CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. – The ninth-ranked Thomas More ootball team fell, 33-27, in overtime to seventh-ranked Wabash today (Saturday, November 28, 2015) in a second roud game of the NCAA Division III Football Championship Playoff at Hollett Little Giant Stadium in Crawfordsville, Ind.
With the loss, the Saints end the season at 11-1. With the win, the Little Giants improve to 12-0 and advance to the play the University of St. Thomas in a national quarterfinal game next Saturday.
Wabash led 7-6 after one quarter, the Saints led 27-13 at halftime and 27-16 after three quarters and the game was tied at 27-27 at the end of regulation.
Wabash took a 7-0 lead with 8:43 to play in the first quarter when Mason Zurek scored on a two-yard run and Andrew Tutsie made the point-after-attempt. Thomas More cut the lead to 7-6 when sophomore running back C.T. Tarrant (Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton) scored on a one-yard run and senior kicker Tommy Budke's (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain) PAT was blocked with 3:18 to play in the first quarter.
The Little Giant increased the lead to 10-6 with 14:40 to play in the second quarter when Tutsie made a 33-yard field goal. Thomas More took a 13-10 lead when senior wide receiver Jeremy Duncan (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller) scored on a 13-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Jensen Gebhardt (Kings Mills, Ohio/Kings) and Budke added the PAT with 10:13 to play in the second quarter. Senior wide receiver Goose Cohorn (Independence, Ky./Dixie Heights) returned a punt 80-yard for a touchdown and Budke made the PAT as the Saints increased the lead to 20-10 with 7:42 to play in the second quarter. Wabash's Tutsie made a 26-yard field goal with 1:22 to play in the second quarter and the Saints' lead was cut to 20-13. Thomas More extended the lead to 27-13 at halftime when sophomore quarterback Brenan Kuntz (Independence, Ky./Simon Kenton) connected on a 28-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Tyler Vogelpohl (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) and Budke added the PAT with 43-second to play in the half.
Wabash cut the lead to 27-16 with 11:20 to play in the third quarter when Tutsie made a 28-yard field goal.
With 8:25 to play in the fourth quarter Zureck scored on a 31-yard touchdown pass from Connor Rice and the two-point conversion was good as Wabash cut the lead to 27-24. Tutsie tied the game at 27-27 when he made a 24-yard field goal with 55-seconds to play in the game.
On the Saints' possession in overtime, Wabash's Ethan Buresch returned a Thomas More fumble 75-yards for a touchdown and a 33-27 victory.
Kuntz was eight-of-17 passing for 121 yards and a touchdown and Gebhardt was nine-of-13 passing for 101 yards. Tarrant carried the ball 28 times for 88 yards and a touchdown. Duncan led the receiving corps with five catches for 83 yard and a touchdown, while Vogelpohl had five catches for 58 yards and a touchdown and Cohorn finished the game with five catches for 46 yards.
Freshman defensive back Brandon Neal (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota West) led the defense with 10 tackles (eight solo, two assisted), including one sack. Sophomore defensive back Johnny Lammers (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) had nine tackles (eight solo, one assisted) and one interception, junior defensive lineman Rodderick Darden (Denver, Ga./Heritage) finished with seven tackles (six solo, one assisted) and junior linebacker Austin Copeland (Cincinnati, Ohio/Kings) had seven tackles (five solo, two assisted) and had one fumble recovery and two interceptions.