Pioneers knock off No. 20 Baldwin-Wallace 26-0 on Senior Day

Nov. 6, 2004
MARIETTA, Ohio - The final home game is traditionally a memorable day for the seniors; the 2004 regular season finale may be the fondest memory Marietta seniors have on the collegiate gridiron, as the Pioneers blanked OAC rival Baldwin-Wallace 26-0 Saturday (Nov. 6) at Don Drumm Stadium.

The Pioneers (6-3, 5-3 OAC) clinched their first winning season since 1998 with the victory, their first over the Yellow Jackets since 1996 and only their third win over B-W in their 27-game series history.

15 seniors were recognized before the game for their four years of dedication to the program. Many of those senior played a vital role in the afternoon's upset victory.

After a scoreless first quarter Bobby Lemasters (Winfield, WV) got the Pioneers on the board with a 23-yard field goal. The score remained the same, 3-0, through the rest of the first half.

Marietta entered the locker room with the confidence to hang with the No. 20 Yellow Jackets and their second-half play proved it.

On B-W's second drive of the half, it pieced together a nine-play 49-yard drive down to MC's six-yard line. Marietta's defense denied the Yellow Jackets from the end zone three straight plays, forcing a 20-yard field goal attempt. The attempt was blocked by sophomore Jeff Mast (Defiance) and picked up by sophomore J. J. Wheeler (Zanesville/Philo), who raced 93 yards for the score. Lemasters added the extra point to give MC a 10-0 lead with 8:14 to play in the third frame.

The Pioneers forced a change of possession, stopping B-W on fourth down on its next drive. Steven Wagner (Harwick, PA/Fox Chapel) broke a 40-yard run for a TD on the second play to put MC ahead 17-0.

Marietta's defense came up big once again on the next B-W drive, when sophomore Anthony Banks (Colonial Heights, VA) picked off a Mike DiAngelo (Steubenville) pass and raced it to the house for a 57-yard TD and a 23-0 lead. The extra point was missed.

Lemasters capped the scoring with a 31-yard field goal in the fourth quarter and the celebration began eight minutes later when the final horn sounded on the 26-0 win. It was the first shutout for Marietta since 1996, when the Navy Blue & White blanked Capital 55-0.

Wagner has another big afternoon, finishing with 24 carries for 138 yards (5.8 ypc). It was his fifth 100-yard game of the season and third-straight, all MC wins.

Sophomore quarterback Jason Vrable (South Park, PA) finished the day 8-of-15 for 117 yards. He was sacked once and threw two interceptions.

Jason Curry (Akron/Springfield), Chris Sidick (Cecil, PA/Canon McMillan) and Wagner each caught two passes.

Sidick had one kickoff return for 27 yards. He is now the NCAA Division III all-time kickoff return yard leader with 2,211 yards. He now also has 103 career kickoff returns, which is one return shy of tying the NCAA Division III record for kickoff returns.

DiAngelo finished the day 8-of-21 for 106 yards before being removed form the game in favor of backup Rob Lewis (Castalia/Margaretta). Lewis went 6-of-17 for 49 yards and two interceptions on the day.

Nate Wilder (Youngstown/Cardinal Mooney) had three grabs for 37 yards to lead the Yellow Jackets' receiving corps.

Sophomore Brandon Hedges (Oregon/Oregon Clay) finished with 25 carries for 112 yards, including a 45-yard run.

Seniors Nate Brownrigg (Zanesville/Philo) and Thadd Sharrett (Circleville) led the defense in their final game at Don Drumm. Brownrigg had a game-high 15 tackles, while Sharrett finished with 14. Sharrett also added five tackles for loss, forced a fumble, broke up one pass, had three QB hurries and one sack in the win.

Sophomore Pete Hashman (St. Marys, WV) also had a sack and Wheeler had an interception for MC.

The B-W defense was led by Joe George (Massillon/Perry) with 12 stops, while Dave Brown (North Olmstead) finished with eight in the loss.

Marietta will close out the season on the road against Ohio Northern at 1 p.m. The Pioneers have not beaten ONU since 1995 and a win would allow the Pioneers to finish the year in second place in the OAC.