TIFFIN, Ohio—The Heidelberg University football team, 34-28 overtime winners against Alma (Mich.) College on Sept. 3, will travel to Berea, Ohio to take on Baldwin-Wallace College on Saturday, Sept. 17 at Tressel Field at the George Finnie Stadium at 6:30 p.m. The game will be televised via tape delay by SportsTime Ohio and air at 11 p.m. Saturday night.
The Student Princes enter Saturday’s game following a season-opening win against Alma, the fifth consecutive season the Berg has opened 1-0 under head coach Mike Hallett, who began his tenure in Tiffin prior to the 2007 season.
Despite temperatures in the mid-90’s and overwhelming humidity, Heidelberg came up with big plays on both sides of the ball. Freshman quarterback Michael Mees (North Ridgeville) came off the bench in the first quarter to complete 21-of-40 passes for 275 yards and four touchdowns, including the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter and the game-winner in overtime.
Sophomore second-team All-OAC running back Germany Woods (Cleveland/Lakewood St. Edward), a 1,000-yard rusher as a freshman, rushed for 174 yards on just 17 carries, including a 66-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
In overtime, sophomore defensive back Mitchell Kelly (North Randall/Bedford) intercepted a tipped pass to thwart the Scots’ effort and set up the winning touchdown drive for Heidelberg.
Baldwin-Wallace enters the contest with a 1-0 record following its season-opening 23-0 win at The College of Wooster (Sept. 1). The Yellow Jackets scored two offensive touchdowns and forced six turnovers, including one fumble returned for a touchdown. The offense was guided by Ryan O’Rourke, who completed 10-of-18 passes for 119 yards and one TD. On the ground, Willie Jackson carried the ball 14 times for 127 yards with a TD.
In four games against B-W, Hallett is 3-1 overall, including a 37-34 win in overtime in 2008, the last time the two teams met in Berea. Those four games have not lacked for scoring, with the teams combining to score no less than 55 points in each contest. Heidelberg has outscored B-W, 140-125, since 2007.
In addition, Saturday’s game marks a homecoming of sorts for 32 football student-athletes who hail from the Cleveland metropolitan area. The list includes:
junior defensive back Tyler Levanduski (Elyria/Amherst Steele)
sophomore linebacker Ed Louloudis (Parma Heights/Valley Forge)
freshman defensive back Matthew Malloy (Amherst/Steele)
freshman quarterback Michael Mees (North Ridgeville)
senior offensive lineman Ryan Morgan (Elyria)
sophomore defensive lineman William Nunnally (Euclid)
freshman offensive lineman Shane Ramsey (Oberlin)
junior offensive lineman Quentin Rembert (Euclid)
freshman linebacker Tim Rigler (Mentor/Lake Catholic)
freshman tailback Jose Sanchez (Fairview Park/Fairview)
senior wide receiver James Sheahan (Painesville/Lake Catholic)
freshman offensive lineman Jacob Smith (Valley View/Cuyahoga Heights)
freshman offensive lineman Alex Stanley (Vermilion)
freshman kicker/punter Robert Taw (Sheffield Lake/Brookside)
sophomore wide receiver Wuane Wimbush (Lyndhurst/Brush)
sophomore tailback Germany Woods (Cleveland/Lakewood St. Edward)
Following Saturday’s game at B-W, the Berg will play OAC-foe Otterbein College on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 2 p.m. in the 20th edition of the Rhine River Classic. The Rhine River Classic commemorates the first collegiate football game played on German soil, when Heidelberg and Otterbein tied, 7-7, on September 19, 1992 in Offenbach, Germany.