Wittenberg football notes: Wolfe works way into starting role

Eddie Vallery (47) drags down Hiram’s Glenn Campbell (14) during Wittenberg’s 70-7 home romp on Oct. 3. Vallery has 14 sacks this season, a school-record total that his him tied for the lead among all college players.

Staff photo by Barbara J. Perenic Eddie Vallery (47) drags down Hiram’s Glenn Campbell (14) during Wittenberg’s 70-7 home romp on Oct. 3. Vallery has 14 sacks this season, a school-record total that his him tied for the lead among all college players.

ENLARGE PHOTO

Wittenberg's Metzger a big key to success

Reds set 40-man roster, lose Nix
1:19 p.m.
OSU's Coleman soaks in victory
10:38 a.m.
Turner leads No. 15 Ohio State over No. 13 Cal
10:37 a.m.
Soccer saga makes the case for instant replay
11/22/09
Flyers, QB take hits and keep going
11/22/09
> More sports headlines

By David Jablonski, Staff Writer Updated 8:33 AM Thursday, November 5, 2009

SPRINGFIELD — If Wittenberg University’s defense is now known as the Wolfpack, it might have something to do with the fact that it has a Wolfe back.

Nic Wolfe, a junior from Kettering Fairmont, has started the last two games at defensive tackle. He had two tackles for a loss Saturday, Oct. 31, in a 41-7 victory at Denison.

“Coming into the season, we had really high hopes for him,” Wittenberg coach Joe Fincham said. “We thought he’d be a starter and a good player for us. But he tore or pulled his hamstring right before camp. He just missed so much. It’s really hard to overcome missing camp.

“You sit out for a month. You’re out of shape. You miss all those reps. It’s taken him a little while, and I’m sure it’s taken a little longer than he and us wanted, but he’s in there now. He’s moving around. His feel for the game is coming back. He’s making a lot of plays.”

New sack master

With 14 sacks, defensive end Eddie Vallery has the Wittenberg season record with two games to play. He also is tied for the national lead not only in Division III, but in D-II, the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) and the Bowl Subdivision (D-I).

Fellow defensive end Taylor Scherer said teams have started to focus on Vallery, but “it doesn’t seem like it’s having much effect. He gets after them.”

McKinley’s status

Middle linebacker Brad McKinley has been out of uniform the last two games since suffering an injury at Wabash.

He was back in uniform at practice Tuesday, and Fincham said he’s questionable for the game Saturday against Allegheny.

Backup quarterback

Sophomore Ben Zoeller was Wittenberg’s No. 2 quarterback against Denison and led the second unit to a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Andrew Durbin, normally the backup to starter Aaron Huffman, didn’t play because he had missed practice all week with the flu.

Wittenberg has felt the effects of the flu during the last few weeks. There’s even a sign outside the locker room alerting players to the dangers.

Rankings and stats

Wittenberg (8-0, 5-0 North Coast Athletic Conference) leads NCAA D-III in total defense (148.1 yards allowed per game) and scoring defense (4.63 points allowed per game). The Tigers moved from 15th to 12th in the American Football Coaches Association poll and from 17th to 14th in the D3Football.com poll.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0351 or djablonski@coxohio.com.

Share this article