Fourth Quarter Possessions Lead to 'Berg Victory

Senior quarterback Steve West (Huron, Ohio / Huron) connected on a five-yard pass with junior Dawond Roddy (Sidney, Ohio / Sidney) with 2:04 on the clock to give the Heidelberg College football team the lead for good against host Wilmington College today in an Ohio Athletic Conference showdown. The final score was 37-33 in favor of the Berg. Although, Roddy’s score was the go-ahead touchdown for the Berg, its overall ball control over the final eight minutes of the contest helped to deplete a six-point deficit and gave Heidelberg its second league victory on the year.

For the year, under the guidance of first-year head coach Mike Hallett, Heidelberg stands at 3-4 overall and 2-4 in the OAC, while Wilmington falls to 1-6 overall and 1-5 in league action. Hallett and his coaching staff have helped to instill a winning attitude on the Heidelberg campus since coming to Tiffin in December. Overall, the Berg opened the year by snapping a 36-game losing streak, only to follow that victory up with an eventual win over nationally-ranked Baldwin-Wallace. The win over B-W was the first over a nationally-ranked opponent since 1993 and was the first league win since 2003. And now the victory over the Quakers marks the best season at Heidelberg since winning four games in 1999.

Wilmington went 44 yards in three plays to score a 12-yard touchdown with 8:45 on the clock to give the host Quakers a 33-27 lead. The Quaker PAT was wide, which kept the Berg within two field goals. Heidelberg wasted no time in cutting its deficit. On the ensuing possession the Berg marched into Quaker territory and utilized the leg of freshman kicker Jesse Hawkins (Georgetown, Ky, / Scott County) to pull within 33-30. Hawkins connected on a career-high 38-yard field goal, his third field goal on the day.

Following the Hawkins field goal, the Berg defense held Wilmington to a three and out series, setting up the eventual game-winning drive.

Wilmington struck first in the game, scoring a touchdown in the first quarter, while the Berg trailed 6-3 courtesy of a Hawkins 20-yard field goal. Two second quarter touchdowns, including an eight-yard West run and a Roddy two-yard reception gave Heidelberg a 17-13 advantage at the break.

Following a Hawkins 22-yard field goal and a Wilmington touchdown knotted the game at 20-20 heading into the final quarter. Prior to the Wilmington touchdown to give the Quakers a 33-27 lead Heidelberg had reached the 27-point plateau on a Kenny Sims (Garfield Heights, Ohio / Garfield Heights) two-yard run and a Hawkins PAT.

For the game, Heidelberg picked up 426 yards compared to 384 for Wilmington. Two Heidelberg rushers with over 100 yards helped to lead the Berg rushing game to 297 yards for the contest, while West completed 13-of-24 passes for 129 yards through the air. Leading the ground game was Sims with a career-high 172 yards followed by Jemar Lewis (Bedford Heights, Ohio / Bedford) with 128 yards. Roddy picked up 89 yards on eight receptions and two touchdowns on the day.

Defensively, Matt Grieves (Huron, Ohio / Huron) picked up a career-high 12 tackles, to go along with a sack and two quarterback hurries to lead the defense. Matt Nero (Cortland, Ohio / Lakeview) finished the game with eight tackles followed by Julius Higginbotham (Elyria, Ohio / Elyria), Xavior Purnell (Springfield, Ohio / Springfield) and Chris Strawser (Circleville, Ohio / Circleville) with seven tackles apiece.