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11/11/2007 3:31 AM

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Observer-Reporter

The amazing season of Waynesburg University running back Robert Heller continued Saturday with another record-setting performance.

Heller, a Ringgold graduate, broke Waynesburg's single-game rushing record for the second time in three weeks by gaining 312 yards as the Yellow Jackets rolled to a 54-13 victory over Westminster in the regular-season finale at Wiley Stadium.

The win gives Waynesburg a 5-1 record in the Presidents' Athletic Conference and an 8-2 overall mark. While the Yellow Jackets likely saw their chances of an NCAA Division III playoff berth end last week with an overtime loss at Geneva, Waynesburg is a strong candidate for an ECAC postseason game next weekend.

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"We just wanted to come out and play a solid game today and see where we end up in terms of the NCAA playoffs," Waynesburg coach Rick Shepas said. "If we don't make the NCAAs, then we definitely are hoping for a home ECAC bowl game."

Heller carried 40 times against Westminster (2-4, 5-5) and scored five touchdowns on runs of 11, 2, 21, 3 and 2 yards. He also became the first Waynesburg player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season. The nation's leading rusher and scorer, Heller has 2,019 yards and is already eighth on the school's all-time rushing list.

The Division III record for yards in a season is 2,420, set by Wisconsin-Whitewater's Justin Beaver in 2005. That total includes postseason games. The record for a regular season is 2,385, set in 1996 by Marietta's Donte Brown

Heller smashed the record for yards by a freshman, which was 1,380 by Frederick Nanhed of California Lutheran in 1995.

"We came into today's game hoping to get Robert Heller 2,000 yards this season," Shepas said.

Heller had set Waynesburg's single-game record with a 289-yard performance two weeks ago in a 22-21 loss to Washington & Jefferson.

Waynesburg scored on four of its first five possessions and forged a 35-13 lead by halftime. Heller had two touchdowns in the first quarter and fullback Aaron Davis scored on a five-yard run that made it 21-7.

Heller scored his fifth touchdown, on a two-yard run, early in the third quarter to make it 42-13. Ray Hightower caught an 18-yard TD pass from quarterback Andy Lauterbach in the third quarter and Jamelle Price capped the scoring with a one-yard plunge late in the fourth quarter.

Lauterbach had his most productive game of the season, completing nine of 15 passes for 167 yards. Hightower caught five passes for 115 yards.

Westminster's Kevin Franz passed for 134 yards and first-half touchdowns to Chad Rosatelli and Brett Ziegler. The Titans were held to 35 rushing yards.

Mike Czerwien had three of the Yellow Jackets' four quarterback sacks.

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