Football improves to 3-0 on season with 35-22 victory over Wilmington

By Tim Glon

ADA — Ohio Northern built a 35-3 third quarter lead and held off a furious rally to post a 35-22 football victory over Wilmington on  chilly Friday night at Dial-Roberson Stadium.

The Polar Bears improve to 3-0 overall and are 3-0 in the Ohio Athletic Conference, while the Quakers fall to 2-2, 2-2.

Senior Brody Hahn (Louisville) ran for a 42-yard touchdown and threw for four more scores as ONU built a 35-3 lead with 5:23 left in the third quarter.

Wilmington scored on three of its next four possessions to pull within 35-22 with 3:45 left in the game.

WC then recovered an onside kick, but the ONU defense for a turnover on downs with 2:28 to go and an interception by senior A.J. Marks (Guysville/Alexander) with 1:36 left iced the game for ONU.

Hahn got Ohio Northern on the board with he scrambled in from 42 yards out with 4:03 left in the first period to make it 7-0.

He then hit senior Chase Rose (Kenton/Upper Scioto Valley) on TD passes of 40 and 16 yards sandwiched around a Quaker field goal and ONU led 21-3 at intermission.

Hahn made it 28-3 when he found freshman Noah Miller (Coldwater) on a 6-yard TD pass with 6:42 left in the third.

An 18-yard pass from Hahn to junior Austin Eick (Rossford) just 1:19 later extended the lead to 35-3.

Northern out-gained Wilmington 406-345 in total offense despite the visitors holding a 95-60 advantage in offensive plays.

Sophomore Nichal Johnson (College Park, Ga./Northgate) had 10 tackles and two sacks and freshman Peyton Wilson (Lima/Shawnee) had 10 tackles to lead an ONU defense that posted seven sacks and 12 TFL in the contest.

Hahn finished the night 14-of-23 passing for 245 yards and 4 TDs and he ran 11 times for 72 yards and a score.

Junior All-American Brock Martin (Attica/Seneca East) ran 18 times for 71 yards. Eick caught six passes for 125 yards and a TD and Rose had four catches for 95 yards and two scores.

The Polar Bears will wrap up their abbreviated 2020-21 regular season with a road game at Heidelberg on Friday in a battle of league unbeatens with the OAC West Division title on the line.