Mount Union claims yet another D-III title

Purple Raiders avenge last year’s semififinal loss, 12-0.

SALEM, VA.— Justin Hill and D’Angelo Fulford have provided an offffffffffffensive spark for Mount Union all season, so when the Purple Raiders were locked in a defensive struggle against Mary Hardin-Baylor in the Division III national championship, it was no surprise the pair did it again.

Fulford hit Hill for a 42- yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter Friday night, pushingMount Union’s lead to 10-0, and the Purple Raiders won their 13th football national championshipwith a 12-0 victory over the defending champions Friday night.

“We just had to make a play,” said Hill, who, like Fulford, is only a sophomore. “D-12 threw the ball up and I had to make a play. I’m an impact player so I had to make a play when we needed it.”

The touchdown pass, which barely cleared the handsof defensivebacksReginaldColeandJeffffffffffffersonFritz, was the 50th scoring throw for Fulford this season, and the 20th that went to Hill. It came with 11:17 remaining, and gave the Mount Union defense a sense of security.

“We felt that we could hold them under 10 points at least for the last 10 minutes of the game,” cornerback Louis Berry said.

The Purple Raiders (15-0), wholost toMaryHardin-Baylor in the semififinals last season, held the Crusaders to 144 yards.

“Everything we did they were ready for it,” running back Markeith Miller said. “They had a great game plan.”

MountUnionalso fifinished with eight sacks for 48 yards, including a safety by Nick Brish, andtwointerceptions.

The Crusaders (14-1) had not trailed all season and had their 29-game winning streak snapped.

They also were shut out for just the second time in their 20-year history.

Coach Pete Fredenburg was left to lament missed opportunities. TheCrusaders ran a punt back for a touchdown in the fifirst half, but it was nullifified by a running into the kicker flflag, and then tried a fake punt that came up short, leading to Mount Union’s fifirst-half fifield goal.

“There were a multitude of things thatwe could have done better to keep themoffff the scoreboard,” he said.