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CINCINNATI -- Marietta College quarterback Joe Tenta hit Dalton Miller on a 12-yard touchdown pass with 14 seconds left Saturday, giving the Pioneers a 44-43 victory over Mount St. Joseph.
Marietta finishes the season with a 7-3 overall record while Mount St. Joseph slips to 8-2.
Marietta’s seven wins in Hinkle’s first season as head coach is noteworthy. It is the most wins for a first-year coach in program history since Earle “Greasy” Neale won seven games in his first season at the helm during the 1919 season.
“That was the best football game I have ever been a part of,” Marietta head coach Tom Hinkle said. “I am so proud of our team. It’s so easy to quit when things aren’t going your way, but our guys refuse to do it.”
Mount St. Joseph turned a 16-point deficit into a 20-point lead by virtue of several big plays. The Lions scored touchdowns on an 83-yard pass, 76-yard run, 77-yard pass, and 58-yard run, building a 43-23 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Marietta scored on its second possession of the game. Tenta connected with Zion Jackson-Wilborn on a 3-yard touchdown pass, capping a 5-play, 50-yard scoring drive. The Pioneers sacked MSJ quarterback Jaxon Schreiber in the endzone for a safety early in the second quarter.
On the ensuing possession, Marietta rode its momentum to another quick touchdown. Following a short rush from Isaiah Mitchell and an incomplete pass, Tenta threw back-to-back completions, the first for 41 yards to Mike Banks and the second for a 19-yard touchdown to Louis Goodnow and a 16-0 Pioneer lead.
“Offensively we know what we are capable of. We challenged the guys to keep fighting and I could see it in their eyes,” Hinkle said. “That type of performance deserves a lot of praise, and it takes every single person in the room to pull out a gutsy win like that.”
The Lions answered right back with touchdowns on their next two drives. Schreiber hooked up with Michael Hunkus for an 83-yard touchdown. On the next possession, Schreiber found Eli Ashton for a 17-yard scoring strike.
A poor snap on a punt gave Mount St. Joseph the ball on Marietta’s 9-yard line. The Lions moved the ball to the 2-yard line before settling for a 21-yard field goal that tied the game, 16-16, at halftime.
The third quarter was all MSJ. Dallas De La Cruz got things started with a 76-yard touchdown run. Ashton scored on a 77-yard pass from Schreiber and Keymari Pittman caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Schreiber giving the Lions a 36-16 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Antwon Johnson started the fourth quarter off with a 6-yard touchdown run, capping a 13-play, 53-yard drive for the Pioneers. Mount St. Joseph needed just two plays to respond as De La Cruz broke free for a 58-yard touchdown run with 14:07 left on the clock giving MSJ a 43-23 lead.
“We knew how explosive and dynamic their offense was,” Hinkle said. “They had a great game plan, but when we needed the defense most, they stepped up, just like they have all season.”
Banks returned the kickoff 30 yards to the Pioneer 38-yard line. Tenta completed a 19-yard pass to Miller, followed by a 27-yard toss to Miller, moving the ball to the MSJ 15-yard line. On the next play, Tenta found Miller in the endzone for the touchdown.
It appeared that Mount St. Joseph would answer right back as the Lions drove the ball deep into Pioneer territory. MSJ had the ball first and goal at the Marietta 4-yard line. Two incomplete passes and a 2-yard run by De La Cruz left the Lions with a fourth down. They decided to go for the touchdown when Drew Neal picked off Schreiber’s pass in the end zone to end the scoring threat.
Once again, the Pioneers moved the ball down the field on the strength of Tenta’s arm. After a 17-yard completion to Johnson, three straight incompletions, left the Pioneers with a fourth and 10 at their own 37-yard line. Hinkle elected to go for it and Tenta delivered a perfect pass to Nas Foster for 14 yards and a first down. On the very next play, Tenta found Chrys Taylor open for a huge 49-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to 43-37 with 2:54 left in the game.
Marietta’s defense stepped up when the Pioneers needed it most, holding Mount St. Joseph on fourth down and getting the ball back in Tenta’s hands with 2:05 on the clock. However, MSJ intercepted a Tenta pass giving the ball back to the Lions with 1:37 left in the game.
Three straight rushes produced just seven yards and the Lions were forced to punt the ball back to Marietta. Aston’s punt rolled dead at the Marietta 3-yard line with 1:10 on the clock.
Out of timeouts, the Pioneers needed to cover 97 yards in 70 seconds for a chance to steal the win. Completions to Foster for 7 yards and Taylor for 10 yards, coupled with a defensive pass interference penalty, moved the ball to the Marietta 41-yard line.
Tenta went to his favorite target and completed a pass to Miller for 18 yards to the MSJ 41-yard line. After an incomplete pass to Taylor, Tenta and Miller connected once again. This time for 29 yards down to the MSJ 12-yard line, forcing the Lions to call their final timeout with 23 seconds remaining.
On first down, Tenta tried to find Miller in the corner of the endzone, but the pass fell incomplete. Second down was the exact opposite as Tenta and Miller connected on a 12-yard touchdown to tie the game, 43-43, with 14 seconds on the clock. James Cornwell added the extra point for a 44-43 Pioneer lead.
Mount St. Joseph signaled for a fair catch on the kickoff and put the ball in play at their own 25-yard line. Schreiber completed a pass to Joey Thamann for 11 yards and hurried to the line and spiked the ball to kill the clock with just a few seconds left on the clock. Down to their last play, Schreiber completed a pass to Hunkus, who lateralled the ball to Ashton, but Jonah Asebrook was there for the tackle as time ran out.
“I can’t begin to explain how excited I am for the future,” Hinkle concluded. “We are truly building something special here and our best days are ahead of us. Bring the hammer.”
Tenta completed 26-of-50 passes for 420 yards and five touchdowns. Miller had nine catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Foster caught six passes for 100 yards. Altogether, nine different Pioneers had a reception in the game.
Schreiber completed 20-of-31 passes for 361 yards and four touchdowns. Ashton had eight catches for 183 yards and two scores, while Hunkus caught five passes for 134 yards and one touchdown. On the ground, De La Cruz had 32 carries for 237 yards and two touchdowns.
Asebrook led the Pioneer defense with 13 tackles. Neal finished with 11 tackles and one interception. Taison Starr finished with seven tackles, including two for a loss, one sack and a forced fumble.