Round Up: Long Road Trip Pays Off With a Win For the Tigers
The Wittenberg football team made one of the longest in-season road trips in school history and came away with a 45-21 nonconference victory over Huntingdon College on Saturday.
The Wittenberg football team made one of the longest in-season road trips in school history and came away with a 45-21 nonconference victory over Huntingdon College on Saturday.
The Tigers got big offensive games from senior wide receiverSkip Ivery (Columbus, Ohio/Groveport-Madison), junior quarterback Ryan Holmes (Oxford, Ohio/Talawanda) and freshman tailback Joe Brumfield (Springfield, Ohio/Kenton Ridge) to help the top-scoring team in the North Coast Athletic Conference to another lop-sided victory. Ivery caught six passes for 104 yards, including three touchdowns to move his career total to 22 (fourth-most in school history). Holmes completed 15 of 25 passes for 239 yards and the three TDs to Ivery. Brumfield filled in for injured starter Raymar Hampshire (Lima, Ohio/Elida), who went down after three carries for 25 yards in the first quarter, and the freshman posted a career-high 107 yards on 25 carries.
Hampshire started the scoring with an 11-yard touchdown run four minutes into the first quarter, and that was followed by a one-yard TD plunge by freshman fullbackTyler Harmon (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian). Ivery added touchdown receptions of 36, 18 and 1 yard and senior kicker Conrad Hindert (Terrace Park, Ohio/Mariemont) added a 27-yard field goal to round the Tigers' first-half scoring. The final Tiger touchdown came in the third quarter on a two-yard run by Brumfield.
Hindert set a school record in the win by making all six of his point-after attempts to extend his streak of successful extra-point attempts to 38, breaking the previous record of 33. He is also 5-of-5 this season on field goals after hitting a 37-yarder against Huntingdon.
Eight different Tiger players caught at least one pass, including sophomore Jered Glover (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown), who had six catches for 95 yards. Harmon was the second-leading ground gainer with 36 yards on eight carries, while sophomore quarterback George Andress (Mansfield, Ohio/Senior) was solid in his time during the second half as he completed six of 10 passes for 62 yards.
Defensively, freshman safety Mitch Fonseca (Miami, Fla./Christopher Columbus)led with seven tackles, while junior Chris Vennefron (Somerville, Ohio/Edgewood), sophomore Mike Freeman (Huber Heights, Ohio/Wayne) and freshman Devon Combs (Columbus, Ohio/South) all added six tackles.
The Tigers put the finishing touches on the 2003 season this weekend against the College of Wooster at Edwards-Maurer Field in Springfield. Nine seniors will be honored prior to their final home game: Tim Gaal (Amanda, Ohio/Clearcreek),Gary George (Cincinnati, Ohio/Purcell Marian), Conrad Hindert (Terrace Park, Ohio/Mariemont), Peter Franz (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston), Chad Thompson (Ft. Thomas, Ky./Highlands), Andrew Wheeler (Dayton, Ohio/Kettering Alter),Kurt Forrest (Mechanicsburg, Ohio/Mechanicsburg), Skip Ivery (Columbus, Ohio/Groveport-Madison) and Mike Flickinger (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills). All nine have started at least three games for the 2003 team, and all have made great contributions to the Wittenberg football program.
This year's senior class has a four-year record of 41-7, one of the best in school history. The group has been involved in three NCAA Division III Tournaments, spanning a total of seven games, and the Tigers won a pair of NCAC titles (2000 and 2001).