Box Score
Junior quarterback Craig Mustard (Mason, OH/Mason) tossed three touchdowns, including two to wideout Derick Tabar (Cincinnati, OH/Colerain), as the Mount recorded a 24-16 win over HCAC-foe Defiance College. The Lions, 9-0 overall, 7-0 in the HCAC and ranked 19th in the nation, end 2009 regular season play on Nov. 14 when they host cross-river rival and nationally-ranked Thomas More College at 1 p.m. at Schueler Field. Both teams bring undefeated records into the game, Bridge Bowl XIV, with the Saints holding a 10-3 lead in the all-time series.
The victory over the Yellow Jackets enabled the Lions to clinch the HCAC title outright.
Mustard helped the Lions get off to a 14-0 lead by intermission, tossing a four-yard scoring pass to tight end Rob Blundred (Cincinnati, OH/Oak Hills) and a seven-yard score to Tabar. Brian Weimer (Cincinnati, OH/Oak Hills) converted the PAT kick after each TD. The Yellow Jackets scored 10 unanswered points in the third quarter to cut the Mount lead to 14-10, but Tabar and Mustard hooked up on a 72-yard scoring play early in the fourth quarter - and Weimer converted a 27-yard field goal - to bump the Mount advantage to 24-10 with just over two minutes remaining in the game. Defiance closed the scoring with an 11-yard TD pass with under a minute to play in the game.
Mustard finished 18-of-33 for 267 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and was not sacked. Tabar had five receptions for 140 yards and two scores while Brad Sersion (Cincinnati, OH/Anderson) led all players with six receptions for 64 yards. Noah Joseph (Roswell, GA/Blessed Trinity) and Jake Davis (Cincinnati, OH/Anderson) helped the Lions roll up 154 yards rushing (4.3 per carry) as the Mount totaled 421 total yards to Defiance's 240. The Lions held the edge in first downs, 20-15, and time of possession, 30:23-29:37.
Vince Smith (Middletown, OH/Middletown) had a team-high 10 tackles while Alex Harbin (Cincinnati, OH/Elder) and Brett Hambrick (Cincinnati, OH/Elder) each recorded a sack.
