Kickoff tips
Who: Wittenberg University (4-0, 2-0 North Coast Athletic Conference) at Earlham College (2-2, 0-1 NCAC)
When: 1 p.m. today, Oct. 10
Series history: Wittenberg leads 27-8.
Last year: Wittenberg beat Earlham 45-13.
Last week: Wittenberg beat Hiram 70-7; Earlham lost 49-3 to Wooster
Coaches: Joe Fincham, Wittenberg (14th season, 118-29); Gary Keesling, Earlham (seventh season, 17-37).
Earlham notes: The Quakers beat Manchester College 31-21 and Anderson University 37-34. They opened the season with a 61-24 loss to Rose-Hulman. ... Northeastern grad Bryant Foreman, an Earlham junior, is the team's third-leading receiver with 11 receptions for 160 yards. Sophomore LBs Seth Shipley and Aaron Barth are Shawnee grads.
Wittenberg notes: The Tigers have not lost to Earlham since 1909. The teams didn't play between 1919 and 1989. ... Several Tigers rank among the national leaders in NCAA Division III: QB Aaron Huffman (ninth in pass efficiency, one spot below Wabash's Matt Hudson); RB Corey Weber (14th in scoring, 12 points per game); DE Eddie Vallery (third in tackles for a loss (2.63 per game).
— David Jablonski
SPRINGFIELD — After today, Wittenberg won’t have Earlham to beat up on anymore — at least in football.
The Tigers and Quakers meet at 1 p.m. today in Richmond, Ind.
It’s the 19th meeting in the last 21 seasons between the two North Coast Athletic Conference football programs, and Wittenberg has won every game by at least 14 points and most by many more.
But earlier this week at the NCAC’s fall meeting, Wittenberg Athletic Director Garnett Purnell was informed that Earlham was taking Wittenberg and all the other NCAC schools off its 2010 football schedule as it prepares for a move to the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Earlham has not formally notified the NCAC, however, said Keri Alexander Luchowski, the acting executive director of the conference.
“Should that come to pass, we would definitely work to replace them,” she said.
Earlham has applied to be a member of the HCAC, according to the Richmond, Ind., newspaper, the Palladium-Item. The conference will vote this month on whether to accept the Quakers.
Earlham is making the moves for two reasons, Purnell said. One is geography. Five of the nine HCAC schools are located in Indiana.
“When you take a look at the Heartland, there are no overnight trips,” Purnell said. “It makes a lot of sense from an economic standpoint and a geographical standpoint. The other thing is they thought they could be a little more competitive in that league. When you take a look at how they have performed in (the NCAC), it’s been difficult for some years.”
Earlham has won just two NCAC championships in all sports since it joined the league in 1989.
Purnell said Earlham has asked the NCAC to allow its women’s field hockey team to stay in the league, and the conference will allow that on a year-by-year basis. The NCAC will have to re-evaluate that decision after it finds a replacement for Earlham.
Purnell would also like to keep Earlham as a nonconference opponent in most sports.
“In our minds, it doesn’t make sense to try to schedule someone else when (Earlham) is only an hour away,” Purnell said.
Luchowski said the conference will do everything it can to help the football teams scheduled to play Earlham in 2010 find a replacement game. As for finding a replacement school, if and when they do find one, that school wouldn’t join the NCAC until the 2011-12 school year.
Purnell said the NCAC’s first priority at this point is finding a permanent replacement for Dennis Collins, the conference’s longtime executive director who passed away in June.
Maintaining momentum
Today’s game is the first of two straight games in Indiana for the Tigers (4-0, 2-0 NCAC). On Oct. 17, they travel to Crawfordsville to play Wabash, which has won or shared the last four NCAC titles.
Considering the importance of the Wabash game, it would be easy for the Tigers to look ahead today to the No. 11 Little Giants.
“I know it’s cliche, but you really do have to take them one game at a time,” Wittenberg coach Joe Fincham said. “They’re all opportunities to get better. If you let an opportunity get away from you, it’s one you don’t get back.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0351 or djablonski@coxohio.com.
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