WHEELING, W.V. — The Notre Dame College Falcons clinched the North Division and are headed to the MEC Championship game with their 55-7 win on Saturday afternoon against Wheeling University. With the win, the Falcons improve to 4-0 while the Cardinals fall to 2-2 to end their season.

The Falcons had another dominant game in the 2021 shortened season, scoring 21 points in the first quarter, 10 points in the second and fourth quarters, and 14 points in the third quarter. The team finished with 589 yards of total offense, of which 400 came on the ground, while the defense held Wheeling to just 138-yards of total offense and only 58-yards on the ground as the clock hit zero.

Nate Moore had another great day helping lead the defense, finishing with eight tackles. Dylan Spaeth also had a fantastic day, finishing with five tackles, and enforced a loss of 16 yards total including his single sack of the day. Bryce Sheppert finished with three tackles, and an interception returned 28-yards for a touchdown.

Offensively, junior quarterback Chris Brimm finished the game throwing for 189 yards on 14 completions (24 attempted passes) and connected with Reese Perkins and Devanaire Conliffe for the two touchdown passes of the day. Brimm also earned 31 yards on the ground, including a three-yard run into the end zone for the first touchdown of the day, and a 17-yard scramble.

Conliffe had his best game of the season this afternoon, finishing with five catches and 113-yards, including the 53-yard touchdown reception, and averaged 22.6 yards-per-catch. 

Tabyus Taylor exploded for a season-high 267-yards and lead the NDC running backs with two touchdowns and averaging 11.1 yards-per-carry. Rob Singletary added 95-yards on seven carries, with a 69-yard long run and a touchdown.

After the game, head coach Mickey Mental said "Today was awesome. Our kids were ready to go from the start and we traveled well again in back-to-back weeks. I commend our leadership and our coaching staff for traveling well and being ready to play the moment we pulled in."

"Offensively, I thought our o-line did a tremendous job of opening up holes for Tabyus and protecting Chris.", continued Mental. "Defensively, they were big time with the turnovers and stops right thereafter. I thought that was the key in the first half. Our defense stepped up and took the momentum. I commend our players for taking the challenge of a short season. Our coaching staff on both sides of the ball and special teams have consistently hit on all phases. We have one big one left, and obviously we are going to put our best foot forward next week."

The Falcons will host the MEC Championship game on April 17 against the South Division champ, the University of Charleston. Kickoff time has yet to be determined. 

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