Albion 10, Ohio Wesleyan 3

Sept. 27, 2003

Junior J.D. Winteregg (Englewood/Northmont) booted a 25-yard field goal to bring Ohio Wesleyan within 10-3 midway through the fourth quarter, but Albion repelled a Bishop threat late in the closing minutes and escaped with a non-conference win on Saturday at Selby Field.

Trailing, 10-0, going into the fourth quarter, the Bishops got the ball on their own 33-yard line with 13:24 to play and proceeded to march into Briton territory. Freshman halfback Nick Rice (Dublin/Scioto) picked up 9 yards to convert a third-and-4 situation, and then junior quarterback Jeff Hanna (Wadsworth) connected with Rice for 23 yards on a fourth-and-4 play that gave Ohio Wesleyan a first down on the Albion 13. The drive stalled there, with Hanna scrambling for 9 yards on a third-and-14 play from the 17, and Winteregg came on to drill a 25-yard field goal to put the Bishops on the scoreboard.

Sophomore defensive tackle Doug Rittmeyer (Macedonia/Nordonia) then sacked Albion quarterback Steve Wasil for an 8-yard loss on the first play of the Britons' next possession, and Albion ended up punting the ball away without getting a first down.

Ohio Wesleyan took over on its own 24-yard line with 5:35 remaining. The Bishops didn't get a first down and had to punt, but Ohio Wesleyan caught a break when Albion's Roman Starr fumbled the punt and senior end Travis Little (Wheelersburg) recovered at the Bishop 45-yard line.

With the new life, the Bishops moved downfield. Senior fullback Chad Smith (Prospect/Marion Elgin) reeled off 7 yards on first down and Rice picked up another first down with a 4-yard burst on the next play. When fourth-and-5 came up on the ensuing series of downs, Hanna broke loose for 8 yards and a first down at the Albion 31-yard line.

Albion lineman Brett Putman sacked Hanna on first down, forcing Ohio Wesleyan to use its last time out with :52 remaining. The Bishops picked up another first down on Hanna completions to Rice and Smith, the latter taking the ball to the Briton 18-yard line. On first down, Hanna couldn't find an open receiver and got rid of the ball, and Albion's Ivan Meiring sacked Hanna for a 5-yard loss on second down. With the clock moving and no time outs remaining, the Bishops spiked the ball to stop the clock with :10 to play, setting up fourth-and-15 from the Albion 23-yard line. Hanna looked for Smith along the left sideline, but Smith could not pull the ball down and the Bishop threat ended.

Ohio Wesleyan had the first good opportunity to score, that coming in the first quarter. Senior linebacker Billy Chrisovergis (Dayton/Bellbrook) sacked Wasil and the ball popped loose, with senior tackle Zac Morris (Big Prairie/West Holmes) covering the ball for Ohio Wesleyan on the Albion 17-yard line. Consecutive carries by Rice moved the Bishops to a first down at the Briton 5, but Ohio Wesleyan then was flagged for offensive pass interference and intentional grounding on consecutive plays, moving the ball back to the 31. Rice broke loose for 19 yards to bring the ball back to the 12, but the Bishops got no closer and Winteregg's 30-yard field goal attempt was off to the right.

The Bishops drove into Albion territory again in the second quarter, moving to a first down at the Briton 34, but the drive stalled there.

Albion got on the scoreboard in the closing minutes of the first half when Wasil found Adam Schantz on a 24-yard pass play with 2:56 left on the clock. The scoring play capped a 4-play, 46-yard possession for the Britons. Andy Cline's conversion made it 7-0.

Briton linebacker Dan Bukowski picked off a Hanna pass on first down on Ohio Wesleyan's ensuing possession, giving Albion the ball on the Bishop 19-yard line. The Bishop defense yielded only 2 yards, but Cline came on and converted a 34-yard field goal to give Albion a 10-0 lead.

The Bishop defense played an even better second half, allowing the Britons only 20 yards in total offense -- including only 5 rushing yards and only 3 first downs -- during the final 30 minutes.

Ohio Wesleyan moved into Albion territory once during the third quarter. Freshman defensive back Tom Thome (Macedonia/Nordonia) picked off a Wasil pass at the Ohio Wesleyan 42 and the Bishops reeled off a pair of first downs. Junior halfback Eric Indiciani (Delaware/Olentangy) picked up 3 yards on fourth-and-1 to move the chains the first time, and Hanna found Rice on a screen pass for 6 yards for another first down. An Albion penalty gave the Bishops a first down at the Briton 19, but the Bishops could not push any further downfield.

Rice led the Bishops with 62 yards in 14 carries, while Smith finished with 46 yards in 18 rushes. Hanna completed 11 of 25 passes for 77 yards, with Rice, Smith and sophomore halfback Matt Carducci (Hudson) making 3 catches apiece.

Ryan Williams led Albion with 75 yards on 22 carries. Wasil completed 10 of 20 passes for 95 yards and Chad Brent had 3 receptions for 51 yards.

Sophomore defensive back Jeff King (Sidney/Piqua) led the Bishops with 9 tackles, including 1 for loss. Chrisovergis finished with 8 tackles, including a sack, broke up a pass and forced a Briton fumble. Rittmeyer added 6 tackles, including a sack and a tackle for loss; and Little had 4 stops, including a sack and another for loss.

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