Ohio Wesleyan 25, Olivet 21

Sept. 14, 2002

Freshman tailback Jake Shank (Northwood/Cardinal Stritch) scored on a 16-yard run with :51 to play to put the Bishops ahead and freshman safety Ryan McCarty (Grove City/Bishop Ready) picked off a Comet pass in the Ohio Wesleyan end zone with :05 left to seal a non-conference win over Olivet in Ohio Wesleyan's season opener on Saturday at Olivet, Mich.

Trailing, 21-12, going into the fourth quarter, the Bishops pulled closer when sophomore quarterback Jeff Hanna (Wadsworth) went over from 11 yards out with 10:23 left in regulation time.

But when Hanna was intercepted by Olivet's Ryan Hayes at the Comet 46 with 2:24 to go, it looked as though Olivet might hold on to the precarious 21-19 lead.

However, the Bishops got the ball back when freshman defensive end Cisco Clervoix (Naples, Fla.) knocked the ball loose from Olivet's Jeff Walton and McCarty pounced on the ball at the Ohio Wesleyan 39 with 2:16 to play.

Facing a fourth-and-10 situation from the Bishop 39, Hanna found junior split end Bryan Beigie (Shaker Heights/Walsh Jesuit) for 15 yards and again for 8 more to get the ball into Olivet territory. From there, sophomore halfback Eric Indiciani (Delaware/Olentangy) squirted loose for 22 yards to the Comet 16, setting up Shank's 16-yard burst. Indiciani attempted a rush for the 2-point conversion but was tied up short of the Comet goal line.

Olivet answered with a dynamic drive of its own, with Rick Mason connecting with Andrew Boyd for 12 yards and with Thomas Rogers for 27 more to give the Comets a first down at the Ohio Wesleyan 36. Travis Sleight then broke free for 23 yards to the 13 and Olivet called time out with :09 left to set up its final plays. Mason tried to find his 6-6 tight end, Andy Storey, in the right corner of the end zone, but McCarty slipped in front of him and hauled down the pass to end the Comet threat.

The Comets had started the game true to their nickname, taking a quick 6-0 lead on Sleight's 53-yard touchdown run. On Olivet's second possession, Sleight streaked down the field again, scoring on a 50-yard run, and Storey hauled in a pass from Mason for 2 points and a 14-0 Olivet lead with 8:21 left in the first quarter.

Ohio Wesleyan responded with a classic 78-yard, 12-play drive that chewed up over 5 minutes, with Indiciani going over from 2 yards out to cut the deficit to 14-6 with 3:01 left in the first quarter.

The teams traded scores in the second quarter, with Mick Faasen plunging into the end zone from 1 yard out to give Olivet a 21-6 lead and the Bishops coming right back with a 71-yard, 7-play drive on their next possesion, capped by a 1-yard run by junior halfback Chad Smith (Prospect/Elgin).

The second quarter ended with Olivet holding a 21-12 lead, and Ohio Wesleyan put together the only serious threat in the third quarter, driving to a first down at the Comet 12-yard line but losing the ball on downs at the Olivet 8.

Senior tailback Jason Osborne (Oak Harbor) led the Bishops with 50 yards in 6 rushes, while Indiciani finished with 40 yards in 6 carries and senior halfback Bernie Vendlinski (Brunswick/Highland) added 38 yards in 6 attempts. Hanna completed 11 of 25 passes for 164 yards, with Beigie catching 5 for 62 yards.

Sleight led all rushers with 191 yards in 25 attempts. Mason completed 9 of 15 passes for 145 yards.

McCarty stood out for the Bishop defense, intercepting 2 passes and breaking up another, recovering 2 fumbles and making 5 tackles. Junior linebacker Billy Chrisovergis (Dayton/Bellbrook) had a team-high 17 tackles, while Clervoix finished with 12 stops and junior linebacker Kent Weakley (Plain City/Dublin Scioto) made 11 tackles and caused a fumble.

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