RIPON, Wis. - The Doehling-Heselton Trophy will reside in Ripon for at least one more year. The Red Hawks defeated Lawrence 52-0 Saturday afternoon to retain the trophy, which is awarded annually to the winner of this rivalry game, for the 19th consecutive season. Ripon has won 21 of the last 22 meetings against the Vikings in what is the oldest college football rivalry in the state of Wisconsin, dating back to the 1893 season.
"It was a great day, and I'm so proud of our players who worked hard this week and responded well after last week's loss," Ripon Head Coach Ron Ernst said. "I'm also extremely happy for our alums who were in attendance today. This is a big rivalry game, so it was great to see our former players in the crowd and have them experience this game."
Ripon's rushing attack, which entered the game ranking third in Division-III for yards per game, finished with 333 yards, which was 14 yards above their season average. The Red Hawks (6-3, 3-2 MWC) also threw for 112 yards, while out-gaining Lawrence (2-7, 1-4 MWC) in total offense 445-205. The Vikings were held to just 58 yards threw the air, while Ripon forced a pair of interceptions, including one in the red zone. This is the Red Hawks' second shutout of the season, and the fourth game in which they have allowed seven points or less.
After neither team scored on their opening possession, Ripon broke the scoreless tie mid-way through the first quarter on a seven-yard touchdown run by Tyler VanDeVelde, his first of three scores. VanDeVelde doubled Ripon's lead in the opening minutes of the second quarter, scoring from five yards out. Senior Brett Garst would give Ripon a 21-0 lead with three and a half minutes left in the half on a 29-yard TD reception from Cormac Madigan, before VanDeVelde added his third TD of the half on an eight yard run just two minutes later. Lawrence then went three-and-out on their ensuing possession with three incomplete passes, giving Ripon the ball back one last time in the half. The Red Hawks capitalized with a five-play, 75-yard drive that took 39 seconds and resulted in a 45-yard touchdown pass from Madigan to Senior Cameron Mignone, making the score 35-0 at halftime.
"Anytime we can have the Seniors make plays on Senior Day, it's pretty special," Ernst said. "That group of Seniors have put in so much time and effort into this team, so to see that pay off is great to see, and I couldn't be happier for the entire Senior class."
The scoring slowed down in the second half, with Ripon kicking a 39-yard Kyle Jobke field goal for the only points of the third quarter. Mignone caught his second TD pass of the game from Madigan in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, while Senior Griffin McNeal scored on a three-yard run to cap the scoring mid-way through the final period.
Madigan led all players with 162 yards on 23 carries (7.0 ypc). That makes the freshman quarterback just the 11th player in program history to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season, as he ranks 11th with 1,011 on the year with one game still to play. Madigan also threw for career-highs of 108 yards (on 4-of-8 passing) and three touchdowns. VanDeVelde also eclipsed the century mark with 100 yards on 13 carries (7.7 ypc), in addition to his three scores. Mignone was Ripon's leading receiver with three catches for 79 yards and his two touchdowns.
Defensively, Ethan Hoffman led the way with eight tackles (four solo), giving him 219 career tackles, which is the 10th-most in program history. Lane Barnes added six tackles and one sack, while Todd Willms and Austin Krause were also credited with one sack apiece. Cameron Gruenwald and Devin Smith each recorded an interception, giving both players four for the season, which is tied for the team lead. Smith has now recorded an interception in four consecutive games.
"The players did what we had worked on and they played well," Ernst said. The defense's outstanding play was all about their attitude in that they were not going to be scored on. They wanted to get that shutout, taking it one series at a time and did a great job."
Lawrence was led by Jordan Jenkins' 64 yards on 12 carries, while Ty Kimsey had 43 yards on four totes.
Ripon will bring their 2018 season to an end next weekend when they'll host Knox College at Ingalls Field in Ripon. The game time will be finalized by Monday afternoon. Please continue to check www.riponredhawks.com for further updates.
Ripon Wins Doehling-Heselton Trophy For 19th Consecutive Season
/seasons/2018/boxscores/20181103_w43s.xml
2018
Lawrence
0
Ripon
52
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence (2-7) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ripon (6-3) | 7 | 28 | 3 | 14 | 52 |
Nov 03, 2018