MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta College easily defeated Wilmington College by the score of 38-10 Saturday (Nov. 7) afternoon at Don Drumm Stadium. The Pioneers improve to 6-3 on the season and 5-3 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Wilmington slips to 2-7 overall and 1-6 in the OAC.
"It was great to send the seniors out on a high note. They have sacrificed so much and have definitely left their mark on Marietta College Football," Marietta head coach
Tom Hinkle said. "It was another dominant performance by our defense. After the first quarter they took over and never allowed Wilmington back into the game. They did a great job of creating havoc."
Wilmington fumbled the ball away on its first play from scrimmage. Miles Hostetler connected with Keion Brown on a 40-yard pass, but
Ray Kelley (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) knocked the ball loose and
Taison Starr (Barnesville, Ohio/Barnesville) recovered it for the Pioneers.
Marietta needed just seven plays to convert the turnover into points.
Isaiah Mitchell (Heath, Ohio/Lakewood) capped the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run. The extra point failed. The Pioneers forced Wilmington to punt on the ensuing possession and the snap sailed over the punter's head and was kicked through the endzone for a safety Giving Marietta an 8-0 lead.
The Quakers got on the board on their next possession. Wilmington started at its own 20-yard line and marched 80 yards in eight plays for a touchdown. Hostetler completed two long passes on the drive. One for 47 yards to Xander Logan and another for 31 yards to Bryce Stout. Hostetler finished the drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Joseph Spann. The point after made it 8-7.
Marietta scored on a pair of touchdown passes in the second quarter.
Antwon Johnson (Monaca, Pa./Central Valley) hit
Dalton Miller (Grove City, Ohio/Bishop Ready) for a 3-yard score, while
Joe Tenta (Palm Bay, Fla./Heritage) connected with
Chrys Taylor (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Pickerington Central) on a 60-yard touchdown.
"On Offense we were down a few starters on the offensive line, but we were still able to control the line of scrimmage for most of the game," Hinkle said. "We have a next man up mentality, and we had plenty of guys step up and make plays when their number was called."
Three straight field goals from
James Cornwell (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller) pushed the Pioneer lead to 31-7 heading into the fourth quarter. Cornwell was good from 33 yards twice and from 36 yards.
The Quakers got a 25-yard field goal from Camden Marx early in the fourth quarter for their final points of the game. Marietta finished the scoring when
Sulayman Jalloh (Silver Spring, Md./Paint Branch) dove in from 1-yard out in the final minutes of the game.
"Next week is a huge game for our momentum into the future," Hinkle concluded. "I'm excited to get the chance to play a tough opponent on the road. So far this year, this is when we have been at our best."
Benny Lewsi rushed for 103 yards on 12 carries.
Zion Jackson-Wilborn (Whitehall, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) carried the ball 15 times for 79 yards. Tenta completed 15-of-35 passes for 226 yards and one touchdown. Taylor caught three passes for 95 yards and a score, while Miller had six catches for 47 yards and one touchdown.
Harper Scott (Bellefontaine, Ohio/Bellefontaine) and
Ethan Crock (Caldwell, Ohio/Caldwell) led the Pioneer defense with seven tackle each. Both had 3.5 tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks. Scott also forced a fumble.
Drew Neal (Massillon, Ohio/Canton Central Catholic) picked off two Quaker passes.
Marietta finishes the season at Mount St. Joseph next Saturday (Nov. 14) at 1:30 p.m.
Fans can follow all the Pioneer teams all year long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on X and Instagram.
