Mount Union Clinches OAC Title

(ALLIANCE, OH)—No. 1 ranked Mount Union clinched its 18th straight and 21st Ohio Athletic Conference football championship with a 58-7 win over No. 15 ranked Otterbein Saturday at Mount Union Stadium in Alliance, OH.

The Purple Raiders (9-0, 8-0 OAC) win a nation’s best 24th consecutive game and also take the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships. Mount Union is the defending National Champion and has won a record 10 titles.

The Mount Union defense did all the damage in the first half as they held the conference’s top rushing offense to six yards on the ground and had three interceptions, two in the end zone by safety Roger Stewart III (Pleasantville/Fairfield Union). For the game, Mount Union forced six Otterbein turnovers.

All of this was more than enough for a Raider offense that generated 301 first half yards and 536 for the game as senior quarterback Kurt Rocco (Cincinnati/Roger Bacon) tossed four touchdown passes, Cecil Shorts III (Cleveland/Collinwood) had a game-high six catches for 95 yards.

Mount Union also churned out 320 rushing yards as Zac Lemmon (Granville/Granville) ran for 118 yards and score on six carries in the second half, Scott Panchik (Natrona Heights, PA/Highlands) had 108 yards and two touchdowns while Terrance Morring (Sanford, FL/Winter Springs) had 91 yards and a score.

Quarterback Austin Schlosser was 14-of-26 for 201 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions for Otterbein. Ryan Rowley had six catches for 68 yards and Colton Coy rushed for 35 yards on nine carries for the Cardinals.

After forcing Otterbein to a three and out on the game’s opening possession, the Raiders went 51 yards in seven plays and Morring finished the drive with a three yard touchdown run to make it 7-0.

The Cardinals did not gain a yard on its following possession and after a 12 yard punt the Raiders took over on the Otterbein 32 yard line and five plays later Rocco hit tight end Judd Harrold (Chagrin Falls/Chagrin Falls) from five yards out to make it 14-0 with 6:13 left in the first quarter.

A third three and out for Otterbein and another short punt started the third Mount Union drive on the Cardinals 20 yard line and this time Rocco tossed a four-yard pass to tight end Kyle Miller (Elida/Elida) to push the score to 21-0.

Mount Union’s defense again came up strong holding Otterbein to just nine yards and after a six yard punt the Raiders had the ball at the Cardinals 39 yard line then on the very next play and first play of the second quarter Scott Panchik (Natrona Heights, PA/Highlands) ran 39 yards for a score to push the lead to 28-0.

Rocco then tossed his second scoring pass of the day to Miller, Panchik had a two-yard touchdown run and a missed extra point made it 41-0 at the half.

On its first possession of the second half, Otterbein went 93 yards and got on the board when quarterback Austin Schlosser hit Mike Detwiler on a five yard pass to make it 41-7.

Mount Union came right back as Rocco tossed his fourth touchdown pass of the day, this time a 21-yarder to A.J. Claycomb (Medina/Medina) to give the Raiders a 48-7 lead at the end of the third quarter.

The Raiders finished the scoring with a 22-yard field goal from Jay Carpenter (Fairmont, WV/Fairmont) and then backup running back Zac Lemmon (Granville/Granville) had the longest running play of the season on a 63-yard scamper for the 58-7 final.

Mount Union closes out the regular season against Marietta next Saturday at 1:30 pm in Mount Union Stadium.

Courtesy: Mount Union Sports Information