ALLIANCE, Ohio – The No. 2 Mount Union football team finished strong to top No. 22 John Carroll, 34-28, to at least clinch a share of its 33
rd Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) title. It was a game between teams with undefeated OAC records going into the contest.
If the Purple Raiders (9-0, 8-0 OAC) win at Baldwin Wallace next Saturday, Mount will clinch the league title outright and will earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Playoffs.
Four of Mount's five scoring drives were 11 plays or more.
To start the game, Mount Union's defense forced a John Carroll (7-2, 7-1 OAC) three-and-out and the Raider offense went 13 plays for 79 yards for the opening score of the game with a four-yard run by senior running back
DeAndre Parker (Crystal River, Fla./Crystal River). Mount led, 7-0, at the end of one quarter.
The Blue Streaks tied the game to start the second quarter with a five-yard pass from Joe Collins to sophomore Evan McVay.
The Raiders quicky responded with another long drive, this time 11 plays for 75 yards, and once again was capped off with a rushing touchdown by Parker from a yard out.
John Carroll once again knotted things up later in the quarter with a 12-yard pass from Collins to junior Tyler Mintz. The game was tied at 14 at halftime.
Mount came out fast out of the gates in the second half, scoring on its first two drives – both an 11-play drive and both ending on a perfectly placed touchdown pass from senior
Braxton Plunk (Plant City, Fla./Plant City) to the left corner of the end zone. Plunk connected with senior
Edwin Reed (Lauderdale, Fla./Dr. Krop) with a over-the-shoulder pass from 10 yards out, followed by a 16-yard pass to senior
Wayne Ruby Jr. (Pembroke Pines, Fla./Charles W. Flanagan) who caught the ball over the defender. Ruby has now caught a touchdown pass in every game he has played in this season.
The Raiders extended their lead following an 80-yard touchdown catch and run from Plunk to senior
Jaden Manley (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley) – Mount's longest play of the season. Mount led 34-14 with 11 minutes to play in the game.
John Carroll scored two more times, both from the arm of Collins to make it a one-score lead. Mount, however, recovered the onside kick and sealed a share of the OAC title.
Plunk finished 32-of-43 for 367 yards and three touchdowns. Manley caught seven balls for a career-high 161 yards and a score for his second-straight 100-yard receiving game. Parker rushed for 85 yards and two touchdowns. Ruby went six catches for 50 yards and a score.
Leading the Raider defense was junior linebacker
Mason McMillen (Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth) who had 11 tackles with a half sack, a break up, and a pair of quarterback hurries and sophomore linebacker
Rossy Moore (Lima, Ohio/Lima Central Catholic) who notched a game-high 3.5 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, and seven tackles. Senior defensive back
Derrick Bradley (Parrish, Fla./Palmetto) also had seven tackles with a break up.
Kickoff at Berea next Saturday, Nov. 12 is set for 1:30 p.m. The Yellow Jackets (7-2, 7-1 OAC) won 21-20 in overtime at Heidelberg today to remain with only one conference loss on the season.
