Tyler Moeglin
Baldwin Wallace quarterback Tyler Moeglin completed 75 percent of his passes for 237 yards and one touchdown in BW's season-opening victory against Bluffton last week. Moeglin became the starter when Kyle Ohradzansky broke his leg four days before the game.
(Baldwin Wallace University )
CLEVELAND, Ohio – It has not been a great summer for Greater Cleveland's small-college quarterbacks.
John Carroll senior Mark Myers has been out with a hand injury since early August. Last week, Baldwin Wallace senior Kyle Ohradzansky's season ended before it began when he broke his leg in practice.
Myers' status is unclear for 10th-ranked John Carroll's showdown against No. 16 Heidelberg on Saturday at JCU. However, he returned to practice this week for the first time since the injury. He missed the season opener against Saint Vincent on Sept. 2.
BW's Ohradzansky suffered a broken fibula Sept. 9. Coach John Snell said Ohradzansky planted his leg and twisted it, and was not hit. He had surgery Thursday and is to receive another year of eligibility, but has not decided if he will return.
"He worked hard to put himself in that position (as the starter),'' Snell said. "You never like to see any player hurt. When somebody has worked hard, you hate to see that happen. It was heartbreaking.''
Ohradzansky, who grew up in Avon and played at Canton McKinley, shared QB duties last year with Michael Slack, who has moved to wide receiver.
New QB: Junior Tyler Moeglin of Canton (St. Thomas Aquinas) is the new BW starter. He completed 75 percent of his passes (18-of-24) for 237 yards and one touchdown and threw one interception in last week's 32-20 victory against Bluffton. Seven receivers had at least one catch, and Snell said there were no drops.
The backup is junior Robbie Plagens (Rocky River), who played one year at Miami (Ohio) and transferred to BW this year. He scored a rushing TD on his only play of the Bluffton game.
Running around: BW running back Isaac Reed III gained 137 yards on 25 carries (5.5-yard average), caught four passes for 39 yards and scored a TD.
After much attention to improving the run defense in the off-season, BW held Bluffton to 36 yards rushing. Bluffton RB Eric Fox of Brunswick left the game with a shoulder injury after gaining 12 yards on five carries.
Storming: The good news-bad news story of Lake Erie football continues.
Good news? Junior running back Antony Bilal leads Division II with 417 yards rushing in two games, and his six touchdowns rank second nationally. He gained 200 yards against Ashland and 217 yards last week against Hillsdale. He's averaging a 10.2 yards on 41 carries.
Add to that the development of junior quarterback Mitchel Hokavar (17 of 28, 230 yards, one TD, one interception against Hillsdale), and Lake Erie has the makings of another potent offense.
Bad news? The Storm is 0-2 and the defense is an ongoing train wreck. Ranked last in the nation, by far, Lake Erie's defense is allowing 642 yards per game and 8.2 yards per play.
The offense didn't help last week when a turnover at its 28-yard-line set up Hillsdale's game-winning touchdown with 23 seconds remaining. Lake Erie lost, 48-41.
Streaking Falcons: Notre Dame College won its fourth consecutive home opener, defeating Urbana, 28-13, last week, and the Falcons are 2-0 for the first time.
Volley showdown: Case Western Reserve (8-4) pulled off an impressive home volleyball win over John Carroll on Wednesday, 25-23, 25-22, 25-22. JCU (9-2) had a seven-match winning streak snapped. Junior outside hitter Katie Best and sophomore middle hitter Kayla Pfaff led CWRU with eight kills each.
Honors: Notre Dame senior QB Ray Russ (Willoughby South) is the Mountain East offensive player of the week. He passed for 301 yards and three TDs, reaching 50 career touchdown passes. ... Oberlin College junior Lucas Poggiali is the North Coast Athletic Conference offensive player of the week after compiling 227 yards total offense and five touchdowns (four passing, one rushing) in a 47-28 win over Kenyon. ... Hiram College senior defensive end Mario Lemuel and junior wide receiver Britton Lewis were named to the D3football Team of the Week. Lemuel had six tackles, three sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble in a 37-26 win against Denison. Lewis had four receptions for 170 yards and a touchdown. Lewis currently leads the NCAC with 315 receiving yards. ... BW linebacker Danny O'Brien (Warren Howland) and kicker Joe Simonis (Highland) are Ohio Athletic Conference players of the week on defense and special teams, respectively. O'Brien had a career-high 12 tackles, including three for losses, and a safety. He might want to share that award with defensive lineman Luke Riemenschneider, who drew constant double-teams. Simonis made three field goals and three extra-points and did not miss a kick. ... Lake Erie punter David Bojalad is the Eastern College Athletic Conference special teams player of the week. He punted six times for 39.5-yard average while landing two kicks inside the 20. ... BW will honor 2014 grad Kevin Johnson at halftime Saturday for his 100- and 200-meter titles won at this year's NCAA Division III track championships.