Hanover vs. Franklin, Nov. 15
Franklin blanks Panthers to keep Victory Bell
Hanover College's football team capped its 2008 campaign with a 34-0 loss to Franklin College in the annual battle for the Victory Bell. The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference clash was played Saturday, Nov. 15, in Franklin, Ind.
Franklin, ranked 22nd in the nation, piled up 551 yards of offense in the game, including 337 yards on the ground. The Grizzlies' Chad Rupp completed 12-of-18 passes for 214 yards and four touchdowns to help the squad finish 9-1 overall and 7-0 in the conference.
The victory was Franklin's fourth consecutive against Hanover (2-7; 2-5 HCAC). The shutout marked the Grizzlies' first against the Panthers since a 20-0 win during the 1963 campaign.
Hanover totaled 241 offensive yards in the game. Franklin, however, limited the Panthers' ground effort to just one yard on 10 attempts. Freshman quarterback Nick Sharp (Indianapolis, Ind.) completed 27-of-51 passes for 240 yards. He was picked off twice in the contest.
Senior wide receiver Tyler Thiems (Indianapolis, Ind.) hauled in 11 passes for 94 yards to set a Hanover single-season record. The effort pushed his season total to 117 receptions, surpassing John Agan's mark of 108 catches set in 12 games during the 2000 season.
Franklin jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the first period. The Grizzlies scored just four minutes into the game when Nick Mongan capped an eight-play, 72-yard drive, with a 33-yard touchdown run.
Franklin hit paydirt again with 4:03 left in the opening period. Rupp hit receiver Brandon Zellers with a eight-yard pass to give the Grizzlies a 13-0 cushion.
Franklin pushed the lead to 20-0 with an eight-play, 96-yard, scoring drive midway through the second quarter. Rupp tossed a 14-yard touchdown pass to Coty Bragdon with 8:46 left in the half to cap the drive.
Hanover crept into the Red Zone three times in the game, but could not put points on the board. The Panthers advanced to the Franklin 17-yard-line but lost a fumble on a second-down play in the second quarter. The squad had a first-and-goal from the Grizzlies' eight-yard-line early in the fourth quarter, but were stopped on downs at the one. Sharp was picked off in the endzone by Franklin's Chris Bodigon on Hanover's final possession.
Junior linebacker Daniel Cornely (Palmetto Bay, Fla.) led Hanover's defensive unit with 11 tackles. Sophomore linebacker Clayton Mannering (Walton, Ind.) added four stops, including a sack, and his first career interception.
