MC Football's upset bid over No. 15 Ohio Northern falls short, 28-21, in season finale

Nov. 13, 2004
ADA, Ohio - The Marietta College football team closed out its 2004 season with a heartbreaking 28-21 loss to the No. 15 Polar Bears this afternoon (Nov. 13) at Dial-Roberson Stadium on the campus of Ohio Northern.

The Pioneers (6-4, 5-4 OAC) were attempting to end a remarkable season with another upset victory and lock up a second place finish in the Ohio Athletic Conference. However, Northern (8-2, 7-2 OAC) kept alive its chance for a Pool C bid into the NCAA DIII playoffs and secured sole possession of second place in the Conference with the seven point victory.

Marietta jumped out to a 7-0 lead on the cool, windy afternoon in northwest Ohio when sophomores Jason Vrable (South Park, PA) and Nic North (Madison, WI/Madison East) hooked up for a 31-yard TD with 11:09 to go in the first quarter.

ONU tied the game with less than a minute to go in the initial frame when Derek Garrod (Columbiana) punched it in from a yard out.

The Polar Bears added two quick scores in the second quarter to take a 21-7 lead. ONU QB Corey Minnfield (Toledo/Woodward) hit Greg Evilsizor (Urbana/Catholic Central) on a 17-yard TD strike and then Rusty Midlam (Mount Orab/Western Brown) recovered a Pioneer fumble and made his way into the end zone for a 16-yard score. Aaron Esposito (Grand Blanc, MI) forced Vrable to cough up the ball resulting in the TD.

The Pioneer Navy cut the deficit to 21-14 before halftime when Chris Sidick (Cecil, PA/Canon McMillan) scurried 19 yards for a TD, his third on the ground of the year.

Minnfield and Evilsizor hooked up again in the third quarter, this time a 51-yard score, to increase ONU's lead to 28-14.

Marietta's Vrable found senior Mike Valiante (Wadsworth) for a 14-yard scoring strike to open the fourth quarter to bring the Pioneers within seven, but they were unable to convert down the stretch and the Polar Bears held on for the victory.

The Pioneers out gained the Polar Bears in total offense, 379-to-319, and in first downs, 20-to-17, in what was a very evenly played contest.

Junior Steven Wagner (Harwick, PA/Fox Chapel) ran for 146 yards on 27 carries to become the 17th Pioneer to finish with over 1,000 yards in a season. Wagner's 1,091 yards ranks 12th all-time for a Pioneer and gives him 2,335 career rushing yards with one season to play. It was his sixth 100-yard game of 2004. Wagner also pulled in two receptions for 48 yards.

Sidick also added 50 yards on the ground, while pulling in four passes for 18 yards. The senior became the NCAA DIII career leader in kickoff returns (106), breaking the previous record of 102, set by Simeon Henderson of Elmhurst from 1991-94. Sidick also extended his NCAA DIII career record for kickoff return yards, finishing his four years with 2,235 yards. The previous record was 2,189 yards, held by Joshua Carter from Muhlenberg (1998-01).

Valiante finished with four grabs for 21 yards, moving him into third place all-time with 1,360 receiving yards. The single-season reception leader (54 catches, set in 2003) finished his career in second place with 148 catches, three shy of Antonio Hutton's '97 Pioneer record of 151.

Senior kicker Bobby Lemasters (Winfield, WV) was a perfect 3-for-3 in extra points. Although he did not attempt a field goal Saturday, he closed out his career 16-of-25 in field goal attempts. Lemasters' 16 field goals is second all-time at Marietta, while his 25 attempts ranks third.

ONU's Garrod finished with a team-high 86 yards on the ground, while Zach Weber (Delphos/St. John's) added 39 rushing yards.

Minnfield completed 15-of-28 passes for 170 yards, while Vrable went 15-of-31 for 173 yards in the loss. Each threw two TD.

Evilsizor pulled in five catches for 99 yards to set the school's all-time reception record of 146 in the win.

Anthony Banks (Colonial Heights, VA) led the Pioneer defense with 12 tackles, six solo, while freshman Brian Hahn (Upper Sandusky) and senior Thadd Sharrett (Circleville) each added 10 stops. Sharrett finished the year with a team-high 91 tackles, 45 solo and 13 for a loss. Banks finished the season with a school-record tying 105 interception return yards, equaling the total set by Charles Black in 1975. The sophomore also holds the single-game record for interception returns yards (96), thanks to his week 9 performance against B-W.

Marietta, under the direction of second year head coach Todd Glaser and his staff, had its first winning season since 1998, when it also went 6-4. The Pioneers lose 15 seniors from the 2004 team.