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Ohio Wesleyan 36, Wooster 30 (9/29/2001)

Senior quarterback Mike Jonesco (Oberlin/Elyria Catholic) tossed a 3-yard TD pass to senior tailback Matt Capone (Cleveland/Padua) to put the Bishops ahead with :31 to play and senior linebacker Shaun Ramos (Cumberland, R.I./St. Raphael Academy) preserved the win with a key tackle as Ohio Wesleyan nipped Wooster in its North Coast Athletic Conference opener on Saturday at Selby Field.

Wooster had taken a 30-28 lead on a 3-yard run by tailback Scott Jones with 4:35 remaining, but Bishop end Travis Little (Wheelersburg) got a hand on the extra point attempt to keep the deficit at 2 points.

Capone returned the ensuing kickoff 30 yards to the Ohio Wesleyan 40, then rumbled for 9 yards on a third-and-1 call from the Bishop 49. Later, Jonesco kept the drive going with a 9-yard pass to senior split end Brian Cromwell (Toledo/DeSales) and another key play was turned in by junior halfback Jason Osborne (Oak Harbor), who picked up 13 yards around right end to give the Bishops a first down at the Scot 5-yard line. On third down, Jonesco found Capone in the end zone for the score. The TD pass was Jonesco's fourth of the game, tying the Ohio Wesleyan record accomplished 7 times, most recently by Phil Heyn against Earlham in 1998.

The Fighting Scots came back and got good field position when Wally Fox fielded a squib kickoff and rumbled for 17 yards to the Wooster 42. From there, quarterback Jeff Spraggins hit receiver Chris Cabot on a crossing route for 21 yards to the Bishop 37. After an incompletion to Cabot on the sideline, the Scots went for the end zone on second down, but Spraggins' pass was out of the reach of receiver Darryl Simmons and nearly picked off by Bishop cornerback Steve Siefert (Sylvania/Northview).

With one more shot from the 37, Spraggins threw a Hail Mary down the right side. The ball was tipped and went right to Wooster receiver Dan Steck, but Ramos was there to make the stop, keeping Steck out of the end zone and preserving the win for Ohio Wesleyan.

Wooster drew first blood in the game, taking a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard pass from Spraggins to Matt Ralls.

Ohio Wesleyan answered with a 58-yard bomb from Jonesco to senior split end Joe Clinton (Farmington Hills, Mich./U. Detroit Jesuit), with Clinton making a spectacular catch and outrunning the Scot secondary.

The Scots retook the lead on their next possession, capping a 63-yard drive with a 4-yard run by Jones, but Ohio Wesleyan came back to tie on a 13-yard strike from Jonesco to junior tight end Jimmy Kinch (Painesville/Riverside).

Wooster took the lead again when Richie McNally drilled a 46-yard field goal and boosted its advantage to 24-14 on an 18-yard pass from Spraggins to Simmons with 8:51 left in the third quarter, but Ohio Wesleyan responded with 2 scores, getting a 1-yard run from sophomore halfback Chad Smith (Prospect/Elgin) and another Jonesco-to-Kinch TD pass, this one covering 1 yard, for a 28-24 Ohio Wesleyan lead wtih 13:08 left in the game.

Jonesco completed 11 of 22 passes for 189 yards and 4 TDs while throwing 2 interceptions. Five passes went to Cromwell for 82 yards and Kinch caught 3 passes for 22 yards. Capone led Bishop rushers with 104 yards in 24 carries.

Defensive standouts included sophomore safety Travis Finch (Wayland, Mass.), who led the Bishops with 10 tackles; junior linebacker Chad Marlatt (Coshocton/Ridgewood), who had 8 stops, caused a fumble and blocked an extra point; senior safety Matt Lavish (Bay Village/Bay), who made 8 tackles, including 1 for loss; senior tackle Steve Schoenberger (West Carrollton), whose 7 tackles included a sack and another for loss; and sophomore linebacker Billy Chrisovergis (Dayton/Bellbrook), who had 5 tackles, including 1 for loss, and blocked a field goal attempt.