Season Review: Football closes 2023 with positive momentum going into offseason

By Wes Mayberry

ADA — The Ohio Northern football team won three of its final four games in 2023 to enter the offseason with positive momentum.

The Polar Bears won 27-17 at Muskingum before taking a narrow 21-17 defeat to Marietta and defeating Otterbein 49-6 and Wilmington 38-14 to end the year at 4-6 overall and 4-5 in the Ohio Athletic Conference.

The ONU defense put up strong outings in that stretch, giving up an average of just 14.5 points and 311 yards per game.

Offensively, the running game, led by sophomore Louis Blasiole (Mantua/Crestwood) and freshman Jordan Pettaway (Oregon/Clay), posted standout numbers in those games. Blasiole ran for over 100 yards in three of those contests and totaled 484 yards and four touchdowns in that stretch, while Pettaway tallied 282 yards on the ground with five touchdowns.

Blasiole finished the season with a team-high 535 rushing yards on 93 carries (5.8 average) to go with four touchdowns, while Pettaway added 476 yards on 55 carries (8.7 average) and a team-best five rushing scores.

Following the season, four Polar Bears received All-OAC recognition led by a pair of First Team selections in fifth-year senior Josh Bever (Ashland) and junior Dalton Tjong (Cumming, Ga./West Forsyth). Senior Noah Miller (Coldwater) and fifth-year senior Tyler Irigoyen (Palm Coast, Fla./Flagler Palm Coast) were named All-OAC Honorable Mention.

Tjong and Bever were also named All-Region 4 by D3football.com. Tjong was a First Team selection and went on to be named to the Associated Press NCAA Division III All-America Second Team and D3football.com All-America Fourth Team. Bever earned Third Team All-Region honors.

Tjong had an outstanding season, tying for second nationally in total tackles with 122 (50 solo, 72 assisted) and is now a two-time All-OAC selection. He ranked 11th nationally in 2022 with 110 tackles and added 2.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions to his 2023 stat line at safety. In 2023, he posted seven games with double-digit tackles, including 21 against Alma (Mich.), which was two shy of the school's single-game record. He was also a two-time OAC Defensive Player of the Week.

In 29 career games at ONU, Tjong has 291 total tackles, which ranks seventh in program history, to go with 5.5 tackles for loss, six interceptions, two forced fumbles and 12 pass breakups.

Now a three-time All-Region pick, Bever has been named All-OAC in all five of his seasons at ONU, including three First Team honors. He ranked second on the team this season with 66 total tackles (28 solo, 38 assisted) to go with team-bests in tackles for loss (13) and sacks (7). His tackles for loss and sack totals both ranked sixth in the OAC.

In ONU's final game of the season, Bever set a school record with his 44th consecutive start. The defensive lineman ranks second all-time at ONU in career sacks (37) and tackles for loss (56) and ranks ninth in program history in total tackles (274).

Miller, a two-time All-OAC honoree, finished second on the team with 26 receptions and had 156 receiving yards and one touchdown from his tight end position. In 34 career games at ONU, he has 65 receptions for 504 yards and four touchdowns.

Irigoyen, a defensive lineman, closed 2023 with 39 total tackles (11 solo, 28 assisted), 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery to earn his first All-OAC honor. He has 90 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in 32 career games.

Junior quarterback Brennon Norris (Steubenville/Indian Creek), senior defensive back Ed Manning (Sanford, Fla./Seminole) and junior kicker/punter Jonmichael Elliott (Richmond, Va./Clover Hill) also earned accolades in 2023.

Norris was twice named OAC Offensive Player of the Week and closed the season having completed 54.4% of his passes for 1,506 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Manning and Elliott each earned an OAC Special Teams Player of the Week accolade during the season.

Manning finished tied for third on the team in total tackles with 55 (28 solo, 27 assisted) and had 2.5 tackles for loss and a team-high 12 pass breakups.

Elliott led the team in scoring with 47 points on the season, making six field goals, including a long of 42 yards, and all 29 extra points. He also averaged 40.8 yards on 47 punts with a long of 54 yards and eight downed inside the 20-yard line. His punting average ranks fourth all-time at ONU for a single season, and his career average of 39 yards on 107 punts ranks third in program history.

Other standouts from 2023 included junior receiver Jordan Dean (Euclid/Villa Angela-Saint Joseph), senior receiver L.J. Payton (Wheelersburg), sophomore defensive back Cooper Braden (Orange, City, Fla./University) and senior defensive lineman Connor Rowe (Mantua/Crestwood).

Dean finished with team-highs in receptions (34) and receiving yards (467) to go with two touchdowns.

Payton added 24 catches for 366 yards and a team-best seven touchdowns, which ranked fourth in the OAC.

Braden tallied 55 tackles (25 solo, 30 assisted) and led the team with three interceptions, which ranked sixth in the OAC.

Rowe finished with 44 tackles (14 solo, 30 assisted) and was second on the team with 6.5 tackles for loss and two sacks while adding three pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

The Polar Bears also succeeded in the classroom, earning eight College Sports Communicators Academic All-District and 19 Academic All-OAC honors. Blasiole, Elliott, Miller, Rowe, senior Hunter King (Canal Winchester) and sophomores Jordan Bassler (Monroe, Mich.), Tyler Clum (Lima/Allen East) and Jacob Marjak (Perry) were Academic All-District honorees. They joined seniors Braeden Gedeon (Bellbrook), Bryce Paul (Ada) and Peyton Wilson (Lima/Shawnee), juniors Cade Crawford (Carey), Lance Good (Kenton/Hardin Northern) and Matt Howard (Liberty Township/Lakota West) and sophomores Cody Dykes (Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area), Alex Frimel (Minster), Trevor Prudhoe (Bay Village/Bay), Karl Slader (Fairborn) and Austin Stauffer (Wapakoneta) in earning Academic All-OAC recognition.

Looking ahead, the Polar Bears will enter the 2024 season under new head coach Andy Fries, who was hired on Dec. 12.