Mount Union rolls to semis

ALLIANCE - Just ask Darren Sproles, Lendale White or even Ohio State's Brandon Saine - it's not easy being the second rushing option when you possess first line talent.

But after an injury to leading Mount Union rusher Scott Panchik last week, it was the second fiddle's turn to be heard and Mount Union's Terrance Morring conducted a symphony of offensive efficiency to help lead the Raiders to yet another Division III state semifinal berth in a 55-3 drubbing of Albright College.

"It felt great," Morring said as he described his four touchdown, 86-yard day. "You always want to play the game like it's your last, so I always go out and play hard. My motto is to keep getting better."

His motto became a reality Saturday, as it seemed with every offensive play, Morring continued to improve and find ways to greet the end zone again and again. And again. And again.

Morring's first score did not "win" the game for the Raiders, especially considering Mount Union held a 14-3 lead prior to his first touchdown. But what Morring's effort did do was shore up a game in which the Raiders played overall sloppy ball, giving up two interceptions and three fumbles out of five that were caused by the Lions and continually giving Albright a chance to make a game out of it early.

"The two interceptions were a little bit unnerving," Raiders coach Larry Kehres said. "What we made up for in penalties (as opposed to last week's effort), we gave up in turnovers. But it was pretty good ball stripping (on the part of Albright), we didn't just give the ball away."

Mount Union struck first in the game and did so in blazing fashion after Drew McClain intercepted the second play of the game for the Lions and returned it 37 yards for the pick six. Their second score came on a rarely seen quarterback keeper on the part of Kurt Rocco, who scrambled 7 yards on third down for the 14-0 lead.

But the Lions refused to relent early. Besides converting a John Whelan field goal for what would be their only points, Albright continually pressured the Raiders, leading to an early fumble and two Rocco interceptions. A rarity considering the Raider quarterback only had seven picks on the season.

That's where Morring came in. In the span of 7 minutes and 30 seconds, Morring scored four times, three on goal line bursts and one, the most electric on the day, coming courtesy of a 45-yard Rocco pass.

"I knew early on that we were good at keeping our composure under pressure and pick each other up when we make mistakes," said wide receiver Vince Petruziello, who also had a 68-yard touchdown of his own. "Anyone on our offense is capable to step it up."

But Morring was not alone in his noteworthy day. The defense, especially when the game was still up for grabs, stepped up in a mighty way, never letting Albright truly get into comeback mode and putting up the first and last Raider touchdowns.

"We're a spoiled offense," Kehres said. "Our defense has played this way consistently and it's a comfortable feeling."

On the other side of the ball, it could not have been comfortable for the Lions or their star signal caller Tanner Kelly, who was picked off twice and sacked a jarring seven times even though he ended up with 26 completions for 207 yards.

Leading the defensive charge for Mount Union was lineman Lambert Budzinski. He had five tackles for loss and four overall sacks.

"Nothing was different," Lambert said. "It was just a right place, right time thing and I just made the plays."

Mount Union will now have one more home playoff game, this time for a chance to clinch a berth in the Stagg Bowl and a shot at their seventh title in this decade, when it faces Wesley College on Saturday.

And like many times before, the Raiders will have yet another convert to their fan base who once stood in the Raiders path.

"You certainly don't go out expecting to lose or lose by so much," Lions coach John Marzka said of his team's performance. "But Mount Union is a great, great team. They're fundamentally sound and are well-coached and never beat themselves. Only one team can win it all and I hope its Mount Union, so we can say we lost to the champs."

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