Football stays alive for a playoff spot, clinches first 8-win season since 2015 with 56-14 victory at Otterbein in regular season finale

WESTERVILLE — The Ohio Northern football team kept its playoff hopes alive and clinched its first 8-win season since 2015 with a 56-14 victory at Otterbein on a warm and overcast Saturday afternoon.

The Basics

• Records: Ohio Northern (8-2 Overall, 7-1 OAC), Otterbein (1-9 Overall, 1-7 OAC).
• Venue: Memorial Stadium - Westerville, Ohio.

The Game

• Senior Louie Blasiole (Mantua/Crestwood) had 33 carries for a career-high 244 yards and three TDs.
• Senior Sam Feldman (Springboro) completed 14-of-19 passes for 280 yards and three TDs and ran five times for 19 yards.
• Junior Seth Borondy (Bellbrook) caught four passes for 132 yards and two TDs.
• Blasiole scored on a 15-yard run on ONU's first possession to make it a 7-0 game 4:55 into the contest.
• Feldman then hit Borondy on a 33-yard touchdown pass and it was 14-0 with 10:22 to go in the second quarter.
• Blasiole banged in from three yards out with 6:43 left in the half to give ONU a 21-7 lead.
• Feldman snuck in from a yard out just before halftime to make it 28-14 at intermission.
• Feldman hit Borondy on a 53-yard TD pass on the second play of the third quarter to give Ohio Northern a 35-14 advantage.
• Sophomore Zach Olechnowicz (Akron/Revere) scored on an 8-yard run with 8:03 left in the third to increase the lead to 42-14.
• Feldman then hit freshman Vic Hoelscher (Maria Stein/Marion Local) on a 33-yard touchdown pass for a 49-14 lead with 12:04 left in the game.
• Blasiole plowed in from seven yards out with 1:54 remaining to round out the scoring.
• Defensively, junior Jacob Hershberger (Lima/Allen East) had seven tackles and two TFL to lead the Northern defense.
• The Polar Bears out-gained the Cardinals 594-253 in total offense.

Notables

• The Polar Bears have clinched a spot in the postseason for the first time since 2015.
• ONU entered the game ranked No. 38 in the NCAA's latest NPI rankings.
• The NCAA Division III Playoffs feature a 40-team bracket with 27 automatic bids and 13 at-large selections.
• #2 Mount Union clinched the OAC's automatic bid this season, meaning ONU will need to be in the top 13 at-large selections teams in order to make the playoffs.
• If ONU misses the playoffs, its will compete in the Open Dorse Bowl Series at the Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton on Nov. 22.
• ONU leads the series with Otterbein by a 47-19 margin. Northern has now won 13 consecutive games in the series and is 22-7 in games played in Westerville.
• Ohio Northern finishes in second place in the OAC with its 7-1 mark.
• Saturday's game was the 10 of 10 regular season games in the 131st season of football at Ohio Northern. Ohio Northern is now 571-528-36 all-time, a winning percentage of .519.
• Blasiole is 9th on the all-time career rushing list with 2,717 yards.
• Junior Jordan Pettaway (Oregon/Clay) currently ranks 15th all-time in ONU history in rushing with 1,910 yards.
• Feldman is 12th all-time at ONU with 3,132 career passing yards.
• Andy Fries is in his second season as head coach at ONU with a 13-7 record, a winning percentage of .650.

Up Next

• The Polar Bears will find out their postseason destination and opponent on Sunday evening.