Wittenberg 58, Ohio Wesleyan 17

Oct. 26, 2002

Wittenberg used big plays and a decided edge in field position to pull away for a win over Ohio Wesleyan in North Coast Athletic Conference action on Saturday at Selby Field.

The Tigers wasted no time in getting into Bishop territory as quarterback Greg Cornett found wide receiver Skip Ivery for 55 yards down the right sideline on the first play from scrimmage. Ohio Wesleyan's defense held, however, and Wittenberg had to settle for a 28-yard Jacob Thomas field goal for a 3-0 lead with 12:33 left in the first quarter.

Wittenberg intercepted an Ohio Wesleyan pass on the Bishops' next possession and took advantage of the opportunity, moving 30 yards in 2 plays as Cornett found Ivery for 21 yards over the middle and Alex Smith rushed for a 9-yard touchdown that put Wittenberg ahead, 10-0, with 10:41 left in the first quarter.

The Bishops marched into Wittenberg territory later in the first quarter, with junior halfback Chad Smith (Prospect/Elgin) and freshman tailback Matt Carducci (Hudson) doing most of the damage. The biggest play in the drive was a 19-yard completion from sophomore quarterback Joe Stanton (Olmsted Falls) to Carducci on a third-and-9 play from the Wittenberg 30, giving the Bishops a first down at the Tiger 11. The drive stalled there, though, and freshman Jason Whitcomb (Wauseon) came on for a 26-yard field goal that cut the deficit to 10-3.

Wittenberg came right back on its next possession, starting off at the Tiger 47-yard line after a Bishop penalty on the kickoff return. From there, Wittenberg covered 53 yards in 10 plays, with Cornett finding tight end Erich Schoeneberger on a post pattern from 2 yards out for the score. The key play in the drive was Smith's 13-yard gain on a draw play on fourth-and-3 from the Ohio Wesleyan 18.

The Tigers intercepted an Ohio Wesleyan pass on the Bishops' next possession and took over on the Bishop 23. Cornett capped a 4-play drive with a 9-yard TD pass to Adrian Crane, but the Tigers missed the point after try and led by a 23-3 margin with 11:58 left in the first half. Cornett later hit Josh McCoy on a 42-yard TD pass down the sideline for a 30-3 lead.

Ohio Wesleyan put together a quick scoring drive late in the first half, taking over on its own 16-yard line with 1:38 to play. After a Wittenberg penalty moved the ball to the 31, Stanton hit freshman split end Justin Blackburn (Wadsworth) for 13 yards before sophomore halfback Eric Indiciani (Delaware/Olentangy) picked up 8 yards. The Tigers sacked Stanton on the next play, setting up a third-and-6 call, but Stanton delivered with a screen pass to Carducci, and Carducci broke free for a 52-yard scoring play with 1:00 left in the half.

That left Cornett enough time to engineer a scoring drive of his own, finding Ivery for 9 yards and again for 7 later in the drive. Cornett also connected with Adrian Crane twice, the first for 18 yards and the second for an 19-yard TD play with :11 on the clock, giving the Tigers a 37-10 halftime lead and capping a second quarter that saw Cornett throw 4 touchdown passes.

Wittenberg added to the lead in the third quarter, taking the opening kickoff and driving 57 yards, the last 1 coming on a dive by Raymar Hampshire, and later scoring on Alex Smith's 5-yard run after blocking a Bishop punt. Adam Hewitt scored on a 17-yard run early in the fourth quarter for a 58-10 lead.

Ohio Wesleyan wrapped up the scoring on a 5-yard run by Chad Smith midway through the fourth quarter.

Indiciani led the Bishops with 77 yards in 8 carries, while Carducci finished with 36 yards in 13 attempts and Chad Smith rushed for 34 yards in 14 attempts as the Bishops held a 184-91 edge on the ground. Hampshire led Wittenberg with 42 yards in 8 carries.

Stanton completed 5 of 10 passes for 102 yards with a touchdown and 2 interceptions, while sophomore quarterback Jeff Hanna (Wadsworth) completed 8 of 17 passes for 71 yards. Cornett completed 16 of 19 throws for 262 yards and 4 touchdowns for Wittenberg.

Blackburn caught 3 passes for 28 yards for Ohio Wesleyan. Ivery finished with 6 catches for 111 yards and Crane caught 5 passes for 83 yards and 2 touchdowns for Wittenberg.

Defensive standouts included junior linebacker Billy Chrisovergis (Dayton/Bellbrook), who led the Bishops with 16 tackles, including 2 sacks and 4 for loss; freshman safety Craig Keenan (Salem, Mass./Hamilton-Wenham), whose 4 stops included 3 for loss; and freshmen end Cisco Clervoix (Naples, Fla.), who had 4 tackles, including 2 sacks.

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