DC Seniors go out on top, beat Bluffton 41-14

BLUFFTON, Ohio—Defiance College, led by a core of 11 Yellow Jackets playing their final game in the Purple & Gold, dominated the rival Beavers of Bluffton, 41-14 at Salzman Field in Bluffton on Saturday afternoon.

The Jackets, picked to finish sixth the Heartland Conference at the beginning of the season, end the 2005 campaign all alone in second place with a 4-2 record in the league and a 6-4 mark overall.

Seniors Zac Fulmer and Kris Zajac spearheaded the DC defensive effort, but it was a group of underclassmen that put 41 points on the board, including 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Freshman tailback Scooter Curtis scored twice, the first touchdown coming on a 65-yard scamper on Defiance’s second play from scrimmage. The South Lyon (Michigan) alumnus ended the day with a game-high 142 yards on 19 carries and a final score from one-yard out in the fourth quarter.

The Jackets put up another first-quarter score when fullback David Lamb, a converted linebacker, crossed the goal line from eight yards out to cap off a 13-play, 93-yard drive by the DC offense. Bluffton answered on an Anthony Bryant TD at the beginning of the second quarter to close the gap, but a 10-yard run by freshman quarterback Hans Vetter with 25 second left in the first half gave the Jackets a two-score lead going into the half.

Fellow underclassmen Luke Dillon broke the game open in the third quarter after the Beavers had closed the gap to 21-14 on a Ben McCollough one-yard plunge. Dillon took a screen pass 59 yards for a score to make the count 27-14 Jackets at the beginning of the fourth quarter. A 1-yard run by Vetter and Curtis’ final score made the final 41-14, Defiance.

Defensive, Fulmer made 10 stops from his defensive tackle position, including a tackle-for-loss and a half-sack. Zajac ended with seven stops, 1.5 tackles-for-loss and a sack. Junior Mike Haydon had 10 stops and an interception. Fellow juniors Tyler Haines and Steven Brancheau had 3.0 and 2.5 tackles-for-loss, respectively, and combined for 11 tackles. Sophomore Chris Tietje and freshman Keith Snyder each had their fourth interception of the season, while junior Jason Bushong his third in the win.

Vetter had a great all-around day under center with 164 yards on 9-of-16 passing with the score to Dillon. He also ran for 89 yards on 10 carries and the two scores on the ground. Dillon had 77 yards on four grabs and the one score, while Ricky Calverley caught two balls for 48 yards.

Sophomores Gary Allen and Nate Fitton each had good all-around days. Allen totaled 75 return yards, including a 55-yard kick-off return, while Fitton, a converted quarterback, played on both sides of the ball, totaling 22 receiving yards on two grabs and a tackle and pass breakup on the defensive side.

Blake Stambaugh finished his stellar DC career with a 42-yard average on four punts with a long of 57.

After stumbling to a 0-2 start, the 2005 Yellow Jackets ended their year on a 6-2 run, defeating Hanover, Franklin, Bluffton, and Anderson; teams that were picked to finish 2nd through fifth in the HCAC.

The 2006 Jackets, while struggling to fills the shoes of Zajac, Fulmer and Stambaugh, will return to field with 10 more games of experience, a knowledge of how to win in the HCAC, and a group of freshmen that will see DC as an exciting place to help make a run at the conference title.