Wooster Finishes Second in NCAC After Dispatching Wittenberg 27-6

Wooster's Storm Tropea (No. 60) gives Dustin Sheppard (No. 20) running room during Saturday's action at a muddy John P. Papp Stadium.

WOOSTER, Ohio – Austin Holter (Johnstown, Ohio / Johnstown-Monroe) ran for three touchdowns and passed for another and The College of Wooster's defense intercepted four passes, as the Fighting Scots beat rival Wittenberg University to a tune of 27-6 Saturday afternoon at a muddy John P. Papp Stadium, securing sole possession of second-place in the North Coast Athletic Conference.

With the win, Wooster finishes the regular season at 8-2 and holds hope for an at-large bid to next week's NCAA Div. III Football Championship, while Wittenberg wraps up with records of 6-4 and 4-3 in the NCAC.

Ironically, this was the last football game to take place on the natural grass of Papp Stadium, as a synthetic turf is in the works to be installed next summer, but the two teams were forced to battle through tough conditions one more time on Saturday.

Neither offense got much going during the first four possessions. Then, the Tigers put together what turned out to be their best offensive drive of the game, moving to the Scots' 15, where on 4th-and-7, Hector Clavijo (Miami, Fla. / Hialeah) picked off a pass in the end zone.

Wooster carried that momentum over, using a key screen pass to Dustin Sheppard (Johnstown, Ohio / Johnstown-Monroe) that went for 40 yards to convert a 3rd-and-15 play and set up the Scots at the Wittenberg 15-yard line. Two plays later, Holter took it himself up the middle from nine yards out for his initial score. That happened to be the first play of the second quarter.

Following a long kickoff return, the Tigers were again intercepted in the red zone, with Bryan Albani (Warren, Ohio / Howland) snagging the errant pass this time for his fifth pick of the season.

Wittenberg's next possession ended around midfield and Taylor Trout (Nashport, Ohio / Tri-Valley) returned the low-liner of a punt a season-long 71 yards to the right side, giving Wooster's offense the ball on the 11. It took the Scots just one play to score, as Holter again found an opening up the middle for a rushing touchdown and 14-0 lead.

The ensuing Tiger drive ended with yet another interception inside the 20, as Jordan Ross (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio / Cuyahoga Falls) produced a takeaway at the 16-yard line, however, Wittenberg's defense returned the favor two plays later, with Kyle Lohrman intercepting the ball at the Wooster 20 and returning it for a touchdown. The snap on the point after attempt bounced to the holder, forcing a desperation pass attempt that failed, keeping the score at 14-6.

Thanks to a 20-yard kickoff return by up man Justin Aichele (Hemlock, Ohio / Miller), the Scots would start their next possession right around midfield. Holter converted two long 3rd-down plays, scrambling for 17 yards on a 3rd-and-14 and 11 on a 3rd-and-9 to keep the drive alive, and he eventually found an open Mike Francescangeli (Brunswick, Ohio / Brunswick) on the left side for a 16-yard touchdown with :28 left in the half. That key score gave Wooster a 21-6 cushion at the break.

The second half was primarily a field position battle as the field deteriorated, and the Scots kept the ball on Wittenberg's side. In fact, only one play from scrimmage of the third and fourth quarters began in Wooster territory and that was a 24-yard rush by Sheppard.

The Scots weren't able to completely put the game away until midway through the fourth. Taking over on the Tigers' 47, Wooster grinded out a nine-play touchdown drive. The Scots ran the ball every snap, keyed by a 19-yarder from Holter and a 12-yard burst from Sheppard, and it was capped by another one of Holter going up the middle, this time covering eight yards. The point after was blocked, accounting for the final 27-6 score.

It marked the biggest margin of victory for Wooster in its series with Wittenberg since 1948 (31-7).

Wooster gained 267 yards of total offense on the challenging field, led by Sheppard's 119 rushing on 24 attempts. Holter nearly gave the Scots two 100-yard rushers, ending up with 85, and he went 7-of-15 through the air for 72 yards.

Defensively, Wooster held the opposing offense out of the end zone for the third time this year, and the Tigers managed just nine first downs and 131 offensive yards. Trevor Luckenbill was a bright spot for Wittenberg, netting 67 yards on 18 attempts.

The Scots' four interceptions give them 20 for the season, setting a team record with the previous best being 18 in 2000. Steve Custenborder (Rocky River, Ohio / Rocky River) had a team-leading 10 tackles and fellow linebacker Matt DeGrand (Stow, Ohio / St. Vincent-St. Mary) accounted for the other interception.

The NCAA will announce the 32-team Div. III playoff field on Sunday.