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ALLIANCE -- Heidelberg snapped a 37-game losing streak against Mount Union, beating the eighth-ranked Purple Raiders 37-34 on Saturday in the Ohio Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
Mount Union fell to 1-2 and 0-1 in the OAC. It was Heidelberg’s first win over Mount Union since 1988. The last time Mount Union lost three games in a season was 1988 when it went 6-3-1. The only seasons the Purple Raiders lost two games since were in 1989, 1994, 2016 and 2026.
There were six lead changes in the second half. Mikey Maloney’s 2-yard touchdown run put the Raiders ahead 34-30 with 9:48 to play, but Heidelberg (3-0, 2-0) answered on its next drive. Dmitry Peters had a 69-yard catch and run to highlight the six-play, 79-yard march, capped by Drew Miller’s 8-yard scoring run with 6:35 left.
Mount Union’s Andrew Holmes intercepted his second pass of the game to set up the Raiders at their 41, but Heidelberg’s defense forced a turnover on downs to seal the win.
Maloney, a junior, threw for a career-high 358 yards and four touchdowns and added a rushing score. Each of his touchdown passes went to a different receiver: freshman Brayden Harris, freshman Bo Bokman, sophomore O.P. Knox and junior Mason Ashby.
Bokman ran for a career-high 120 yards and had a career-best 61 yards receiving with a touchdown. Ashby had his second straight 100-yard receiving game, finishing with a career-high 124 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown.
Harris caught his first career touchdown, a 12-yard pass from Maloney with 12:16 left in the second quarter. Heidelberg led 13-7 at halftime.
Mount Union’s defense forced five interceptions. Holmes and sophomore Dallas Richardson each had two, the first of their careers, and sophomore Jaeson Anderson had the other. Sophomore Gavin Ehrhardt and graduate Colson Conrad each had a sack.
The Raiders have a bye next week and play at Muskingum on Oct. 3 at 1:30 p.m.