Football prevails in OT at Baldwin-Wallace
The Heidelberg College defense forced a fumble on a quarterback sneak from the one-yard line in overtime to post a 37-34 win over host Baldwin-Wallace College Saturday in an Ohio Athletic Conference football match up. The win marks the second-straight for Heidelberg over Baldwin-Wallace who improves to 2-5 overall and 1-5 in the OAC. The Yellow Jackets fall to 3-4 overall and 2-4 in league action. Today’s contest was Shriners’ Day at Baldwin-Wallace and earning Player of the Game honors for the Berg was Dawond Roddy (Sidney, Ohio / Sidney) and B-W’s Tim Mikar.
Heidelberg trailed 34-31 with 4:03 left in the game and marched to B-W’s two-yard line. Andrew Miller (Dalton, Ohio / Dalton) rolled out to the right and looked for Roddy in the end zone, but his pass was batted down. Jesse Hawkins (Georgetown, Ky. / Scott County) connected on a 19-yard field goal to knot the game at 34-34, forcing overtime.
The Berg had first crack at the end zone in the extra stanza. Miller took the Berg to its opponent’s two-yard line, but could not reach the end zone leaving the ball on the toe of Hawkins. Hawkins booted the eventual game-winning field goal from 37 yards out.
Heidelberg’s offense took the field first on the day and made a statement from the onset. Adrian Balser (Junction City, Ohio / Sheridan) opened the possession with a 24 yard carry across midfield that led to an eventual eight-play, 43 yard drive, that was capped off with a Hawkins 32-yard field goal. Heidelberg’s field goal halted a nine quarter scoring drought.
Baldwin-Wallace answered on its ensuing possession with a nine-yard touchdown pass from Anthony Gardner to Matt Lepley with 6:43 left in the first quarter. Cory Ramos added the point after to give B-W a 7-3 lead.
Heidelberg continued its scoring ways on its second trip to B-W territory. Facing a third and short Miller ran a keeper up the middle for a first down and set up back-to-back first down running plays by Jemar Lewis (Bedford Heights, Ohio / Bedford) and Balser. Lewis capped off the red zone trip with a three-yard run on the left side for a TD. Hawkins added the point after to put the Berg back on top 10-7.
At the end of one quarter Heidelberg had amassed 123 yards of total offense, led by 109 yards on the ground. The Berg defense held the Yellow Jackets to just 62 yards.
After trading possessions in the second quarter B-W’s Miker reached the end zone from three yards out and added a point after from Ramos to take over the scoreboard, 14-10. But Heidelberg responded four plays later with a career-best 67-yard touchdown catch by Roddy from Miller. Heidelberg’s four-play drive used just 1:16 off the game clock. Roddy’s TD pass was his second of the series. He hauled in a nine-yard reception on the second play of the series.
Baldwin-Wallace continued to make up for its lack of scoring early in the second with a Kyrell Crook two-yard touchdown with just under three minutes left in the first half. The point after gave B-W a 21-17 advantage.
Heidelberg was forced to punt on the ensuing possession giving B-W the ball with 46 seconds on the clock. B-W threatened in the final moments of the first half, but stepping up to the challenge was Heidelberg’s defensive line consisting of ends Horace Smith (Hollywood, Fla. / South Broward) and Wayne Lanum (Marengo, Ohio / Highland), and tackles Matt Grieves (Huron, Ohio / Huron) and Steven Carozza (Orrville, Ohio / Orrville). The d-line provided consistent pressure on B-W’s quarterback forcing a 35-yard field goal attempt, which was met in the air by an outstretched Grieves as time expired and leaving B-W’s lead at 21-17.
The first half featured five lead changes with Baldwin-Wallace holding a 233-220 advantage in total offensive yards. Heidelberg relied on its running game which picked up 130 first half yards and B-W had 135 yards through the air.
Baldwin-Wallace scored on its first possession of the second half and put together a 13-play, 52 yard drive that ended in a Mikar three-yard run. Smith blocked the point after attempt by Heidelberg giving B-W a 27-17 lead with 9:12 left in the third quarter.
The Roddy-Miller duo continued to make things happen in the third quarter for Heidelberg. In the Berg’s opening trip down the field in the second half Roddy and Miller connected on two passes for 45 yards setting up a Lewis run through the left side of the defensive line for a 19-yard score. The PAT was blocked, pulling the Berg within four, 27-23 with 5:46 on the clock in the third.
Baldwin-Wallace opened the fourth quarter with the ball on Heidelberg’s two-yard line and and it took one play for Mikar to score a TD giving B-W a 34-23 lead with four seconds off the clock in the final quarter.
Smith kept Heidelberg’s deficit at nine points when he blocked a 25-yard Baldwin-Wallace field goal attempt with 6:35 left in the game.
Heidelberg’s Miller was picked off at the Berg’s 24-yard line two plays later, but Lanum responded with a sack for 20 yards that forced an eventual B-W punt. Heidelberg was positioned on its 26-yard line when Miller found Lucas Bauer (Huron, Ohio / Huron) on the right side for a 74-yard score. Bauer converted on the two point conversion to pull the Berg within a field goal, 34-31, with 4:03 left in the game. Heidelberg lined up for an on-side kick that was successful. Baldwin-Wallace’s special teams let the ball slip through their fingertips and Heidelberg’sMike Preston (Maple Heights, Ohio / Euclid) landed on it at midfield. Preston’s recovery led to Hawkins game-tying 19-yard field goal.
Heidelberg picked up 449 yards of total offense, while B-W finished with 429 yards. The Berg’s running game was led by Lewis with a career-high 151 yards on 28 carries and two touchdowns. Miller completed 10-of-20 passes for 239 yards and two TD’s. Roddy hauled in six passes for 144 yards and a touchdown, while Bauer had 91 yards in three catches. Roddy put together his third 100-year receiving game on the year.
It was a total team effort on the defensive side of the ball for Heidelberg. Four players picked up double-digit tackles led by career outings from Lanum and Justin Dawson (Westminster, Calif. / Golden West JC) with 15 tackles apiece. Lanum also added a sack and three quarterback hurries. Brian West (Huron, Ohio / Huron) finished with 14 tackles, while Shawn Shriver (Bellevue, Ohio / Western Reserve) had a career-high 11 stops. Grieves finished the game with nine tackles, two sacks, three quarterback hurries and a blocked field goal. Vaughn Klein (Galloway, Ohio / Central Crossing) also picked up nine tackles on the day.