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SENIOR PHOTOS

WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- After jumping out a 7-0 lead early on in Friday night's battle for the Rhine River Cup against fellow Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) foe Heidelberg, thing went awry for Otterbein in the second half as the Student Princes scored 34 unanswered points to keep the trophy in Tiffin with a 44-14 victory.
 
Following the loss, Otterbein drops to 0-3 and the season and shifts its sights to a rivalry matchup next Friday night, April 9 at Capital.
 
For Heidelberg, the Student Princes remain atop the OAC and unbeaten at 3-0 following the win. They now shift focus to a home matchup with Ohio Northern next Friday night with a spot in the league title game on the line.
 
How It Played Out:

• Otterbein seized momentum early on when Bryce Hall connected with Reed Tucker for a 20-yard touchdown pass with 6:36 left in the first quarter. The Cardinals saw another golden opportunity after recovering a fumble on a Heidelberg punt return, but were unable to manufacture anything in the short field.
   
• After trimming the lead to 7-3 early in the second following a field goal, Heidelberg seized control late in the half when Drew Sims connected with Maceo Matthews for a 66-yard touchdown score to give the Student Princes a 10-7 lead with 2:20 to go in the second.
   
• Heidelberg forced three Otterbein punts and a fumble in the third quarter, capitalizing on each opportunity by turning in a 24-point third quarter. No Heidelberg touchdown was more back breaking than Montavious Yearby's 78-yard run with 7:22 left in the third
   
• Hall found Jack Iannarino for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, but the climb back would be just too steep as Heidelberg left down victorious.

Key Stats:

• Heidelberg doubled up Otterbein on total first downs, 30-15, and finished with a 640-281 edge in total yards.
   
• Otterbein missed out on two red-zone opportunities while the Student Princes went 5 of 6 inside the same area.
   
• Heidelberg freshman Drew Sims continued his hot start to his inaugural season by throwing for 348 yards and three touchdowns.
   
• Otterbein senior Reed Tucker enjoyed a strong game in the loss, catching eight passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. On the opposite side, Caleb Rice led the Cardinal defense with a game-best 13 stops.