Purple Raiders survive challenge from Pioneers in key victory

RAIDER CONGRATULATIONS. Mount Union head coach Geoff Dartt congratulates Mason Ashby after his seven-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter. Ashby had two touchdown catches on the afternoon. (Keno Sultan/Stark County Prep Press)

Purple Raiders survive challenge from Pioneers in key victory 

By Keno Sultan 

Stark County Prep Press writer 

www.starkcountypreppress.blogspot.com

ALLIANCE--Mount Union has not missed the NCAA Division III playoffs in decades.

They are not ready for that streak to end quite yet.

The Purple Raiders needed everything in their arsenal against a feisty Marietta team and were able to fend off several Pioneer rallies to emerge with a 27-21 victory on Homecoming afternoon at Kehres Stadium.

The Purple Raiders kept their OAC title hopes afloat along with a potential playoff bid in a season that sees them having to win out in order to qualify for an automatic bid, worst case an at-large berth.

For head coach Geoff Dartt, he knows all about the start to the season and his team realizes the urgency and need for quality wins and today was a step in the right direction.

"We have to win out but we have to do that one game at a time, one week at a time. I told the guys they did a good job and it's hard to win games but I was just proud of them," he said. "We had some tackling problems and put our defense in bad positions but we were able to play through that. We have some things to clean up and that is what we are going to do moving forward."

The Purple Raiders picked up where they left off from last week as they set the tone on their opening drive with an early field goal from Connell Rafferty that spanned 30 yards to spark Mount Union to a 3-0 lead nearly five minutes into the key OAC contest.

Mount Union effectively went to the no-huddle on their second possession and showed a lethal effectiveness through a diet of runs and passes which ended on a second field goal from Rafferty, this one from 37 yards and although the Purple Raiders led 6-0, it was a psychological advantage for the hosts, which pleased Dartt, who is the son-in-law of 11-time national champion winning Mount Union head coach Larry Kehres.

"We would have wanted to see some touchdowns on those drives but we had some self-inflicted wounds and you can't have that against a defense as good as Marietta's," he said. "But a win is a win and better than a loss and we still have everything that is in front of us."

Marietta started to construct a potential scoring drive led by quarterback Joe Tenta. But the drive stalled on downs after two straight incompletions, handing the ball back to Mount Union.

Mount Union drove deep to the Pioneers 20-yard line but consecutive holding penalties and a sack threatened to sabotage the drive but Purple Raiders QB Mikey Maloney got half of the yardage back and on a third down and needing 13 yards, Maloney located Mikey Reilly who got behind a Pioneer defender and caught a 24-yard touchdown pass and the Purple Raiders took a 13-0 lead midway through the second quarter.

That sequence galvanized the hosts and seemed to detach the Pioneers.

But Marietta showed fight when Tenta threw a 54-yard completion to Dalton Miller that had the visitors in Purple Raiders territory with two minutes before intermission.

Converting a fourth down, Tenta located Antwon Johnson for a new set of downs to get inside the 20-yard line. Two plays later, Tenta discovered Miller in the back of the end zone for a momentum swinging touchdown and the Purple Raiders lead was reduced to 13-7.

But in a matter of seconds, momentum swung back to the Raiders when Maloney found North Canton Hoover product Mason Ashby on a 53-yard catch and run for a touchdown and in a flash, Marietta's momentum was gone and it was a 20-7 Mount Union advantage at the break.

"They got a connection there and we were happy that it happened," Dartt said.

Marietta was on the move midway through the third quarter. Tenta was sharp as a blade in leading their rally. It paid off when Tenta completed his second touchdown pass of the afternoon to former Perry receiver, freshman receiver Nas Foster that went for 15 yards and the Pioneers trailed 20-14, putting the pressure back on the Purple Raiders.

PIONEER PRODUCTION. Marietta freshman receiver Nas Foster (#17), a former Perry High School wide receiver confers with receiver Dalton Miller (#11) after catching a 15-yard touchdown during the third quarter of Saturday's OAC contest against Mount Union. (Keno Sultan/Stark County Prep Press)

Mount Union was kind enough to oblige as they answered the Marietta drive with a drive of their own. After a Pioneers personal foul, it took just two plays for the hosts to score when Maloney located Ashby for another score, this one from seven yards and once again, Mount Union led by 13 by a 27-14 tally.

Somehow, Mount Union had to wish the pesky and persistent Pioneers would just go away. Testa located Foster over the middle amid a missed assignment in the Mount Union secondary and Foster sprinted into the end zone, once again reducing the Purple Raiders lead to just six at 27-21 with 10:42 remaining.

The Pioneers got the ball late with 90 seconds left in regulation with a chance to potentially steal away the game and drive a stake into the season of the 13-time national champions. But the Purple Raiders defense held with a late interception to seal the victory.

Mount Union kept their hopes alive as they are still in the running for a conference title and a playoff bid while Marietta's took virtually an irreversible turn with the loss. But Dartt is very relieved to have come away with the victory.

"We play Capital next week and that is the only matchup we are focused on now," he said.

Mount Union hasn't been absent the NCAA playoffs in decades and that streak will live for at least another week.

Keno Sultan is a writer for Stark County Prep Press. He can be reached at 330-445-4575 or email at KenoSultan@hotmail.com.