Wooster 37, Ohio Wesleyan 14

Oct. 5, 2002

Tony Sutton rushed for a North Coast Athletic Conference-record 313 yards and tied NCAC records with 5 rushing touchdowns and 30 points as Wooster defeated Ohio Wesleyan in the NCAC opener for both teams on Saturday at Selby Field.

Ohio Wesleyan opened the game with an impressive drive, taking the opening kickoff and marching 68 yards in 8 plays. Senior tailback Jason Osborne (Oak Harbor) picked up 16 yards on a sweep on the first play from scrimmage and added a 30-yard burst later in the drive, and junior halfback Chad Smith (Prospect/Elgin) had a nifty 17-yard gain. The Bishops took the lead on a 19-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Jeff Hanna (Wadsworth) to freshman tight end Colby Welanetz (Carlsbad, Calif.) just 2:40 into the game.

The Bishop defense opened the game just as effectively, forcing a 3-and-out on Wooster's first possession, and it looked like Ohio Wesleyan was marching to another score when the Bishops picked up 2 first downs on the ensuing possession.

But a holding penalty wiped out an 11-yard run by sophomore halfback Eric Indiciani (Delaware/Olentangy), pinning Ohio Wesleyan back to a second-and-19 from its own 24, and the Bishops eventually had to punt.

Wooster then tied the score with a 50-yard, 7-play drive that mixed 5 Sutton carries with a couple of Jeff Spraggins completions, one to Mike Malone and one to Rob Hooper. Sutton went over from 2 yards out to tie the game with 3:21 left in the first quarter.

The second quarter was a defensive battle most of the way, with Ohio Wesleyan picking up the only first down in the first 11-plus minutes of action.

That changed quickly when the Scots took over at their own 42-yard line after a punt and Sutton went off right tackle, cut back left, bounced outside and streaked down the left sideline for a 58-yard TD run that put Wooster ahead to stay. The Fighting Scots added to their lead with a 23-yard Richie McNally field goal with :01 left in the first half for a 17-7 lead at intermission.

Sutton added 2 more touchdowns in the third quarter, handling the ball all 3 times on a 3-play, 43-yard drive that ended with a Sutton plunge from 1 yard out, and then breaking free on a 31-yard TD run that finished off a 75-yard, 5-play drive late in the period.

Sutton capped the Wooster scoring with a 7-yard run around left end, giving Wooster a 37-7 lead.

Ohio Wesleyan scored on a 20-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Joe Stanton (Olmsted Falls) to junior split end Bryan Beigie (Shaker Heights/Walsh Jesuit) later in the fourth quarter.

Sutton's 313 yards broke the NCAC record of 292 yards set by Wooster's Brian Grandison against Earlham on Nov. 9, 1991. His 313 yards came in 36 carries and helped Wooster to a 361-232 edge in rushing yardage. Spraggins completed 5 of 11 passes for 69 yards, with Malone making 2 receptions for 26 yards.

Osborne led the Bishops with 107 yards in 20 rushes. Hanna completed 7 of 18 passes for 41 yards, while Stanton was 3-of-7 for 47 yards. Welanetz led the Bishops with 3 receptions for 19 yards.

Defensive standouts included junior linebacker Billy Chrisovergis (Dayton/Bellbrook), who led the Bishops with 15 tackles; junior linebacker Kent Weakley (Plain City/Dublin Scioto), who recorded 11 stops; junior tackle Zac Morris (Big Prairie/West Holmes), whose 8 tackles included 1 for loss; senior linebacker Ryan Nixon (West Milton/Milton Union), who recorded 7 tackles; and freshman end Cisco Clervoix (Naples, Fla.), who had 5 tackles, including 1 for loss.

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