Grizzlies Search for Perfect HCAC Season and Victory Bell
November 8, 2007
HANOVER , IN – The final weekend of the regular season means rivalry weekend across the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Franklin College (8-1, 6-0 HCAC) and Hanover College (2-7, 2-4 HCAC) will meet for the 77 th time on Saturday, marking the 51 st time the two schools have met for the Victory Bell.
The Hanover/Franklin rivalry dates back to 1898, with Hanover holding the lead in the overall series 42-31-3. Hanover had claimed 11 straight meetings with Franklin until the past two years. The Grizzlies won their second straight over the Panthers with a 35-10 win at Faught Stadium last year.
Hanover leads the Victory Bell series 35-15 since the game came about in 1938. The idea for the trophy was presented by Hanover’s Bat Club, a non-athletic group of males that wanted to improve school spirit.
Saturday afternoon will mark the final time Hanover head coach Wayne Perry will work the sidelines. Perry has guided the Panther football program since 1982 and has more wins than any other coach in Indiana collegiate football history. The 26-year head coach of the Panthers decided to retire at the conclusion of the 2007 season after tallying a 174-88-2 record at the head post for Hanover. He has earned the school eight conference championships and nine appearances in the national playoffs in his tenure.
Franklin (No. 18 D3football.com poll, No. 21 AFCA Coaches’ Poll) will look to capture the conference championship outright with a win over Hanover. The Grizzlies sealed the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs with a 55-22 win over Defiance last weekend. Senior running back R.J. Hartsfield (Salem, Ind./H.S.) finished with 161 yards and a touchdown against the Yellow Jackets. Junior quarterback Chad Rupp (Evansville, Ind./Memorial) set two career-highs and claimed the conference’s Player of the Week award on offense with his 437 yards passing and six touchdowns.
Hanover will look to conclude its 2007 season and Coach Perry’s career with an upset win over their rival. The Panthers fell to Anderson 37-27 last week. Quarterback Josh Elbert (Morningview, Ky./Simon Kenton) completed 33 of his 59 passes for 338 yards and two touchdowns in the loss to the Ravens.
The Panthers will have to play much better defensively to have a chance against Franklin. The Grizzly offense ranks first in the HCAC and fourth nationally in points per game (44.3 ppg) and yards per game (514.0 ypg), while the Hanover defense ranks last in points per game (37.0 ppg) and yards allowed (473.0 ypg).
In other conference action…
Mount St. Joseph (8-1, 6-1 HCAC) will step out of conference play for its annual rivalry game with Thomas More (4-5). The Lions, ranked No. 21 in the latest AFCA coaches’ poll, will look to finish the regular season on a strong note in search of an at-large bid into the NCAA Division III football playoffs. Saturday will mark the twelfth meeting between MSJ and Thomas More on the football field, with TMC holding a 9-2 advantage over the Mount in the Bridge Bowl game. Mount St. Joseph claimed two victories in a row in the series before the Saints earned a 21-17 win last season to spoil the Lions perfect regular season. Thomas More opened its season with a victory over an HCAC opponent, defeating Hanover 40-24 at L.S. Ayers Field. Last weekend MSJ closed out the HCAC campaign with a 28-0 win over Bluffton. The Lions still have a chance at sharing the HCAC regular season championship if Franklin falls at Hanover this weekend. MSJ’s defense held the Beavers to only 153 total yards on the afternoon and posted their third shutout of the season. The Mount was without starting running back Mike Lovell (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) and starting quarterback Vince Palmer (Cincinnati, Ohio/ Anderson) in last week’s win. Senior running back Kevin Cocanougher (Louisville, Ky./DeSales) rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns and also added a 40 yard touchdown reception to pick up the slack in the win over Bluffton.
Anderson (3-6, 2-4 HCAC) and Manchester (3-6, 1-5 HCAC) will meet Saturday afternoon in North Manchester for the annual Bronze Ball game. The Spartans will look to snap a four game conference losing streak heading into the season finale, while Anderson has been playing better football winning two of their last three games. Anderson leads the overall series with Manchester, holding a 44-16-1 advantage. The Ravens have claimed the past eight contests in the series with the Spartans. Manchester’s last win against Anderson was back in 1998. In Anderson’s 37-27 win over Hanover last weekend, senior running back Denny Kimmel (Markleville, Ind./ Pendleton Heights) rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. The senior enters Saturday’s game with Manchester 92 yards shy of 1,000 yards rushing this season, ranking him second in the conference behind Franklin’s R.J. Hartsfield. Manchester lost a tough game to Rose-Hulman last weekend, 31-28. The Spartans had a chance to tie the game with 2:26 remaining but could not convert a 27 yard field goal. Manchester gave up 457 total yards to the Engineer offense and will look for a better effort against the Ravens. Quarterback Caleb Grimes (South Haven, Mich./H.S.) was efficient in the loss, completing 16 of his 26 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns. Last year when these schools met, Anderson walked away with a 19-16 home win.
Bluffton (0-9, 0-6 HCAC) and Defiance (5-4, 4-2 HCAC) will battle it out for the 83 rd time Saturday. Defiance holds a slight advantage over the Beavers in the all-time series 42-38-2, but the Jackets have claimed victories in four of the last five games. Defiance enters the rivalry game after dropping two straight games, while Bluffton is still searching for victory number one on the season. The Yellow Jackets were blown out by Franklin 55-22 last weekend. The Defiance defense allowed 672 total yards on the afternoon, including 437 of those yards coming through the air. Defensive back Keith Snyder (Martin, Mich./H.S.) was the lone bright spot defensively for Defiance as the junior tied a single-game school record with three interceptions and added a team-high 10 tackles and a forced fumble. Senior wide receiver Luke Dillon (Temperance, Mich./Missouri Military) took sole possession of the all-time Defiance College receiving touchdown record with 27 in his career and also set the school’s single-season mark with 89 receptions. Dillon needs 24 receiving yards and two touchdowns against Bluffton to break two more Defiance single-season records. Bluffton was shut out at home against Mount St. Joseph 28-0 last weekend. The Beavers only managed 153 yards of offense against the Mount defense and continue to rank last in the HCAC in points per game (11.2 ppg) and total offense (190.3 ypg). Senior linebacker Sam McCullough (Bluffton, Ohio/H.S.) leads the conference and ranks second nationally with 133 tackles this season. Defiance earned a 20-6 win at Salzman Stadium in last year’s meeting.