BOX SCORE ADRIAN, Mich. - Visiting Capital scored on its first three offensive possessions and tallied 487 yards of total offense as the Crusaders defeated Adrian, 31-21 in Saturday's opener of the 2009 football season.
CU, which won its seventh consecutive season opener, was paced by the return of senior quarterback Marty Assmann (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley HS) after missing the final four games of last season due to injury. Assmann completed 18-of-32 passes for 274 yards with two touchdowns.
Overall, Capital had a balanced attack with 274 yards passing and 213 yards rushing while racking up 29 first downs and scoring on four of six possessions in the red zone.
Assmann's favorite target through the air was All-OAC junior wide receiver Matt White (Mason, Ohio/Mason HS) who finished with five catches for 86 yards and one touchdown. Classmate Kevin Wehby (Mason, Ohio/Mason HS) had a touchdown of his own through the air to put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter as one of four catches for 34 yards.
On the ground, Capital was led by junior Dominic D'Andrea (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Bishop Hartley HS) who carried the ball 23 times for 97 yards and one touchdown to finish just three yards shy of becoming the first Crusader to rush for 100 yards in a single game since Charlie Smith in the 2006 NCAA Playoffs against North Central (110 yds., 11/25/06).
Senior Matt Merritt (Cincinnati, Ohio/Indian Hill HS) followed with 72 yards rushing on 16 carries with one touchdown to go along with one catch for 11 yards for a Capital offense that averaged 5.8 yards per play.
Senior Armando Ancona (Johnstown, Ohio/Johnstown-Monroe HS) had a solid effort in his return to the lineup after missing last season due to injury with three catches for 68 yards.
Junior Ryan Gunnarson (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland HS) was a key contributor in the passing game and special teams on the night. He returned the opening kickoff 40 yards to setup Capital's first score of the game and finished with 66 returns yards overall. Gunnarson added three catches for 34 yards and one rush for three yards offensively.
Capital's defense was solid against the run as it allowed just 14 yards rushing to Adrian. In addition, CU gave up only 14 first downs and forced seven three-and-out possessions. Junior Sam Jacobs (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Watterson HS) led the charge with 11 tackles including six solo stops. Two of his tackles were for a loss including one sack.
Senior linebacker Matt Heagen (New Concord, Ohio/John Glenn HS) came back from an injury of his own that sidelined him for almost all of last season to rack up six tackles including four solos.
Sophomore defensive lineman Dan Frankart (Tiffin, Ohio/Tiffin Columbian HS) made his first career start and finished with 2.5 sacks and five tackles overall.
After Gunnarson returned the opening kickoff to the CU 46-yard line, Capital marched down the field on a nine-play, 46-yard drive that resulted in a 25-yard field goal by Garrett Bennington.
The Crusader defense then forced a three-and-out to get the ball back into the hands of the CU offense at its own 43-yard line. Assmann was 3-for-5 for 30 yards passing during a scoring drive that ended with an 11-yard touchdown run by Merritt for a 10-0 Capital lead with 6:31 left in the first quarter.
Adrian came back with a touchdown of its own just three plays later, but CU regained control with a 10-play, 64-yard offensive attack paced by the duo of Assmann and D’Andrea and a pair of Adrian penalties. The CU quarterback had three rushes for 13 yards while the running back carried the ball five times for 10 yards including a two-yard touchdown run to put the Crusaders ahead 17-7 after a two-point conversion by Nathan Seibenaller with 1:06 left in a busy fourth quarter.
Adrian pulled to within three once again on a 44-yard touchdown pass just 3:05 into the second quarter, but the Capital defense stiffened to allow the offense to buffer the lead further on a five-play, 33-yard drive. Assmann connected with White on a 26-yard fly pattern to end the effort with Capital ahead 24-14 at the 5:51 mark of the second quarter.
The home squad scored one more touchdown before halftime to pull within three once more, but Adrian would be kept off the board the rest of the way by the Capital defense.
CU would have three drive stalled in AC territory during a scoreless third quarter before Assmann finally connected with Wehby on an 11-yard touchdown pass with 7:28 left to put the game out of reach, 31-21.
Capital will have a bye next Saturday to prepare for the start of Ohio Athletic Conference play on Saturday, September 19. The Crusaders will play host to Heidelberg beginning at 1:30 p.m. at Bernlohr Stadium on Hall of Fame Day. Fans can follow the action with FREE Live Video, Audio and Live Stats beginning with the Nationwide Children's Hospital Pregame Show at 1:00 p.m. on www.CapitalCrusaders.net.