Jackets Score 26 Unanswered in 33-7 Rout of Hanover

DEFIANCE, Ohio -- Defiance dominated Hanover in all aspects of the game over the final three quarters on Saturday, turning a 7-7 tie after one quarter into a 33-7 victory. The Yellow Jackets piled up 368 yards of rushing offense en route to 551 yards and 25 first downs.

Each side was forced to punt on their opening possessions, before reaching the end zone on their second drives of the day. Defiance struck first as it drove the field behind a powerful rushing attack, before Hans Vetter found Luke Dillon in the corner of the end zone for the score. The drive was highlighted by three runs from Lewis Caralla for 53 yards and capped by a record-setting catch from Dillon.

The touchdown reception was Dillons 26th career touchdown and moved the Temperance, Mich., native into a tie with Sam Williams (1991-94) as the most prolific scoring receiver in Defiance school history.

Hanover answered the DC strike with its lone extended drive of the afternoon, marching 61 yards over eight plays for the score. The final blow of the drive came via a trick play, as receiver Adam Miller tossed a 25-yard completion to Chad Vilas to tie the game at 7-7.

Defiance locked down on defense from that point on and steadily began to take over the game with its offense. The Jackets continually moved the chains throughout the second quarter, but failed to pull away as they could not reach pay dirt.

Alex Bonilla ended a pair of second-quarter drives with lengthy field goals to lift DC to a 13-7 lead heading into the half. The Glenville High product connected from 41 and 32 yards out to keep Defiance from coming away empty handed.

The second half started the way the first ended, with Defiance coming up with a quick stop on defense and getting the ball in great field position. The Jackets started their first possession of the third quarter at their own 47 after Gary Allen returned the punt 26 yards.

DC marched down to the Hanover nine-yard line before being forced to settle for another field goal try. Bonilla split the uprights once again, hitting from 26 yards out to extend the lead to 16-7.

Defiance then took command of the game two drives later, scoring its first touchdown since the Jackets second possession of the game. Caralla opened the drive with a four-yard dash and then powered for 11 more on the next play. After an incomplete pass, the Jackets turned to Caralla again and the junior running back responded by ripping off a 70-yard touchdown run.

Caralla was seemingly stopped for a short game before breaking through the line, bouncing off a pair of Hanover tacklers and outrunning everyone for the score and the 23-7 DC advantage.

The score would remain at 23-7 heading into the final frame, before Bonilla set a new DC single-game record with his fourth successful field goal. Bonillas boot from 33 yards out was good and extended DCs cushion to 26-7.

The Jackets iced the game one drive later after another long punt return from Allen set things up on the Panthers 24-yard line. Defiance went with what had worked all day, running the ball three times for the score. David Thornton found the end zone on the final carry of the drive, powering seven yards for the last score of the day and the 33-7 lead.

The 368 yards on the ground for Defiance was the story, as Caralla ran for 195 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown and Thornton piled up 91 yards on 17 touches and a score.

Dillon led all receivers with 12 catches for 138 yards and a touchdown and moved closer to DCs single-season records in all three categories. The All-American candidate is now seven receptions, 126 yards and three touchdowns away from holding all three marks.

The defense turned in its second-straight dominating performance, as a total team effort limited Hanover to 154 total yards of offense and forced three turnovers. Defiance also broke up seven Panther pass attempts, and piled up six sacks.

Williams Dues registered two of those sacks for negative 13 yards and posted three tackles. Troy Huelskamp played outstanding on special teams and defense, notching five tackles, one sack and a forced fumble. Rodney Donald and Eric Phillips each picked off a pass and Chris Tietje, Chuck Bowman, R.J. Chidester and Joemese Scott all had a sack.

The win was Defiances third straight over Hanover and moved the Jackets to 5-2 overall and 4-0 in HCAC action. The Defiance offense has been on a roll of late, averaging 31.8 points and 462.2 total yards of offense per game in four conference contests.

DC will head south to take on No. 34 Mount St. Joseph (6-1, 4-1 HCAC) next Saturday in Cincinnati. The crucial conference matchup is set for a 4:00 pm kick-off.