Oberlin football played its final game of the season last Saturday when the Yeomen traveled to play the Hiram Terriers. The game not only marked the end of the Yeomen’s season, it was also Oberlin’s last chance to grab a win. Both the Yeomen and the Terriers had 0-6 records and were tied for last place in the conference.

“We tried to put our disappointment about the season behind us and come together as a team for our last game,” remarked senior Joe Spohn. The Yeomen did exactly that, exhibiting strong offensive and defensive performances that secured a 48-7 win.

A week earlier, Oberlin’s offense received an unexpected blow when senior starting quarterback Ryan Squatrito injured his throwing hand during the Ohio Wesleyan game. Filling his shoes was first-year Andy Stein. Despite never starting a game this season, Stein came up big during Oberlin’s first possession. Following multiple rushes by senior Travis Oman to place Yeomen on the Hiram five-yard line, Stein connected with senior Zach Lewis for his first collegiate touchdown. Once Oberlin jumped to the lead, they never looked back.

Less than two minutes into the second half, Oberlin struck again. Overwhelmed by senior Chris Jordan’s defense, the Terriers fumbled the ball at their five-yard line, allowing Jordan to grab the ball and the touchdown. Senior Steve Willever’s follow-up kick gave the Yeomen a 13-0 lead. With Yeomen momentum building, Hiram tried to get on the boards but Oberlin defense was feeling stingy. First-year Mason Turville intercepted a pass at the Hiram 46-yard line and Oberlin’s offense took advantage of the turnover. After Stein’s initial rush of 10 yards and Oman’s finishing rush of 32 yards, Hiram’s defense was left yapping at the Yeomen’s heels. On Hiram’s next possession, Oberlin captured another interception when senior Vinnie Hachigian got the ball at the Hiram 37-yard line. Stein threw a total of 26 yards and set up Jordan within striking distance. Jordan’s five yard rush gave the Yeomen a 28-0 lead entering halftime.

The relentless attack that marked Oberlin’s first half was slightly diminished as the Terriers defense stepped up and held the Yeomen scoreless in the third quarter. Oberlin bounced back less than a minute into the fourth quarter when Jordan rushed a tremendous 63 yards for a touchdown. A solid kick by Willever’s allowed the Yeomen to extend their lead to 35-0.

Perhaps realizing they were about to be skunked, the Terriers scrounged up one final attempt at scoring. Hiram quarterback Max Kravitz threw 18 yards to Niarchos Kincai for the touchdown, bring the score to 35-7. Oberlin quickly answered back when Oman rushed for 50 yards and his second touchdown of the day. Not content to just watch the scoring frenzy, senior linebacker Vinnie Hachigian decided he wanted a piece of the action. Hachigian snagged an interception and ran 28 yards for his first collegiate touchdown and the final score of the game.

Hachigian’s play put the cap on a consistently strong defensive effort by the Yeomen. “We soundly defeated Hiram because we were able to capitalize on their mistakes. We took the ball away from their offense,” explained head coach Jeff Ramsey. Hachigian, Spohn, senior captain Jon Ramsier and sophomore Matt Adler each recorded a sack. Junior Vance Murphy led the team with eight total tackles, while Hachigian added another four.

The win was also highlighted by the impressive performances of Oman and Jordan, who gained 196 and 90 yards, respectively. “Our running game was working well against Hiram. They just couldn’t stop us,” said senior Zach Lewis.

For Ryan Drews, Vinnie Hachigian, Anthony Hudgins, Vorris Mayes, Kyle Neumeier, Travis Oman, Jon Ramsier, Joe Spohn, Ryan Squatrito, Steve Willever and Jason Williams – the graduating seniors on the squad – the victory brought closure to a memorable four years. While freshmen, the 2004 seniors were part of the Yeomen team that broke a four-year losing streak. Since then, the seniors have witnessed and played an integral part in the growth of Oberlin football. “This was a great way for the seniors to finish,” said Ramsey. “They all contributed to the win.”