By Joseph Watkins,
sports information assistant
The Bluffton University football team rattled off 27 points in the second half en route to a 34-0 shutout at Earlham College on Saturday, Sept. 15.

The Beavers improved to 1-2 overall and 1-0 in the Heartland Conference, while the Quakers stayed winless at 0-3 and 0-1 in the HCAC. It also marked his first victory as a collegiate head coach for Coach Krepps.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Beavers finally dented the scoreboard with 3:08 to play in the half when freshman quarterback Zachary Nobis (Bryan) hit Adam Duncan (Northwood/Lake) with a 9-yard touchdown pass to put Bluffton up 7-0.

The third quarter saw the Beavers put 20 points on the Quakers for a 27-0 lead heading to final stanza. Junior Trenton Besgrove (Millbury/Cardinal Stritch) sandwiched TD passes to Lucas Espitia (Lincoln Park, MI/Lincoln Park) and Keyon Camden (Wayne/Elmwood) around his own eight-yard scoring scamper as Bluffton found its rhythm offensively in the third quarter. A three-yard plunge by freshman bulldozer Sean Russaw (Sanford, Fla./Lake Howell) with 2:55 to play capped the 34-0 shutout.

The Beaver passing attack was led by Besgrove who went 9-of-16 for 198 yards and two touchdowns in his first collegiate start! Drake Campbell (Trenton/ Edgewood) went for 80 yards on just 13 rushing attempts. Keyon Camden (Wayne/Elmwood) caught two balls for 88 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively the Beavers were outstanding as they shut out the Quakers. Tyler Showalter (Haviland/Wayne Trace) led the way with 14 tackles. Sophomore Stephan Kosakowski (Cleveland/Benedictine) and senior Doniven Clark(Toledo/Bowsher) picked off the home team with two interceptions apiece.

Bluffton nearly doubled up the Quakers with 415 yards to just 209 for the home team. The Bluffton defense held Earlham to 15 yards on the ground. The Beavers put up 185 yards rushing en route to a 10-minute edge in time of possession (35:43 to 24:17). Fourteen penalties for 106 yards slowed Bluffton's offense in the first half but the defense kept Earlham from taking advantage.

The Beavers will be back home Saturday, Sept. 22, when they host the Hanover College Panthers. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. at Dwight Salzman Stadium.

Cross country
The Bluffton University cross country team showed toughness on a hot and humid course on Saturday afternoon at the Blue River State Park Invitational in Shelbyville, Ind.

The women took the course first for their six-kilometer excursion and battled to a fifth-place finish, led by sophomore Kimberly Hetrick (Fremont/Ross), who thrived in the conditions to place in the eighth position with a time of 25:23.7.

She was followed closely by junior Alexis Cash (Gaines, Mich./Lake Fenton) with a 13th place finish and a time of 25:46.1. Seniors Tami Groff (Versailles) and Jennie Matteson (Guysville/Alexander) also garnered top 25 finishes, as Bluffton battled tightly, but fell just short against conference rivals Earlham and Manchester

The heat did not go away for the second race of the evening, as the eight-kilometer race ended with senior Jonah Eckert (Terre Haute, Ind./West Vigo) running a superb race, winding up with a tenth place finish and a time of 28:15.1. Juniors Connor Gulick (St. Louisville/Utica) and Dakota Frost (Hicksville) came in 41st and 43rd, respectively, to round out the top three for the Beavers.

The women's meet was won by Ohio Northern University, while Trine University dominated the men's race with just 22 points.

Bluffton returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 29, when the Beavers travel to Silver Creek Metro Park for the All-Ohio Championships (2:45 p.m.) hosted by the University of Akron.

Volleyball
By Lynsey Trusty, sports information assistant
The Bluffton University volleyball team traveled south to Lousiville, Ky., where the Beavers took on Fontbonne at Spalding University. Bluffton improved to 3-7, while Fontbonne slipped to 1-4 on the season.

The Beavers were itching for a win and took Fontbonne down in three quick sets (25-17, 25-13, 25-15). The Griffins were no match for the Beavers as Bluffton outhit them .307 to .060. Bluffton fired eight aces at Fontbonne, including two apiece from Brooke Kleman (Ottawa/Ottawa-Glandorf), Chelsey Taylor (Hicksville) and Casey Clark(Lima/Central Catholic).

Senior Jessie Gibson (Warsaw/River View) led the offense with eight kills, hitting .500 with three blocks. FreshmanMaddie White (Ashland) chipped in six spikes. Erin Weisgarber (Bolivar/Tuscarawas Valley) tallied 24 helpers, surpassing Shauna Rowland for second place all time with 3,705 assists. Sophomore Sarah Heydinger (Tiro, Ohio/Buckeye Central) stuffed the Griffins with five blocks in the victory.

Bluffton will be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 15, to take on Greenville and host Spalding at noon.