Close game averted early for Mt. Union

The Purple Raiders' offensive line fared well against St. John's tight-packed defense.
By MARK W. MILLER
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
ALLIANCE -- Last year in its NCAA Division III championship victory against St. John's (Minn.), Mount Union scored a touchdown on its first possession and then won 10-7 on a last-second field goal by Rodney Chenos.
Saturday afternoon in a Div. III semifinal game at Mount Union Stadium, the Purple Raiders again scored on their first possession against the Johnnies and tallied a fourth touchdown with 14 seconds remaining in the first half to go ahead 28-0.
More comparisons: In the 2000 title game, the Purple Raiders managed 323 total yards of offense and allowed St. John's only 207.
Mount Union rolled up 434 yards of offense in 80 plays Saturday, 61 of them rushes, and limited St. John's to 221 on 57 tries.
Asked for his grade of the offensive line's methodical execution, Mount Union coach Larry Kehres said, "I think the films are going to show we earned a high grade.
"St. John's was packing it in tight at the start of the game and even tighter as the game unfolded.
"It was hard to block all eight men and get plays cleanly through their defensive line and linebackers, but I think we did well at that," he said.
Cameron McCambridge, a 6-2, 210-pound linebacker for the Johnnies, said, "Mount Union runs a good scheme. We are not the best defense for good strong guys up front and they ran up the middle. They had good blocks and pushed us back."
Early dominance: In the first half, Mount Union's defense thwarted just about anything St. John's tried and allowed only 60 total yards on 20 plays.
"Our guys did a good job of stopping their go-to-guy, [Blake Elliot]," said Purple Raiders senior strong safety Alex Grinch, who twice intercepted passes to stop Johnnies scoring threats. "We prepared all week for that."
Mount Union sophomore tackle Larry Kinnard, 6-6, 281-pound transfer from Ohio State, said, "Our first touchdown took a little out of them, but they kept fighting hard."
Running back Chuck Moore, the leading rusher for the Purple Raiders, said, "Over the long haul, our guys got the better of them. Give a lot of credit to our line and their execution."
The line's performance was so strong that the Mount Union backs were able to accumulate 285 yards on 61 attempts. Junior Vince Ilacqua, who replaced the injured Dan Pugh on the ninth play of the first touchdown drive, gained 31 yards on eight rushes. He also caught a pass from junior quarterback Rob Adamson for a 6-yard score to give Mount Union that 21-0 lead.
Young promise: On the last play of the game, freshman running back Jeff Strauch gained 9 yards for a first down.
During the second half, Mount Union's first-team defense stopped St. John's marches inside the Purple Raiders' 30 on three occasions, even one that reached the 13-yard line.