After a difficult first half, the John Carroll football team needed a complete effort to win their conference opener.

Both sides of the ball stepped up in dramatic fashion for the Blue Streaks.

Senior Jake Schaefer connected with junior Marshall Howell for a 37-yard go-ahead touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter, and the Blue Streaks (1-0) escaped with a 23-16 victory over Heidelberg (0-2) in Tiffin, Ohio on Saturday.

"We made our fair share of mistakes early in the game," head coach Tom Arth commented after the game. "Nothing is easy, it took resiliency so I'm very proud of that."

Schaefer finished the game 19-for-29 for 178 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Sophomore Arin Pruitt carried the ball 31 times for 114 yards in the contest. Howell had six catches for 80 yards and the score.

Both teams were inconsistent early in the first quarter, trading three consecutive punts before Heidelberg's A.J. Morrison nailed a 49-yard field goal to give the Student Princes a 3-0 lead with 9:53 left in the first quarter.

Junior Marshall Howell took the ensuing kickoff 87 yards to the Heidelberg 13-yard line. Three plays later, the Student Princes recovered a fumbled snap to stop the Blue Streaks momentum.

After a pass interference penalty gave Heidelberg new life on the drive, Bryan Lacey took off on a 41-yard touchdown run. That score extended the lead to 10-0 with 4:57 remaining in the quarter.

After the Blue Streaks did not score off a long return by Ro Golphin, Heidelberg looked poised to strike again. The teams immediately traded turnovers on three straight drives.

On the first play of the second quarter, Owen Reilly recovered a Student Princes fumble off a botched reverse. On the next drive, Jake Schaefer was picked off by Jarett Wasson. John Carroll then returned the favor, as sophomore Tony Perugini intercepted Jon Sandwisch's pass with 10:27 left in the half.

The Blue Streaks had two chances deep in Heidelberg and could not convert. Matt Danko's 38-yard attempt went wide left with 5:16 remaining, and a Howell catch fell short of the first down with 3:49 left.

The third time was the charm. Jake Schaefer threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Mark Baniewicz with 0:37 left in the half. Baniewicz's second career touchdown catch cut the halftime lead to 10-7.

In the first half, Schaefer was 10-for-18 for 69 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Pruitt gained 62 yards on 13 carries, and Nico James was the leading receiver with three catches for 25 yards. The Blue Streaks allowed 161 total yards in the half.

Both teams were intercepted once and lost one fumble in the first half.

Heidelberg drove right down the field to start the second half, as Sandwisch connected with Dre Valliant for a four-yard touchdown just over three minutes into the third. The Blue Streaks then made a huge play on special teams, cutting the score to 16-9 as Michael Hollins blocked the extra point and returned it for a two-point score.

"That was an incredible play for us to make it a one score game," said Arth. "Mike has a knack for that, he does it to us in practice every day."

The momentum was quickly stopped, as a deep pass from Schaefer was intercepted by Dom Scott with 8:06 on the clock in the third quarter.

The Blue Streaks took it back on downs after Mason McKenrick crushed the Heidelberg receiver short of the marker on fourth down with 3:52 left. Another trip in Student Princes territory ended with their own turnover on downs at the Heidelberg 15-yard line.

John Carroll methodically drove into the Heidelberg red zone, tying the game with 5:20 remaining on a one-yard Schaefer keeper. On the next drive, Ray Brown forced and recovered a fumble, setting up a dramatic series.

Schaefer stepped up in the pocket and found Howell on the fly for the wide-open 37-yard score inside the right hashmark.

A dropped pass on fourth down ended Heidelberg's hopes, as the Blue Streaks ran out the clock and earned the victory.

Next up for the Blue Streaks is a matchup with the Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets next Saturday in Berea at 2:00 p.m.