Football
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PANTHERS' LAST OUTING |
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Panthers blanket all-conference gridiron team
Seniors Bobby Smart (Coral Springs, Fla.), Corry Stewart (Nashville, Tenn.) and Daniel Cornely (Palmetto Bay, Fla.), along with sophomore Daniel Passafiume (Louisville, Ky.) each earned first-team honors to lead a group of 10 Hanover College football players to earn all-conference recognition from the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Smart and Passafiume were among six members of Hanover's offensive unit to snag all-conference honors. In addition to the two receivers, sophomore quarterback C.J. Croft (Fort Campbell, Ky.), senior receiver Adam Miller (Franklin, Ind.) and senior lineman Joe Vormohr (Portland, Ind.) were each second-team honorees. Junior lineman Bruce Whitehead (Petersburg, Ind.) was an honorable mention selection.
Smart, a tight end and wide receiver, was named to the all-conference squad for the third time in his career. He had 27 receptions for 467 yards and five touchdowns. He also averaged 56 yards per kickoff and hit 2-of-3 point-after attempts in a part-time role as Hanover's kicker.
Passafiume, a wide receiver, is a two-time all-HCAC selection. He led the nation with 11.4 receptions per game - finishing the season with 114 catches for 1,054 yards and a team-leading 14 touchdowns. The total includes a NCAA all-divisions' record 25 catches in the Panthers' season-finale against Franklin.
Miller, a wide receiver, was second on the squad with 40 receptions for 482 yards and six touchdowns. He also led the team with nine punt returns and a team-best 21.8-yard average as a kick returner.
Croft, in his first full season as Hanover's quarterback, led the Heartland Conference in total offense with 304.4 yards per game. During the season, he completed 200-of-357 passes for 2,163 yards with 27 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He also led the Panthers with 577 rushing yards on 151 attempts with a pair of touchdowns.
Vormohr, who played both center and guard for the unit, earned all-conference honors for the second straight season. Whitehead completed his first full season as an offensive tackle after moving from the defensive line in the middle of last season.
Each players' blocking grade was higher than 90 percent for the season.
Stewart, a defensive back and punter, and Cornely, a linebacker, led four members of Hanover's defensive unit who earned all-Heartland Conference honors. Sophomore defensive back Rory Mannering (Walton, Ind.) was a second-team selection, while freshman linebacker Andy Dalton (Guilford, Ind.) received honorable mention recognition.
Stewart earned all-conference honors for the second consecutive season. He set a school single-season record with nine interceptions - for 138 yards and a touchdown. He also led the unit with seven pass deflections and ranked fourth on the team with 61 tackles, including 39 solo stops and 22 assists.
In addition, he averaged 38.1 yards per punt, including nine which covered more than 50 yards.
Cornely earned all-HCAC honors for the third time in his career. Despite missing the final two games of the season, he ranked second on the squad with 84 tackles, including 37 solo tackles, 47 assists, 3.5 tackles for loss and a pair of forced fumbles.
Mannering, a two-time all-league selection, led Hanover's defensive unit with 95 tackles, including a team-high 51 solo tackles and 44 assists. He added 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, three interceptions and five pass deflections.
Dalton earned a spot in the Panthers' lineup midway through the season and finished second on the squad with 84 tackles. He also chipped in four tackles for loss, one sack and a pair of interceptions.
Hanover ended the 2009 campaign with a 3-7 overall record. The Panthers were fifth in the HCAC standinds with a 3-4 mark.
2009 All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Honorees
Passafiume's record earns HCAC honor
Fueled by a national record-breaking performance, Hanover College wide receiver Daniel Passafiume (Louisville, Ky.) has been named the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference's offensive player of the week.
Passafiume, a sophomore, set a NCAA all-divisions single-game record with 25 receptions (for 153 yards and two touchdowns) in the Panthers' Nov. 14 game against Franklin College. The effort surpasses the mark of 24 catches set by NFL hall-of-fame receiver Jerry Rice and Chas Gessner.
Rice had 24 catches for Mississippi Valley State University in a 1983 game against Southern University. Gessner collected 24 balls for Brown University in a 2002 game against the University of Rhode Island.
Passafiume's performance was featured on ESPN, ESPN News and television stations nationally, as well as being highlighted in newspapers such as USA today, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and Orlando Sentinel.
Passafiume, who ranked among the top receivers in NCAA III all season, capped the 2009 campaign with 114 receptions for 1,054 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Hanover closed the season with a 3-7 overall record. The Panthers finished fifth in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference with a 3-4 mark.
Franklin holds off Panthers to keep Victory Bell
Hanover College sophomore Daniel Passafiume (Louisville, Ky.) set an NCAA all-divisions record, but Franklin College's football squad retained possession of the Victory Bell with a 42-28 win against the Panthers Saturday, Nov. 14, at L.S. Ayres Field.
Franklin built a 28-7 lead at the intermission and outlasted the Panthers in the second half to post its fifth consecutive victory in the series. The Grizzlies improved to 7-3 overall and 5-2 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference with the triumph.
Passafiume hauled in 25 receptions for 153 yards and two touchdowns to help keep Hanover in the contest. His 25 receptions surpassed the mark of 24 set by hall-of-fame receiver Jerry Rice and Chas Gessner.
Rice had 24 catches for Mississippi Valley State University in a 1983 game against Southern University. Gessner collected 24 balls for Brown University in a 2002 game against the University of Rhode Island.
Hanover and Franklin combined for 995 total yards of offense in the clash. The Panthers tallied 200 yards on the ground and 304 through the air. The Grizzlies amassed 211 rushing yards and 280 passing yards.
Franklin freshman running back Ethan Cook scored twice to give Franklin an early 14-0 lead. Cook scored on a 12-yard run midway through the first period and caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Nick Purichia three minutes later.
Hanover cut the margin in half with 40 seconds left in the opening period. Passafiume capped a 12-play, 87-yard drive, with a three-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback C.J. Croft (Fort Campbell, Ky,.).
Franklin pulled away with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns.
Purichia hit senior tight end Matt Gates with a seven-yard touchdown pass with 11:16 left in the half. Cook bolted into the endzone from one yard out with 3:17 remaining in the half to give Franklin its 28-7 cushion at the intermission.
Hanover scored on its opening drive of the second half, motoring 72 yards on 11 plays for the score. Passafiume caught his second three-yard touchdown pass from Croft to pull the Panthers within 28-14 with 11:43 left in the period.
Franklin pushed the margin back to three touchdowns later in the stanza. Purichia hit junior receiver Matt Zmich with a 15-yard scoring strike to give the Grizzlies a 35-14 lead with 3:51 left in the quarter.
Hanover, however, remained within striking distance. Croft tossed a 30-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Bobby Smart (Coral Springs, Fla.) with 1:38 left in the third period to slice the lead to 35-21.
The squads traded possessions until the closing minutes of the contest. Franklin sophomore running back Nick Mongan scampered into the endzone from 22 yards out to give the Grizzlies a 42-21 lead with four minutes remaining in the contest.
Croft rambled into the endzone from 12 yards out with 1:22 left in the game. The play capped a 10-play, 71-yard drive.
Croft completed 42-of-57 passes for 304 yards with three touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. He also rushed 25 times for a career-high 181 yards and a score.
Sophomore running back Jeremy Cook (Batesville, Ind.) had nine receptions for 49 yards for the Panthers, which closed the season 3-7 overall and 3-4 in the HCAC.
Purichia was 17-of-25 for 280 yards with three touchdowns and an interceptions for Franklin.
Hanover senior defensive back Corry Stewart (Nashville, Tenn.) intercepted the pass. The pick off was the school-record-padding ninth of the season for Stewart, who also had six tackles and two pass deflections for the Panthers.
Ethan Cook led Franklin's ground effort with 25 carries for 142 yards and two touchdowns. Mongan added 74 yards and a touchdown on just six attempts.
Hanover vs. Franklin statistics
Hanover picked seventh in HCAC gridiron race
Hanover College's football squad was picked to finish seventh in a preseason polling of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference's coaches.
The Panthers, under second-year head coach Joe Austin, received 19 points to place seventh among eight teams in the battle for the HCAC's 2009 championship. Hanover had a 2-7 overall record in 2008. The Panthers were seventh in the league standings with a 2-5 mark.
2009 Heartland Conference Preseason Football Poll
Franklin College grabbed the top spot in the coaches' poll. The Grizzlies, winners of two straight HCAC crowns, received 61.5 points in the balloting, including 5.5 first-place votes. The College of Mount St. Joseph (Ohio) placed second in the poll with 50 points, including one first-place vote. The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology was selected third with 47.5 points. The Engineers recorded 1.5 first-place votes from the coaches.
Hanover opens its 2009 campaign Saturday, Sept. 5, against Centre College (Ky.) at L.S. Ayres Field. The Panthers' first Heartland Conference tilt will be Oct. 3 in a Homecoming battle against Anderson University at Ayres Field. Both contests will being at 1:30 p.m.
