FB20251107
Morgan Kocher
31
Wilmington (OH) WIL 3-6 , 1-6
34
Winner Heidelberg HEI 6-3 , 5-2
Wilmington (OH) WIL
3-6 , 1-6
31
Final
34
Heidelberg HEI
6-3 , 5-2
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
WIL Wilmington (OH) 14 0 14 3 31
HEI Heidelberg 7 10 7 10 34

Game Recap: Football |

Miller Time! Drew runs for 258 yards and three TDs in win

TIFFIN -- It went just like we Drew it up. 

Riding a career high 258 yards rushing from Drew Miller, the Heidelberg University Football team won a seesaw affair against visiting Wilmington College, 34-31. The game featured eight lead changes and three ties, but in the end, a missed Quaker field goal was the difference.  

Miller's massive day started early. On Heidelberg's opening drive, he tallied all 75 yards of the drive and capped it with a three-yard touchdown rush. Landon Stein added the extra point. 

Wilmington tied the game in short order, going 73 yards in four plays.

After intercepting a deflected pass in the red zone, the Quakers took the lead with a nine-play, 66-yard  touchdown drive.  

Up 14-7 in the second, Wilmington had quieted the Senior Day crowd at Hoernemann Stadium, but were forced to punt from their 24. Austin Niederkohr blocked the punt and Nick Finn scooped it up, returning the miscue 16 yards for a touchdown. Stein tied the game with the PAT. 

Later in the quarter, Stein knocked home a 31-yard field goal that gave Heidelberg the 17-14 lead at halftime. 

Starting with the ball in the second half, Wilmington regained the lead with a 70-yard bomb along the WC sideline.  

Heidelberg answered two drives later. Miller powered into the end zone from 16 yards out.  Undaunted, Wilmington scored just before the end of the third and led 28-24. 

The Student Princes struck first in the wild fourth quarter. Miller secured the hat trick with a 13-yard touchdown rush. Heidelberg led, 31-28

Once again, Wilmington answered. They started with a 62-yard completion into the Heidelberg red zone, but they stalled out. Camden Marx converted a game-tying 35-yard field goal. 

Miller carried the ball eight times on the next 'Berg possession, but a massive 18-yard completion from Ty Poorman to Aiden Bradshaw on 3rd-and-9 kept the drive alive. HU got down inside the 10, but were forced to settle for a field goal. Stein's 26-yarder was true, giving HU a 34-31 lead with 7:00 to play. 

Wilmington moved the ball down the field with relative ease, driving down to the 'Berg 16. There, Bryant Pfeifer came up with a big sack on second down, pushing the visitors back to the 21. After a modest gain on third down, Wilmington lined up a potential game-tying 34-yard field goal. Marx lined up the kick, but the two-minute timeout forced him to wait a few minutes. When play resumed, he pushed the kick wide right.  
Needing to drain 1:55 off the clock, Heidelberg turned to Miller. Despite the entire world knowing the handoffs were going to #9, Miller iced the contest with gains of 12, seven and 12 yards.  

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE: 
Miller has six touchdowns in his last two games … His season rushing total moved to a league-high 1,191 yards and 1,346 yards from scrimmage … The last 'Berg rusher to eclipse 1,000 yards was Montavious Yearby (1,118 in 2023) … The last time the Student Princes returned a blocked punt for a score came in March of 2021 -- Jace Grossman blocked the punt and Garrett Mullet returned it … Heidelberg honored 24 senior players before the game: Leo Hayden, Kris Williams, Cole Poorman, Ty Poorman, Bryant Pfeifer, Zach Harpster, Griffin Reese, Solomon Sandoval, Logan Streacker, Drew Hanson, Nate LaRoche, Seth Ray, John Irvine, Trey Farris, Kobee Hooker, Garrett Chester, Austin Duffy, Jason Malone, Kade Nelson, Mitchell Smith, Jacob Johnson, Kaleb Lamb, Jack Wendrickx, and Micah WIllink

UP NEXT: 
Heidelberg closes out the regular season with a trip to Baldwin Wallace on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 1:30 p.m. Postseason bids are on the line, as the winner of this matchup could be the representative from the Ohio Athletic Conference in the 2025 Opendorse Bowl Series at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.
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