HIRAM, Ohio – November 2, 2024 – Hiram football had its best performance of the season on Saturday afternoon, executing in multiple facets of the game despite a 30-20 loss to Wooster at Henry Field.
The Terriers threw for two touchdowns, ran for one touchdown, executed a fake punt and had an interception in a game that was within three points in the final stretch of the fourth quarter. The Fighting Scots ultimately won the back-and-forth affair on the back of Jarvis Mims Jr., who ran for 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns out of the Wooster backfield.
Neither team scored more than nine consecutive points in the game and neither team led by more than 10 points, a testament to the highly competitive nature of the NCAC affair.
On the Hiram side, quarterback
Jaden Jennings went 13-of-24 for 168 yards and two touchdowns, while running back
RJ Johnson ran for 77 yards and also caught a 23-yard touchdown.
Malakai Nation recorded his second interception of the season, while
Gavin Cruser (14 tackles),
Kole Tarary (12), Tonvonta Revis (10) and
Devyn Mercilliott (10) each had double-digit tackles.
Dylan Hargas was responsible for Hiram's longest play of the season, catching an 86-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to make it a 23-20 game with 7:39 remaining. Hargas caught the ball at his own 20-yard line before sprinting past the opposing defense for 80 yards after the catch to bring his team just a field goal away from tying the contest.
Wooster responded with a nine-play drive – eight of which were runs by Mims Jr. – that took off nearly five minutes from the game clock and made it a 10-point deficit after a two-yard touchdown run. With 1:44 remaining, there was little Hiram could do to rally back yet again.
Hiram had also gained momentum in the third quarter, when head coach
Jack Mrozinski Jr. opted for a fake punt from his own 37-yard line; senior
Anthony Brumbaugh took the snap and ran it 14 yards to midfield to give his team a chance to dig out of a 16-6 hole. That drive was capped by Johnson's 23-yard TD reception, as the elusive back showcased his pass-catching ability to make it a 16-13 game.
Egya Quaison-Sackey (38-yard touchdown run) and Nation (interception at the Wooster two-yard line) were the other sources of positive momentum in the first and second quarter respectively, but the Fighting Scots never trailed in the game and kept enough composure to hold on for the nail-biter of a win.
The Terriers will host DePauw next Saturday at 12 p.m., with Senior Day festivities beginning just before kickoff as part of a pregame ceremony at Henry Field.
