Ripon holds off Cornell for 22-14 Midwest Conference football victory

MOUNT VERNON – The opportunities were there. So was the effort.

Unfortunately, Cornell just couldn’t conjure up enough plays or convert at crucial moments.

Ripon thwarted two late Cornell drives for a chance to take the lead or tie the game and held on for a 22-14 victory on Homecoming Saturday at Van Metre Field of Ash Park.

“My biggest takeaway really truthfully is I thought we made mistakes in the first half,” Cornell Coach Curt Ritchie said. “I thought we cleaned them up a little bit the second half. Still a lot of things we can control.

“Just need to be a little deeper and better at special teams, which cost us about five points.”

The Rams trailed the entire game but moved within 16-14 with 8:55 to go. Mason Dew hit Silas Heimos for a 2-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal.

Cornell couldn’t extend the rally, getting the ball back down five with 3:38 remaining and trailing by eight with 42 seconds to go. The Rams failed to move the chains, despite Rommel Pinner’s 53-yard return to set up a short field on the last drive.

The Rams knocked on the door but couldn’t budge it open. Ritchie said the team displayed unity battling to the end.

“I was just really happy at the way our guys really fought together and banded together in the second half,” Ritchie said. “The first time that I felt like our guys really was a team effort to try to win.”

The miscues put Cornell in an early hole. A bad punt snap sailed into the end zone and resulted in a safety and a 2-0 Ripon lead six minutes into the game.

The Red Hawks added a 2-yard TD run from Kevin Tortolero and a 28-yard TD pass from quarterback Aidan Keyes to Ryan Clayborn. The latter came with 1:52 left before halftime, making it 16-7 in favor of Ripon.

Cornell produced a scoring drive midway through the second quarter, pulling within two points. The Rams went 75 yards on six plays, capping the drive with BooBoo Browning’s 10-yard TD run up the middle.

Dew had two key completions – a 44-yard pass to Pinner to open the drive and a 13-yarder to Heimos to set up the score. He also provided a spark with his athleticism on the second-half score, rolling to his left, eluding two to three tacklers by spinning free and holding himself up with his hand before crossing field and hitting Trey Anderson for a 21-yard gain on fourth-and-1 from Ripon’s 36.

Dew, who made his first college start last week, passed for 189 yards and finished with 200 total yards.

“It really just comes down the fact we feel like our receivers are a good position group for us and we're going to have to be able to spread and move the ball around,” Ritchie said. “He's just gifted with a very talented arm. He can really throw it as well as anybody I've seen.”

“I think the guys just really believe in him and feel like he's the guy that gives us a chance to do that.”

Cornell’s defense kept the Rams in the game, nabbing three interceptions including two from Conner Lewis. They held Ripon to just 115 yards through the air and limited the Red Hawks to field goals to give the offense late shots.

“They've consistently been like that all year,” Ritchie said. “I think they've really settled in.

“They gave us plenty of opportunities to score points that first half with I don't know how many turnovers.”

Ripon kicker Ben Crock’s homecoming helped spoil the Rams’ Homecoming weekend. The former Mount Vernon prep made field goals of 41 and 30 yards, increasing the Red Hawks’ lead to eight in the final minutes.

“It means a lot,” Crock said. “I’m very grateful for everyone on PAT protection, as well as the long-snapper and my holder.”

Crock said he’s played on the Cornell field since he was 8 years old and he’s comfortable kicking in this setting. He said about 10 family and friends attended the game.

“I’m at home here,” Crock said. “My house is actually three blocks down the road. I’m excited to be back in town and to see my family here. … It was awesome.”

Cornell dropped to 2-3 overall and 2-2 in the Midwest Conference. The Rams travel to league co-leader Monmouth (Ill.) College next week.

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