCAC) hosts Anderson (4-4, 3-2 HCAC) on Senior Day as the Engineers close out the 2008 season. A win over the Ravens will mark just the fifth time an Engineer football squad has marked eight wins in a season in 113 years of football at the school. Rose is coming off a 42-7 loss at Franklin , but still holds hope of sharing the conference title if the Grizzlies slip up in one of their final two games. The Engineers defense allowed 480 yards in last week's loss to Franklin and the offense gained only 224 yards of offense. Junior running back Calvin Bueltel (Huntingburg , Ind. /Southridge) failed to cross the 100-yard plateau for the first time during conference play, finishing with 90 yards on 27 carries. Anderson was impressive in a 38-10 home win against Bluffton. The Ravens offense rushed for a season-high 272 yards and four touchdowns. Junior John Sims (Columbus , Ind. /East) led the squad with a career-high 125 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Quarterback Chase Thurston (Yorktown , Ind. /H.S.) threw for 221 yards in the win and ranks second in the league, averaging 185.1 passing yards per game. AU can secure a share of second place in the HCAC standings and their first winning season since 2003 with wins in its last two games against Rose-Hulman and Manchester . The Engineers defeated the Ravens 33-15 last season and currently lead the all-time series 7-5.
Mount St. Joseph (5-3, 3-3 HCAC) will conclude its conference season Saturday at Defiance (2-6, 2-3 HCAC). The Lions rolled to a 28-6 win over Manchester last weekend, while the Yellow Jackets earned their second straight win with a 31-28 overtime victory at Hanover . The Mount showcased their defense against one of the league's top rated offenses last week. The defense limited the Spartans to 157 yards of total offense and only seven first downs. Jake Davis (Cincinnati , Ohio / Anderson ) led the way on the ground for MSJ with 84 yards and a touchdown, while back up quarterback Ben Hunterman (Cincinnati , Ohio /Oak Hills) completed 13 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. Defiance quarterback Rick Powell (Rochester , Mich. /Cousino) tossed two touchdowns in the second half comeback against Hanover and finished with 193 yards through the air to lead the Jackets offense. Sophomore kicker Tom Foos (Helena , Ohio /Lakota) booted a 38-yard field goal in overtime to deliver the win to DC. The Defiance offense will have a tougher time moving the football against the HCAC's top defense. MSJ leads the Heartland in total defense (292.0 ypg) and scoring defense (14.5 ppg), while Defiance ranks seventh in total offense (265.5 ypg) and scoring offense (14.8 ppg). The all-time series between Mount St. Joseph and Defiance is dead locked at eight wins apiece, but the Mount has posted wins in six straight meetings.
Nov. 8 Schedule
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Mount St. Joseph at Defiance |
1:00 PM |
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Franklin at Manchester |
1:30 PM |
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Hanover at Bluffton |
1:30 PM |
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Anderson at Rose-Hulman |
1:30 PM |