Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer

Yellow Jackets Beat Heidelberg, 35-20,

Yellow Jackets Beat Heidelberg, 35-20,

BEREA, OHIO --  Junior running back Tyler Lohr (Kent/ Roosevelt) ran for a career-high 119 yards and scored on touchdown runs of 1 and 2 yards as the Baldwin-Wallace College football team defeated Heidelberg College, 35-20, tonight (Saturday, September 17, 2011) in the Ohio Athletic Conference opener for each team on Family and Community Night on Tressel Field in The George Finnie Stadium.  This game will be televised by SportsTime Ohio tonight at 11:00 p.m.  

In addition to leading B-W to its second straight win to open the season, Lohr was tabbed as the Dick Miller Family & Community Night B-W Outstanding Player of the Game. Another Yellow Jacket to have a strong game was junior quarterback Ryan O'Rourke who completed 24-of-29 passes for 279 yards and three TD without an interception.

With its win, the B-W improved to 2-0 and 1-0 in the OAC while Heidelberg evened its mark at 1-1 overall and is now 0-1 in the league.  Heidelberg led 13-3 after one quarter and 20-16 at halftime while B-W led 22-20 after three quarters.

Heidelberg opened the scoring at the 13:50 mark of the first quarter when freshman quarterback Michael Mees threw a five-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Jozey Hill.  The Student Princes took the opening kick and drove 76 yards in four plays and took just 1:10 off of the clock. Junior kicker Dan Kilger's point-after-touchdown boot was good for a 7-0 lead.

B-W closed the gap to 7-3 at the 3:18 mark of the first stanza when senior PK Dave Cantu (Amherst/ Marion Steele) made a 22-yard field goal. But Heidelberg struck right back 15 seconds later when sophomore RB Cartel Brooks return Cantu's kickoff 85 yards for a TD, but the PAT kick was missed and the Princes led, 13-3.

B-W again closed the gap to 13-10 at the 14:06 mark of the second quarter when O'Rourke threw a 4-yard TD pass to freshman RB Willie Jackson (Citrus Springs, Fla. / Crystal River) and Cantu's PAT kick capped a 10-play and 59-yard drive in 3:51.

The Yellow Jackets took their first lead of the game at 16-13 the 7:23 mark when Lohr muscled in from one yard, but Cantu's PAT kick was wide. The scoring play ended an 11-play and 71-yard drive in 4:46.

The Student Princes forged ahead at 20-16 at the 3:38 mark when sophomore RB Germany Woods ran one yard to paydirt and Kilger kicked the PAT to cap a nine-play and 73-yard drive in 3:50.  Kilger had a field goal attempt blocked with three seconds remaining to end the half.

B-W went back in front 22-20 at the 1:31 mark of the third stanza when Lohr bulled in from two yards out to cap a 12-play and 55-yard drive in 6:11. Unfortunately Cantu's PAT boot hit the right upright and bounced back onto the field of play.

The Jackets built their largest lead at 29-20 when O'Rourke threw a 14-yard TD pass to sophomore wide receiver Josiah Holt (Elyria/ Grafton Midview) at the 10:59 mark of the final quarter to cap a 9-play and 80-yard jaunt in 4:15 through the Berg defense. Cantu added the PAT.

Following an interception by senior All-OAC cornerback Matt Bowen (Tiffin/ Columbian) which set up the B-W offense on the Berg 16-yard line, O'Rourke drove the Jackets to paydirt in 4 plays when he threw his third TD pass of the game, a 7-yarder to junior Troy VanMeter (Gahanna/ Westerville North). The PAT was missed and B-W led, 35-20.

Heidelberg had one more chance to try to come back. The Student Princes drove the length of the field, but when The Berg had a first-and-goal from the B-W 4-yard line, the Yellow Jacket defense stiffened and held on downs.

In addition to Lohr and O'Rourke on offense,  Jackson ran for 47 yards in 16 trips. The receiving corps were led by Holt, senior WR Dan Turner (Youngstown/ Ursuline) and junior QB turned TE Josh Masters (Akron/ Hoban) who each caught four passes.  Defensively, B-W was led by senior outside linebacker Brett Thompson (Shelby) with eight tackles. 

The Student Prince offense was led by Woods who ran for 83 yards in 19 trips with a TD. Mees completed 11-of-23 passes for 167 yards with a TD and an interception. Junior TE Josh Lynch led all Heidelberg receivers with four catches for 73 yards. Sophomore LB Dawson Gore led all tacklers in the game with 14 stops.

The Yellow Jackets are back in action on Saturday, Sept. 24 when they host OAC-rival Capital University for the 31st Annual Lee Tressel Shrine Classic game at Finnie Stadium at 1:30 p.m.  Partial gate proceeds from this game will go to benefit children who suffer severe burns and injuries caused by fire. 

FOR MORE B-W Sports Information, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.edu or Assistant SID Jeff Miller by phone at 440-826-2780 and email at jefmille@bw.edu. Fans can access the latest B-W athletics information at www.bw.edu/athletics and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.