ALLIANCE, Ohio – The No. 2 ranked Mount Union football team won, 45-7, over the Utica Pioneers in the NCAA Division III Playoffs Second Round on Saturday at Kehres Stadium.
 
Mount Union (12-0) advances to the NCAA Quarterfinals (round of eight) for the 29^th time in school history and will face No. 8 Delaware Valley next Saturday at a time and site to be announced.
 
"I do really like how we came out in the second half." said third-year head coach Geoff Dartt. "The defense got a stop and then we were able to put two touchdowns on the board in the third quarter. I was excited to see the guys do that. Overall, great win and we are excited that we get to play next week."
 
The Raiders led 24-0 at halftime and held a 45-0 lead until Utica (10-2) spoiled the shutout with a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
 
Mount Union senior quarterback and Gagliardi Trophy Semifinalist Braxton Plunk (Plant City, Fla./Plant City) threw three touchdowns as he went for 25-of-29 for 275 yards. Senior Wayne Ruby Jr. (Pembroke Pines, Fla./Charles W. Flanagan) caught two of those touchdowns, both in the second half, and totaled 82 receiving yards on five catches. Ruby extends his streak catching a touchdown in every game this year.
 
The Raiders had two players rushing for over a 100 yards as senior DeAndre Parker (Crystal River, Fla./Crystal River) ran for 120 yards on 15 carries with two touchdowns, while sophomore Tyler Echeverry (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier) ran for a career-high 102 yards and a touchdown – the first of his collegiate career. It marked the first time Mount had two players with over 100 yards on the ground in the same game since 2020 when Josh Petruccelli and current senior KJ Redmon (Fairborn, Ohio/Fairborn) achieved the feat.


 
The Raider defense applied pressure all day on the Pioneer offense, mounting four sacks and three interceptions. All three of Mount's interceptions led to Raider touchdowns. Mount's defense only allowed 16 yards on the ground. Senior Jesse Vail Estero, Fla./Estero) led the defensive charge with a career-high 11 tackles, including a half sack, and an interception. Also corralling an interception were senior Ian Sexton (Dover, Ohio/Dover) and junior John Roland (Livonia, Mich./Northville). Roland is tied with a team-high four interceptions on the season. Sophomore defensive lineman Von Factor (Fair Haven, N.J./Rumson-Fair Haven) totaled a game- and career-high 1.5 sacks, while first-year Brandon Bowden (Gainesville, Fla./Gainesville) added a sack.
 
Utica's Braeden Zenelovic threw a touchdown on 301 yards. Gagliardi Trophy Semifinalist Nate Palmer finished with 43 yards on nine catches and 17 targets.
 
Mount Union scored on five of its first six possessions. Parker started the scoring with a 1-yard run on the game's opening drive. On Mount's ensuing drive, Plunk connected with senior wide receiver Orreon Finley (Memphis, Tenn./KIPP Memphis Collegiate) on a 21-yard touchdown pass. The Raiders led 14-0 at the end of one quarter. First-year kicker Elliott Warner (New Philadelphia, Ohio/New Philadelphia) made a 23-yard field goal with seven minutes to go in the second quarter, followed by Parker's second rushing touchdown of the half, this one from four yards out with under a minute left. Ruby caught back-to-back touchdowns in the third (from 29 and 19 yards out, respectively). Echeverry closed out Mount's scoring with a 3-yard rushing touchdown with 12 minutes to play in the fourth. Echeverry had a highlight-reel run of 85 yards from Mount Union's two-yard line, following the Raider defense's goal line-stop at the one. Echeverry's run was the longest by a Raider since 2014 (Bradley Mitchell - 87).
 

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