Calabrese Returns a Pair of Interceptions for TDs, Spartans Score 37 in First Half En Route to 47-21 Victory versus Oberlin
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Junior safety Dan Calabrese (Concord, Ohio/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin) intercepted a career-high three passes, two of which he returned for touchdowns, and the Case Western Reserve University football team scored 37 points in the first half en route to a 47-21 victory versus Oberlin College on Saturday evening at Case Field.
The Spartans improve to 4-1 overall and will host Hiram College next Saturday, October 15 for Homecoming. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. Oberlin falls to 2-3 and has now lost 27 straight to CWRU.
Calabrese's two TDs on interceptions were career-firsts – he had a punt return for a score earlier this season.
Offensively, junior quarterback Erik Olson (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) completed 10-of-14 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman running back Manny Sicre (Miami, Fla./Belen Jesuit Prep) rushed for 54 yards on 13 carries with two scores, while senior wide receiver Bryan Metlesitz (North Royalton, Ohio/North Royalton) made four receptions for 89 yards.
Defensively, junior defensive end Adam Watson (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor) totaled a game-high 13 tackles with a half-sack. Senior linebacker Jacob Adams (Cincinnati, Ohio/Princeton) had 11 stops.
The Spartans opened the scoring at the 10:09 mark of the first quarter when senior Daniel Vasil (Erie, Pa./McDowell) booted a career-long 32-yard field goal to cap a seven-play, 59-yard drive that opened with a 43-yard pass from Olson to Metlesitz.
Case's next drive went 67 yards on six plays and ended when Sicre rushed into the endzone from one yard out. Vasil hit the extra point to make the score 10-0 at the 6:18 mark.
Later in the quarter, Sicre struck again on a 16-yard run to cap a short two-play drive with 1:19 left in the period. Vasil's PAT made the score 17-0.
Oberlin got on the board midway through the second quarter when running back Drew Mixter took a quick reverse and scampered 23 yards for a touchdown with 7:16 left in the half. Joe Cook added the PAT to make the score 17-7.
The Spartans answered on the following drive when Olson ran a bootleg and found senior tight end Rob Lajeunesse (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora) for an eight-yard TD pass – the first in the career of the Lajeunesse. Vasil's PAT capped a nine-play, 62-yard drive and made the score 24-7 with 3:07 remaining before halftime.
Oberlin's next drive produced more points for the Spartans when Calabrese intercepted a pass and returned it 55 yards for a score. The play was set-up by a QB hurry from Watson and a missed PAT left the score at 30-7 with 1:25 left in the half.
Calabrese struck again on the next drive, this time with a 56-yard INT return for a touchdown with 43 seconds left on the clock. Vasil connected on the PAT and the game went into half with Case ahead 37-7.
The 37 points was the most scored in a half by Case since a 63-14 victory versus Hiram College in 2009. The Spartans tallied 42 points of that victory in the first half.
Case's first drive of the second half yielded yet another big play as Olson hooked up with senior WR Colin Repko (Sayre, Pa./Athens Area) for a 63-yard TD strike – a career-best for Repko.
Oberlin QB Josh Mandel threw a pair of second-half TDs, a three-yarder to Cory Kidd with 7:51 left in the third quarter and a 17-yarder to Robin Wijtes with 1:42 remaining in the game.
