H-SC | Athletics: Football

ASHLAND, VA—Hampden-Sydney College earned the 2007 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championship and a berth into the NCAA Division III playoffs with a 31-13 victory over arch-rival Randolph-Macon in the 113^th edition of the oldest small college rivalry in the South. The win marked the Tigers seventh consecutive victory in the series, dating back to 2001. With the win, the Tigers improve to 5-1 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference and 8-2 overall, while the Yellow Jackets fall to 5-1 in ODAC play and 8-2 overall.

Hampden-Sydney junior running back Josh Simpson (Richmond, VA/Mills Godwin) rushed for a game-high 169 yards and two touchdowns on 40 attempts to help Hampden-Sydney earn a 31-13 victory over Randolph-Macon, giving the Tigers their first ODAC Championship since 1987. Simpson tallied 232 yards of total offense as he caught eight passes for 63 yards and one touchdown. With his two rushing touchdowns and three total touchdowns, Simpson broke the H-SC and ODAC single-season records for rushing touchdowns (21) and total points scored (164).

Meanwhile, senior wide receiver Drew Smith (Richmond, VA/Mills Godwin) also had a solid performance as he caught a game-high 12 passes for 107 yards. With his output, Smith became the Hampden-Sydney single-season leader in both receptions (102) and receiving yards (1,460). Smith also extended his record breaking streak of consecutive games with a reception to 40.

The Tigers opened scoring at the 13:25 mark in the first quarter when Josh Simpson scored on a 12 yard touchdown run to put the Tigers ahead, 7-0. On the ensuing kickoff, junior kicker T.C. Stevens (Alton, VA/Halifax) successfully executed an on-side kick to give the Tigers the ball with a short field. The Tigers wasted no time as sophomore quarterback Corey Sedlar (Richmond, VA/Mills Godwin) found senior Josh Baumgartner (Vinton, VA/William Byrd) for a nine yard scoring strike to put the Tigers up, 14-0, just five minutes into the game.

Randolph-Macon was finally able to settle down as they went on a seven play, 50 yard, scoring drive that was capped off by an 11 yard touchdown pass from Brandon Braner to Alex Ramirez to cut the score to 14-7. In the second quarter, the Tigers would score the lone touchdown of the second frame as Simpson scored on a 15 yard pass from Sedlar to give the Tigers a 21-7 halftime advantage.

In the third quarter, Randolph-Macon took their opening drive 74 yards on 12 plays as Zak Thornton scored on a two yard run, but the Yellow Jackets extra point attempt was blocked by Boaz Young-el (Hopewell, VA/Prince George) to cut the lead to 21-13 with 9:04 remaining in the third quarter. The Tigers would answer as Stevens connected on a 26 yard field goal to increase the Tiger advantage to 24-13. In the fourth, the Tigers would add another touchdown on a Simpson two yard run, while the Tiger defense shut down the Yellow Jacket offense to secure the 31-13 win.

Overall, the Tigers out-gained Randolph-Macon, 410-203. The Tiger defense was stingy all afternoon as they held the ODAC's leading rusher, Zak Thornton, to just 94 yards on 23 carries. For the Tigers, Sedlar completed 24-of-34 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions. Braner completed 9-of-18 passes for the Yellow Jackets for 87 yards and one score.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Tigers were paced by freshman corner Michael Ware (Goochland, VA/Goochland) who recorded seven tackles, including five solo stops, while sophomore Thomas Hovis (Richmond, VA/St. Christopher's) made five stops. For the Yellow Jackets, Eric Dardozzi and Nate Shook each recorded 14 tackles. Neither team was able to force a fumble or intercept a pass.

Hampden-Sydney will return to action next Saturday, November 17, in the NCAA Division III playoffs. The Tigers will find out who their opponent will be and where they will be playing on Sunday, November 11. The Divsion III Selection Show will be aired on ESPNU at 11:30 am. Up-to-date information will be posted on the Hampden-Sydney athletics website.