Allegheny 20, Ohio Wesleyan 12

Nov. 15, 2003

Jamie Sye and Kyle Geiser scored touchdowns as Allegheny took a 14-0 second-quarter lead, and the Gators held on to defeat Ohio Wesleyan in North Coast Athletic Conference action on Saturday at Meadville, Pa.

The Bishops dodged a bullet in the first quarter when sophomore halfback Matt Carducci (Hudson) fumbled the ball away at the Ohio Wesleyan 17. The Bishop defense, however, held Allegheny on third-and-4 and Aaron Polack's 28-yard field goal attempt was wide left.

Ohio Wesleyan marched down the field on its next possession, getting key runs from junior halfback Eric Indiciani (Delaware/Olentangy) for 27 yards and Carducci for 12 more, but the drive stalled at the Allegheny 36 and the Bishops punted. Sophomore Neil Smiley (Cincinnati/Wyoming) executed a textbook coffin-corner kick, sending the ball out of bounds on the Gator 7-yard line.

Sye ran the ball on 5 consecutive plays for the Gators, including gains of 12 and 25 yards, to start Allegheny's next drive. Bubba Smith then hit Casey Devlin for back-to-back gains of 14 yards, and then Geiser ran for 11 yards to give the Gators a first down at the Ohio Wesleyan 22. Smith then found Brian Woods for 2 completions that moved Allegheny to a first-and-goal at the Bishop 6. Geiser ran the ball to the 1-yard line on first down, but the Bishops stopped tries by Sye on second down and Smith on third down, with senior linebacker Billy Chrisovergis (Dayton/Bellbrook) in on both stops. On fourth down, though, Sye broke the plane to cap the 93-yard drive and put Allegheny on the scoreboard. Polack's point after kick was blocked, keeping the score 6-0, Gators.

After the teams traded punts, Ohio Wesleyan's next possession ended on its own 5-yard line, and Smiley's punt was fielded by Woods, who ran it back to the Bishop 5. Two plays later, Geiser went over from 4 yards out and then caught a pass from Polack for a 2-point conversion to make it 14-0 with 2:43 left in the first half.

On the Bishops' first play from scrimmage after the ensuing kickoff, sophomore quarterback Ryan Sir Louis (Hinckley/Highland) broke loose for 56 yards, giving Ohio Wesleyan the ball on the Allegheny 20. Two plays later, Carducci threw to freshman split end Steven Asbeck (Boynton Beach, Fla./Pope John Paul II) for a 17-yard touchdown that brought the Bishops within 14-6. Junior J.D. Winteregg (Englewood/Northmont) had his point after kick blocked, keeping the score 14-6 with 1:11 left in the half.

Vincent Werner's return of the ensuing kickoff gave the Gators the ball on their own 48-yard line, and Smith connected with Jon Turner for gains of 15 and 25 yards, the latter giving Allegheny a first down at the Bishop 4-yard line. After one Smith pass into the end zone was denied, Polack came on to kick a 21-yard field goal on the final play of the half for a 17-6 Gator lead.

The Bishops put together another lengthy drive in the third quarter, taking over on their own 3-yard line after a Gator punt. Mixing a pair of completions from Sir Louis to senior split end Harold Dale (Huber Heights/Wayne) with runs by Indiciani and freshman halfback Nick Rice (Dublin/Scioto), Ohio Wesleyan marched to a first down at the Allegheny 15. Sir Louis ran the ball to the Gator 13 on first down but was sacked on second down, and after an incompletion on third down, Winteregg's 37-yard field goal try was short on the penultimate play of the third quarter.

Allegheny answered with a drive that featured a 37-yard run by Sye, and had the drive kept alive by a Bishop penalty after Ohio Wesleyan had held Sye to a 2-yard gain on third-and-17 from the Bishop 30. Ohio Wesleyan held on the next set of downs and the Gators once again called on Polack, whose 27-yard field goal try was good, giving the Gators a 20-6 lead with 9:50 left in regulation time.

Employing a little trickery on the ensuing kickoff, Carducci handed the ball off to freshman cornerback Tom Thome (Macedonia/Nordonia), and Thome returned the ball to the Allegheny 49-yard line. Carducci then rumbled for 16 yards on the first play from scrimmage, and Sir Louis connected with sophomore halfback Ryan Mead (Rockville, Md./Good Counsel) for 19 more, giving the Bishops a first down at the Allegheny 14. Another Carducci run picked up 8 yards before Sir Louis connected with Rice for 5 yards on a fourth-and-3 call, giving Ohio Wesleyan a first down at the Gator 2-yard line. On the second play, Sir Louis went over to bring the Bishops within 20-12 with 6:14 remaining, and that score held when Winteregg's point after kick failed.

Allegheny picked up one first down on its next possession, but the Bishop defense stiffened and forced the Gators to punt, giving the ball back the offense at the Ohio Wesleyan 20 with 3:04 left in regulation time.

Sir Louis connected with Carducci for no gain on the first play, and then 3 straight incompletions gave the ball back to the Gators with 2:12 left.

But on the first play, sophomore linebacker Shawn Quinlan (Waynesfield/Waynesfield-Goshen) forced a fumble and sophomore defensive end Cisco Clervoix (Naples, Fla.) recovered at the Ohio Wesleyan 16, giving the Bishops another shot at the tying touchdown.

Sir Louis promptly connected with Indiciani for 21 yards and a first down, then ran for 14 yards for a first down at the Gator 49-yard line. But holding penalty and a sack moved the ball back to the Bishop 38, and Sir Louis' fourth-down pass from there was incomplete, turning the ball back over on downs with :17 to play.

Sir Louis led the Bishops with 92 yards in 14 carries, while Indiciani finished with 66 yards on 8 rushes. Sir Louis completed 11 of 21 passes for 81 yards, with Indiciani catching 4 passes for 31 yards.

Sye led Allegheny with 122 yards in 23 rushes. Smith completed 19 of 28 passes for 191 yards, with Turner catching 9 passes for 99 yards.

Chrisovergis led the Bishops with 10 tackles and caused a Gator fumble. Senior linebacker Kent Weakley (Plain City/Dublin Scioto) had 8 tackles, including 2 for loss, while senior defensive end Travis Little (Wheelersburg) added 7 stops, including a sack and another for loss. Clervoix finished 5 tackles, including a sack and another for loss, and recovered a Gator fumble.

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