Olivet 21, Ohio Wesleyan 0

Sept. 13, 2003

Kemp Luchie went over from 5 yards out to cap a long Olivet drive late in the first half and the Comets added 2 touchdowns in the fourth quarter to defeat Ohio Wesleyan in the Battling Bishops' season opener on Saturday at Selby Field.

Each team drove into the other's territory on its opening possession, but Olivet's game-opening march ended at the Ohio Wesleyan 40, and the Bishops' ensuing drive stalled at the Comet 29-yard line.

Olivet put together another long drive during the second quarter, getting the ball on its own 14-yard line after a punt and assembling a 17-play, 86-yard drive to take the lead. The Comets were 4-for-4 on third-down conversions during the drive, with quarterback Rick Mason rushing for one and throwing for another and Mick Faasen rushing for a pair.

Faasen's second third-down conversion, a 5-yard burst on a third-and-4 play from the Ohio Wesleyan 9, set up Luchie's 5-yard run around right end that gave the Comets a 7-0 lead with :35 left in the first half.

The Bishops seemed to seize the momentum early in the third quarter. Freshman defensive back Kyle Sherman (Plain City/Dublin Scioto) made a spectacular play to intercept a pass by Olivet's Rick Mason at the Ohio Wesleyan 9-yard line, and on the first play from scrimmage on the ensuing possession, junior quarterback Jeff Hanna (Wadsworth) connected with sophomore split end Justin Blackburn (Wadsworth) for 38 yards, but the Bishops did not get another first down on that possession.

Ohio Wesleyan put together another march late in the third quarter, with sophomore halfback Matt Carducci (Hudson) breaking loose for 28 yards to give the Bishops a first down at the Olivet 32. Ohio Wesleyan got another first down on carries by junior halfback halfback Eric Indiciani (Delaware/Olentangy) and senior fullback Chad Smith (Prospect/Elgin), but on third-and-11 from the Olivet 22, Hanna fumbled the ball away on the final play of the period.

Olivet responded swiftly, with Faasen bursting for 48 yards on the first play and 19 more on the second, spotting the ball at the Ohio Wesleyan 7. Dwight Houston covered the 7 yards on 2 carries, going over from 1 yard out to give the Comets a 14-0 lead.

The Bishops responded just as quickly, with freshman halfback Nick Rice (Dublin/Scioto) breaking loose for 23 yards on the first play of the ensuing series. Smith gained 8 more on the next play but lost the handle on the ball and Olivet recovered at the Comet 37-yard line with 13:03 left in regulation time.

Olivet then iced the game with a 63-yard, 15-play drive that ate 8:16 off the clock. Faasen scored from 1 yard out for the 21-0 Comet lead.

Ohio Wesleyan threatened again on its final possession, converting once on fourth down and another time on third-and-10, but the drive and the game ended when sophomore halfback Ryan Mead (Rockville, Md./Good Counsel) caught a swing pass from Hanna but was stopped short of the end zone on fourth down from the Olivet 10.

Rice led the Bishops with 60 yards in 13 rushes and shared the team lead with 2 receptions for 45 yards. Smith finished with 43 yards in 8 carries and Carducci had 31 yards in 2 carries. Mead also caught 2 passes for 6 yards. Hanna completed 5 of 13 passes for 89 yards.

Faasen led all rushers with 164 yards in 18 attempts. Luchie followed with 46 yards in 9 carries. Mason completed 3 of 4 passes for 22 yards.

Senior linebacker Billy Chrisovergis (Dayton/Bellbrook) led the Bishops with 16 tackles, including 2 1/2 for loss. Sherman finished with 10 stops and sophomore linebacker Shawn Quinlan (Waynesfield/Waynesfield-Goshen) and freshman defensive back Tom Thome (Macedonia/Nordonia) had 8 tackles apiece.

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