TERRE HAUTE — Wabash and St. Francis recorded first-round victories on Saturday in college football post-season action, while Franklin was eliminated from the national championship chase.
An inspired third quarter propelled Wabash College Saturday into the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. The Little Giants put up 14 points in the period and hung on to beat Mount St. Joseph, 31-21.
Wabash travels Saturday to Case-Western (11-0) at Cleveland for a second-round game.
The careers of Terre Haute North seniors Mike Russell and Jared Lange were continued for another week.
Russell, a wide receiver who was a first-team all-North Coast Atlantic Conference selection despite a slow start due to injury, made five catches on Saturday for 76 yards. Lange, a defensive end, made four tackles — including one sack, one for loss and broke up a pass.
Drew Oehler, a junior from Terre Haute North, kicked his first career field goal and it was huge. Oehler hit a 29-yarder with 34 seconds left in the first half to give Wabash the lead for good. Oehler also added four extra points to extend his streak to 17 in a row since taking over the first-string kicking duties a few weeks ago.
Entering Saturday’s game, Russell had played in nine games, starting seven, and caught 50 passes for 640 yards and four touchdowns. He had eight catches for a career-high 151 yards in last week’s 24-21 loss to DePauw in the Monon Bell, Wabash’s only loss of the season.
Lange has also returned to form this year after missing almost all of last year, and made 42 tackles this year (15 for loss and 6.5 sacks), plus one forced fumble and one blocked kick going into Saturday’s game.
Wabash won the NCAC title with a 7-0 record.
St. Francis defeated Lindenwood 35-14 in the first of the NAIA playoffs. Former Terre Haute resident Shaine Tierney is the backup quarterback for the Cougars, and completed 3 of 3 passes on Saturday for 30 yards.
Coming into Saturday’s game, Tierney had played in eight games, completing 30 of 43 passes for 362 yards and four touchdowns and rushed 26 times for 166 yards and two touchdowns.
Franklin suffered a tough 44-42 loss to North Central College as NCC scored on a 19-yard touchdown pass on the last play of the game.
Several former Wabash Valley players competed this year for Franklin, which finished with a 9-2 record.
They were Brandon Mescall of Cloverdale (four punts this year for a 32.2 average), Joey Pigg of North Central (one tackle in one game), Shawn Hines of Terre Haute North (two tackles in three games) and Pat Hancewicz of Terre Haute North (played in one game, making one catch for 16 yards and rushing one time for six yards).
No statistics were available for the following players, many of whom are offensive lineman for whom information is not recorded — Michael Richards of Greencastle, Jacob Page and Kyle Roberts of South Putnam and Jarred Kleptz of Terre Haute North (starter at guard).
Season statistics for all other football players are included with today’s column.
• Scheidler 122nd in DII meet — At Joplin, Mo., Meagan Scheidler of Terre Haute South concluded her cross country career on Saturday by placing 122nd in the NCAA Division II cross country meet.
Scheidler’s time was 23:20.20 as the Screaming Eagles placed 19th in the team standings.
Season-best performances for all area cross country athletes are included with today’s column when available.
n Davis to SIUE — North Vermillion senior Whitney Davis has signed a national letter of intent to play softball at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, the defending NCAA Division II national champions who will be moving up to Division I in 2009 when Davis and four other recruits arrive.
SIUE is coached by former Casey-Westfield and SIUE standout Sandy Montgomery.
“I’m extremely pleased with the level of excitement each of these players expressed in their desire to play for SIUE,” said Montgomery. “All of the players want to help us build a successful Division I program. They’ve taken on that challenge as the first recruits since the institution made the decision to become an NCAA Division I athletic program.”
Davis, a utility player, has been a four-year starter at North Vermillion High School. The two-time Most Valuable Player also has been named All-Conference twice in softball. She has played summer softball for the Indiana Force, Indy Vipers, Indiana Chaos and the Midland Magic.
“Whitney is a left-handed hitter and runs well for her size (5-foot-8),” said Montgomery. She can play positions in the infield and outfield.
Montgomery said Davis figures to make an impact for the Cougars, filling a void in the lineup as a lefty power hitter.
Davis told the Danville Commercial-News that SIUE was a perfect fit for her.
“Once I saw the campus, I loved it,’’ Davis said. “I didn’t want to go to a really small school or a really big school. SIUE was just perfect. I love the people there, I love the coaches and I love their program.
“It’s also known for education program and I plan on majoring in secondary education and then I want to get my masters in sports management so that I can become an athletics director/coach.’’
Davis credits the Elite Showcase Program run by Nick Nelson and Dale Shelton with helping get her connected to SIUE.
“They talk to a lot of coaches, and they were the ones that got me together with SIUE,” Davis told the Commercial-News. “After that, things went really fast. They saw me play in a tournament, I took my visit there about two weeks later, they offered me a scholarship and I accepted it.’’
The success of Davis comes as no surprise, after witnessing first-hand her outstanding work ethic during the season when I was the North Vermillion varsity coach.
Davis would regularly strike out the varsity players in practice while being only a 7th-grader, and under the tutelage of her father, Mike, it is great to see she has advanced her skills to be a Division I player.
It couldn’t happen to nicer people.
• Hoop rosters — There weren’t many changes necessary in the list of college basketball players that ran with the Nov. 4 column.
Northview grad Josiah Brock, a freshman, plays for the men’s team at Lincoln Christian College in Illinois.
Bloomfield’s Jessica Stout left the team at Vincennes prior to the start of the season. One player still on the VU roster is Dymon Rondo of Louisville, the sister of Boston Celtics’ point guard Rajon Rondo.
• • •
• Next time around — On Dec. 2, fall sports roundups will be included for volleyball, golf, tennis and soccer and a list of the wrestlers competing collegiately.
Joey Bennett is a former Tribune-Star sports reporter and copy editor who now teaches at Northview High School in Brazil. He can be reached at tribstarcollegereport@yahoo.com.
FOOTBALL
Casey-Westfield
Mike Siverly, McKendree, Sr. — Played in 10 games this year, rushing five times for 17 yards
Steve Hawkins, Rose-Hulman, Sr. — Second-team all-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference performer as a linebacker. Hawkins led the Engineer defense with 68 tackles to record an even 250 during his Fightin' Engineer career.
Mitch Yates, Rose-Hulman, So. — Made eight tackles.
Nick Murphy, Rose-Hulman, So. — Made 26 tackles
Daniel Moore, Murray State, Fr. — Played in nine games, making 26 tackles and recovering one fumble.
Cloverdale
Justin Hacker, DePauw, Fr. — No statistics listed for this season.
Local connections
Tavita Pritchard, Stanford, So. — Has completed 82 of 161 passes for 967 yards and four touchdowns.
Greencastle
Robert Bittle, Anderson, Fr. — No statistics listed for this season.
Matt Plessinger, Anderson, Jr. — Was second on team with 83 tackles (53 solo, two for loss, one sack) and also broke up two passes.
Linton
Adam Brewer, Marian, Fr. — Made 34 tackles (two for losses).
Dan Allen, Marian, Fr. — Made three tackles.
Brock Goggins, Hanover, Jr. — No statistics listed for this season.
Marshall
Seth England, Greenville, Sr. — No statistics available on school website.
Derek Eitel, Rose-Hulman, So. — Named first-team all-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference as a quarterback. Ranked second in the HCAC in passing yards and total offense, while also finishing second in school history in each category. He completed 173 of 327 passes for 2,270 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Lee Edington, Eastern Illinois, So. — No statistics listed.
Chris Stepp, Indiana State, Fr. — No statistics listed.
Martinsville
Josh Turner, Blackburn, So. — No statistics listed.
Trent Dahnke, Greenville, Sr. — No statistics available on school website.
North Central
Ira Drummy, Anderson, So. — No statistics listed for this season.
Northview
Joe Evinger, College of the Canyons (Calif.), Fr. — Earned second-team all-Western State Conference honors as an offensive lineman. Team is 8-2 and hosted Saddleback on Saturday night in the WSC Bowl.
Broc Miller, Indiana State, Fr. — No statistics listed.
Dane Upperman, Marian, Fr. — Offensive lineman (no statistics available).
Jamie Bays, Marian, Fr. — Had 13 carries for 93 yards and 19 kickoff returns for 363 yards.
Devon Chamberlain, Marian, Fr. — No statistics this season.
Matt Crooks, Marian, Fr. — No statistics this season.
Paris
Aaron Haase, McKendree, Sr. — No statistics listed.
Jacob Griffin, McKendree, So. — No statistics listed.
Chip Keys, Eastern Illinois, Jr. — Fourth on team in scoring with six touchdowns. Has carried 22 times for 121 yards.
Ryan Keys, Eastern Illinois, Jr. — No statistics this season.
Robinson
Brad Shaner, Blackburn, Jr. — Successfully kicked his only extra-point attempt of the season.
Ben Wassel, Rose-Hulman, So. — Made 31 tackles, including 2.5 for loss.
South Putnam
Josh Buis, Eastern Michigan, ass’t coach — Helped coach team to 4-8 record.
Drew Christy, Rose-Hulman, So. — Made 32 tackles, 18 solos, plus 1.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and two passes broken up.
South Vermillion
Chris Alexander, Indiana State, Jr. — Played in four games and made four tackles.
Terre Haute North
Steve Englehart, Rose-Hulman, head coach — Coached the Engineers to a 7-3 record, the school’s best since 1994.
Kevin Dean, Rose-Hulman, ass’t coach — Helped the Engineers to a 7-3 record, the school’s best since 1994.
Kyle Monroe, DePauw, Sr. — Played in five games this year as the backup nose tackle, making nine tackles (two for loss) and also getting one half of a sack.
Luke Johnson, Butler, Jr. — Played in all 11 games at tight end, catching five passes for 37 yards.
LaShawn Tyler, Indianapolis, So. — Played in three games as an offensive lineman.
Seth Woodason, Harding (Ark.), So. — Made three tackles in four games.
Derek Guggenberger, Butler, So. — Led the team with 68 tackles (40 solo, 28 assisted, six for losses, three sacks) from his linebacker position and also had one interception and one forced fumble. Had the 19th highest number of tackles in the Pioneer Football League. Matched his career high for tackles with 11 stops at Dayton. He had three solo stops and eight assists against the Flyers, matching the total he compiled in Butler’s win over Hanover on Sept. 8.
Paul McGuire, SE Missouri State, So. — Started the last 10 games of the season at center.
Dan Millington, Indiana State, So. — Eighth on team in tackles with 41 (21 solo, 20 assisted, 1.5 for loss) and also had one forced fumble and one blocked kick.
Justin Hall, Marian, Fr. — Had 19 catches for 214 yards and three touchdowns.
Daniel Watson, Marian, Fr. — Played in eight games and made five tackles.
Chris Russell, Anderson, Fr. — Had 12 catches for 128 yards, returned seven punts for 23 yards and 10 kickoffs for 203 yards.
Matt Seliger, Indiana State, Fr. — No statistics listed.
Terre Haute South
Trent Miles, Washington, ass’t coach — Helped coach team to 3-7 record through 10 games.
Kyle Toney, Indiana State, So. — No statistics listed.
Pat Duncan, Rose-Hulman, So. — Made four tackles this season.
Derelle Hankins, Indiana State, Fr. — Played in 10 games and made 25 tackles (3 solo, 22 assisted, one for loss) and forced one fumble.
Kyle Harruff, Southern Illinois, Fr. — Played in four of the team’s first five games at tight end, catching one pass for five yards.
Michael Engle, DePauw, Fr. — No statistics listed for this season.
West Vigo
Jerod Lucas, Olivet Nazarene, Sr. — Played in 10 games this season, making 17 tackles (eight solo, nine assisted, three sacks) and blocked two kicks.
Zach Avary, Marian, Fr. — Played in six games and made nine tackles.
CROSS COUNTRY
Bloomfield
Nate O’Neall, Sr., Franklin — Had season-best performance by finishing 32nd in the Sodexho Grizzly Invitational in 28:51.
Casey-Westfield
Terasita Williams, Fr., Eastern Illinois — Had season-best performance in Belmont Open by placing 60th in 16:46.78.
Greencastle
Andy Weatherford, Fr., Indiana — No results listed for this season.
Joe Franklin, head coach, New Mexico — Coached Lobos to second place in the Mountain West Conference, and will have top runner Jeremy Johnson as one of the top contenders in the NCAA Championships on Monday at the LaVern Gibson Course in Terre Haute.
North Central
Robert Shiflett, Fr., Purdue — Had the team’s second-best 8K time of 25:41.00 in the Pre-National Meet (placing 55th), and had the team’s second-best 10K time of 33:19.42 in the NCAA Regional (placing 97th among 204 runners).
Northview
Emily Pugh, So., Indiana State — Placed 59th in 22:57 in the Bradley Fall Classic.
James Grounds, So., Vincennes — Ran second on the team and 63rd overall in a time of 26:54 in the National Junior College Athletic Association Championships.
South Putnam
Brittany Boler, Fr., Marian — No statistics listed.
Caitlyn Croan, Fr., Franklin — Finished 77th in the Greater Louisville Cross Country Classic in 22:25.99.
South Vermillion
Julia Costello, Jr., Indiana State — Placed fourth on the team and 129th overall in 23:40.46 in the NCAA Regional.
Terre Haute North
Josh Bedford, Fr., Indiana State — No fall meet results available.
Kayla Alexander, So., Indiana State — Led the Sycamores by placing 48th overall in 22:16.98 in the NCAA Regional.
Robert Roads, Jr., Southern Indiana — Placed 44th in 27:03 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference championships.
Terre Haute South
Megan Carter, Sr., Earlham — Placed 131st in 23:28.62 in Wilmington Fall Classic.
John Lambertus, Jr., Indiana State — Placed 173rd in 27:38 at the Notre Dame Invitational.
James Twitchell, So., Indiana State — No fall meet results available.
Adriane Wunderlich, So., Indiana State — Placed third for the team and 125th overall in 23:36.23 in the NCAA Regional.
David Mason, So., Indiana State — No fall meet results available.
Ariel Hall, Fr., Indiana State — Placed 84th in 20:15.52 in the Indiana Intercollegiates.
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