Fighting Scots Roll Past Hiram 52-0

Dustin Sheppard

The College of Wooster posted a shutout for the second-straight week for the first time since 1980, this Saturday coming away with six turnovers, making five sacks, and holding Hiram College to negative 10 yards rushing as well as 0-for-14 on third-down conversions, all of which paved the way for the Fighting Scots’ 52-0 win at Hiram in North Coast Athletic Conference action.

After a quiet first quarter, in which Andy Milligan’s (Orrville, Ohio / Orrville) 26-yard field goal on Wooster’s initial possession were the only points, the Scots (5-1, 2-1 NCAC) took control in the second. First, Josh Feesler (Canal Fulton, Ohio / Manchester) intercepted a pass in Hiram territory and then the offense ran the ball four times on a five-play, 46-yard drive, capped by a Dustin Sheppard (Johnstown, Ohio / Johnstown-Monroe) touchdown rush from 13 yards out.

It was still 10-0 with 2:34 to play in the half when the Terriers (0-6, 0-3 NCAC) took over on their 19-yard line. The second play of that series saw Wooster’s Greg Schermbeck (Toledo, Ohio / Whitmer) pick off a pass, marking his second interception in as many games, and he brought it back 27 yards for the touchdown.

Hiram’s next possession ended in a blocked punt, giving the Scots the ball at the Terriers’ 21 with :20 on the clock. After an incomplete pass and rush out-of-bounds, Wooster took a shot at the end zone and it paid off, with Justin Schafer (Bethesda, Ohio / Union Local) finding Jordan Ferns (Canfield, Ohio / Canfield) from 24 yards out for the score and a 24-0 lead.

The Scots started out slow in the second half, with fumbles on the initial kickoff and then a punt. Wooster held, though, with three sacks coming during Hiram’s first two series of the third quarter.

Once, the Scots’ offense got its hands on the ball, it put together the most efficient drive of the day, marching 74 yards over 17 plays. Sheppard ran seven times for 32 yards, while Schafer was 5-of-6 passing for 38 yards, including a 4-yard strike to Greg Peltz (Amherst, Ohio / Amherst Steele) in the end zone, which made it a 31-0 game.

Late in the third, Keith Adams (Mogadore, Ohio / Field) came up with Wooster third interception of the afternoon, and his third of the season, giving the Scots possession on the Terriers’ 34. The offense took it in from there, with Orlando Jones (Elyria, Ohio / Elyria) capping the nine-play drive via a touchdown run from 2 yards away.

Ahead 38-0, the Scots freely substituted the rest of the way. Bobby Reiff (Bay Village, Ohio / Bay), who started four games at quarterback last year, made his first appearance of 2006 and connected with Jay Lampe (Cincinnati, Ohio / Deer Park) on a 23-yard touchdown pass, marking the senior tight end’s first career touchdown. Also, freshman quarterback Austin Holter (Johnstown, Ohio / Johnstown-Monroe) saw his first varsity action and responded with a 9-yard touchdown run to complete the scoring after Wooster had taken over on the Hiram 19, thanks to Bryan Albani’s (Warren, Ohio / Howland) 37-yard punt return.

All in all, Wooster dominated as expected, putting up a season-high 444 yards of total offense to the Terriers’ 111. The final score may have been worse had it not been for five turnovers and 10 penalties by the Scots.

Noteworthy, the negative 10 rushing yards was the fifth-lowest total Wooster has held an opponent to in school history and the six takeaways tied for the fourth-most. Leading the defense were Phil Vitalbo (Monongahela, Pa. / Seton-LaSalle), who was credited with eight tackles, Schermbeck, who recorded seven stops in addition to the interception return for a touchdown, and Andy Mizak (Warren, Ohio / Paul K. Cousino), who had three of the five sacks.

Offensively, Schafer was 13-of-26 through the air for 155 yards, with Shaun Swearingen (Hilliard, Ohio / Bishop Watterson) being the top receiver as he caught five balls for 67 yards, and Sheppard ran for a season-high 146 yards on 20 attempts.