10 Wins for First Time for #16 R-MC Football
Senior Nick Hale (Vinton, Va./William Byrd) rushed for a career-high 148 yards, junior Kwesi Clarke (Reigelwood, N.C./North Brunswick) had 118 yards on the ground, and senior David Wallace (Cedar Point, N.C./Croatan) added 120 receiving yards as No. 16 Randolph-Macon won 38-17 at Hampden-Sydney on Saturday afternoon for the ninth straight win for the Yellow Jackets over the Tigers and the first 10-win season in program history.
The Basics:
Score: Randolph-Macon 38, Hampden-Sydney 17
Location/Venue: Hampden-Sydney, Va. / Fulton Field at Lewis C. Everett Stadium
Records: Randolph-Macon 10-0, 7-0 ODAC; H-SC 5-5, 4-3 ODAC
How it Happened:
- The Tigers scored quickly on a three-play drive to go up 7-0 less than a minute into the contest. The Yellow Jackets moved 75 in 11 plays, all on the ground, as senior quarterback Andrew Ihle (Apex, N.C./Middle Creek) scored on a six-yard run to knot the score at 7-7 midway through the first period.
- H-SC recovered an onside kick but could not pick up a first down and R-MC took over on its own 33 following a punt. The Yellow Jackets reached the end zone in 11 plays, the first a pass and the final 10 on the ground, as Hale went in from eight yards out on the first play of the second period to give the visitors a 14-7 edge.
- The Tigers needed just five plays to score a second touchdown to level a score at 14-14.
- The Yellow Jackets moved to the HSC 16, where sophomore Kyle Ihle (Apex, N.C./Middle Creek) made a 33-yard field goal to give R-MC a 17-14 lead at halftime.
- Both teams were forced to punt on their first possessions of the second half. R-MC had the ball on its own 22 when junior Drew Campanale (Shrewsbury, Mass./Shrewsbury) hit Wallis on a 78-yard TD pass as the Yellow Jackets took a 24-14 lead with 10:44 remaining in the third quarter.
- The Tigers reached the Red Zone with 1st-and-Goal on the RMC 8. The Yellow Jacket defense kept H-SC out of the end zone, as a 23-yard field goal made it a seven-point game at 24-17 with four minutes left in the third.
- R-MC drove 84 yards in 15 plays, as Campanale scored from one yard out to give the Yellow Jackets a 31-17 lead with 10 minutes left in the fourth period.
- An interception by junior Ricky Thompson (Chesapeake, Va./Oscar Smith) gave R-MC the ball on the HSC 38. Hale capped a nine-play drive with a 2-yard TD run to make the final 38-17.
- R-MC collected 516 yards of total offense, with 318 yards on the ground and 198 yards through the air.
- The 318 rushing yards was the second-highest total of the season. The Yellow Jackets had 330 yards on the ground against Guilford.
- The Yellow Jackets held the ball for 42:54, its highest total of the season. R-MC entered the game first in the ODAC and fifth in the nation in time of possession at 34:01.
- R-MC ran the ball 64 times. Hale rushed 25 times, while Clarke carried 24 times.
- Wallis had three catches for 120 yards.
- The Yellow Jackets converted 14 of 17 third down plays for completion percentage of 82%. R-MC entered the game as the top team in Division III in third down conversion at 60%.
- Freshman Dominick Staples (North Chesterfield, Va./Glen Allen) led the R-MC defense with six tackles in his first collegiate start, including one pass breakup.
- R-MC reached the 10-win mark for the first time in program history. The Yellow Jackets won nine games in a season nine times.
- The Yellow Jackets extended their win streak to 16 games. The program record is 19, from 1967-69.
- R-MC has won nine straight and 11 of the past 12 contests against H-SC.
- The Yellow Jackets have scored at least 35 points in each game for the first time in program history.