BEREA, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University (7-3, 6-2 in the Ohio Athletic Conference) football team won its season finale against visiting Heidelberg University (5-5, 5-4 OAC), 44-31, on Tressel Field at The George Finnie Stadium on Seniors' & Parents' Day before 3,874 fans. BW ends its season with its 47th winning season in the last 51 years (47 winning seasons, two .500 and just two losing season).
BW led 7-0 after one quarter and 17-10 at halftime and 31-23 after three periods. The two teams combined for 1,154 yards of total offense and the Student Princes outgained the Yellow Jackets, 608-546 .
For BW, senior quarterback Robbie Plagens (Rocky River), playing for injured senior starter Tyler Moeglin (Canton/ St. Thomas Aquinas), completed 23 of 37 passes for 300 yards with two TD's. The running game was led by senior RB Issac Reed III (Lehigh Acres, Fla./ Lehigh) with 149 yards in 20 attempts with three TD's. The receiving corps were led by junior wide receiver Mike Waggoner (Stow/ Stow-Munroe Falls) with eight catches for a game and career-high 152 yards and two TD's. In addition, junior WR Tyler Wolf (Fremont/ Ross) caught six passes for 65 yards and a TD and junior WR Tommy Fuller (Lakewood) caught five balls for 90 yards. The Yellow Jacket defense was led by sophomore safety Theodore Washington (Orlando, Fla./ First Academy) and senior end Jake Mauer (Brunswick) with 12 tackles each and senior middle linebacker Tyler Burdorff (Painesville/ Riverside)with 10 stops.
For Heidelberg, sophomore QB Tyler Stoyle completed 23 of 38n passes for 342 yards with three TD's. The running game was led by junior Bryan Lacey with a game-high 182 yards and a TD on 27 carries. The receiving corps was led by sophomore WR Demetrius Magee with seven catches for 138 yards and a TD. In addition, senior TE Zach Hogya had six grabs for 77 yards with two TD's. The Student Prince defense was led by sophomore DT Austin Crow with eight stops.
In the first quarter, BW grabbed a 7-0 lead at 5:17 when Reed ran 10 yards up the middle to the endzone and then junior Academic All-OAC placekicker Joe Simonis (Hinckley/ Medina Highland) booted the PAT to complete an 11-play and 76-yard drive.
In the second quarter, BW increased its lead to 10-0 at 14:23 when Simonis booted a 22-yard field goal. The kick ended a 9-play and 39-yard drive. Heidelberg cut the BW lead to 10-3 at 10:53 when senior kicker Steve Smith kicked a 23-yard field goal to complete an 11-play and 74-yard drive.
The Student Princes tied the game at 10-10 at 1:32 when Stoyle found Magee for 21-yard scoring strike and Smith booted the PAT to end a 7-play and 66-yard jaunt. Undaunted, BW came right back and drove 72 yards in 1:24 to take a 17-10 lead eight seconds before halftime when Plagens threw a pass that was tipped by a HU defender and into the hands of junior Waggoner for a 24-yard TD. Simonis added his second PAT.
In the third quarter, Heidelberg tied it 17-17 at 10:52. Following a botched punt attempt, the Student Princes drove 30 yards in eight plays and scored when Stoyle passed eight yards to Hogya. BW again came right back and drove 85 yards in seven plays in 3:13 and went on top 24-17 at 7:34 when Fuller took a handoff from Plagens and then lofted a 25-yard scoring pass to Waggoner who leaped high and came down with one foot in bounds in the back of the endzone for the TD. Simonis added his third PAT kick.
The Student Princes scored at 3:25 to make it 24-23 when Lacey sped nine yards around right end to the endzone but the PAT kick hit the goal post. The score came following a failed BW fake punt attempt. BW extended its lead to 31-23 at 1:07 when Reed busted up the middle and into the endzone from six yards away to cap a 7-play and 76-yard drive. Simonis was good on his PAT, but only after it was tipped at the line and the ball barely made it over the goal post.
In the fourth quarter, Heidelberg tied the game at 31-31 at 13:26 when Stoyle passed 13-yards to Hogya to end an 8-play and 64-yard drive and then tossed a two-point conversion pass to sophomore WR Braden Jerome.
For the third time, BW came right back to counter the HU score with one of its own. This time, Plagens threw a 10-yard scoring aerial to Wolf to give the Yellow Jackets a 38-31 lead at 9:44 to complete an 8-play and 41-yard drive. Simonis added his fifth PAT kick. The score was also set up by a 53-yard kickoff return by Wolf.
Following a controversial defensive stop, BW sped 82 yards in four plays to score and make it 44-31 when Reed ran two yards to the endzone for his third TD of the contest. The PAT hit the upright.
