April 17, 2012
By: Martin Kluk, sports information intern
COLUMBUS, Ohio - On a rainy Saturday afternoon at Columbus Crew Stadium, seniors from colleges around the state came together to show off their skills in what will most likely be the last time many get to put on their beloved football pads. For the Beavers, Justin Crosier (Columbus/Hamilton Township), Jason Johnson (Lansing, MI/Lansing Eastern) and Todd Trotter (Cincinnati/Aiken University) represented the team in the game with all three starting for the North squad.
The North took a 7-0 lead thanks to a 16-play, 82-yard drive in the first quarter that was capped with a 10-yard pass from John Carroll's Devin O'Brein to Lake Erie's Brandon James.
In the second period, South quarterback Ben Zoeller found his Wittenberg teammate Joh McKee, knotting the game at seven. With seven ticks remaining in the first half, the South converted the biggest play of the game when Zoeller found Youngstown State's Andrea Barboza for a 34-yard scoring strike and 14-7 lead.
The third and final score of the game came with 13 minutes to play when Ohio Dominican's Michael Noffsinger scored on a 4-yard run, making the final score 21-7.
Zoeller was named the Offensive Player of the Game thanks to a 10-of-13 performance for 123 yards and two touchdown passes. McKee hauled in a team-high five passes for 64 yards and a TD.
The North totaled 271 yards of total offense, compared to 278 for the South. The Defensive Player of the Game went to Youngstown State's Andrew Johnson who finished with six tackles and 3 sacks.
This was the first time that Bluffton has had seniors selected for the bowl and the Beavers hope to continue the trend in the future. For the game, Crosier led the way with two tackles, including one tackle for loss. Wide receivers Trotter and Johnson also found ways to contribute as Trotter grabbed one reception for nine yards while Johnson came through on special teams with a pair of tackles.
-BEAVERS-
