Ohio Wesleyan 21, Olivet 7

Sept. 17, 2005

Senior quarterback Ryan Sir Louis (Hinckley/Highland) and junior halfback Nick Rice (Dublin/Scioto) combined on a pair of touchdown passes and the Ohio Wesleyan defense turned in an outstanding performance as the Battling Bishops topped Olivet on Saturday at Selby Field.

The Bishop defense set up Ohio Wesleyan's first touchdown as junior safety Kyle Sherman (Plain City/Dublin Scioto) picked off a Marcus Robinson pass to give the Bishops possession at the Olivet 30-yard line.

From there, freshman fullback Calvin Willis (Hanford, Calif./West) and Rice ripped off consecutive 11-yard gains to set up a first-and-goal, and on third down from the 6, Sir Louis found Rice for the score with 10:47 left in the first quarter.

The Comets went 3-and-out on their next possession and freshman halfback Joey Riley (Grove City) had a 10-yard return on Ken Lackscheide's punt to set Ohio Wesleyan up at its own 36-yard line.

The Bishops moved quickly on this possession as well. Senior halfback Matt Carducci (Hudson) picked up 10 yards on the first play, and Sir Louis picked up another first down with a key 9-yard scramble on third-and-8. Sir Louis then connected with sophomore split end Zach Dennis (Jefferson) for 34 yards to the Comet 11-yard line before Sir Louis picked up another first down with a scramble on third-and-8. With the ball inches from the Olivet goal line, the Bishops turned to freshman fullback Evan Walker (Fairlawn/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy), who bulled over for a 14-0 Ohio Wesleyan lead with 3:26 left in the first quarter.

Olivet answered with a drive of its own, getting a 29-yard burst from Drew Nielsen on the first play from scrimmage, then picking up another first down on a pass interference penalty. On third-and-7 from the Ohio Wesleyan 38, Marcus Robinson hooked up with Chris Smith for a 33-yard gain, giving the Comets a first-and-goal from the Bishop 5. Two plays later, on the final play of the first quarter, Nielsen went over from 1 yard out to bring Olivet within 14-7.

But the 3 first downs on that drive would be the only ones of the half for Olivet. The Comets got the ball back less than a minute after they scored when Carducci fumbled at the Bishop 39-yard line, but Ohio Wesleyan held on downs, holding Lonnie Jones to 3 yards on third-and-6, and then getting a big play from senior end Cisco Clervoix (Naples, Fla.), who dumped Nielsen for a loss of 2 on fourth-and-3 from the Ohio Wesleyan 32.

Olivet would get the ball back 3 times during the period but would not pick up a first down on any of those possessions.

Meanwhile, the Comet defense kept Olivet in the game, putting together a goal-line stand after Ohio Wesleyan had picked up a first-and-goal from the Olivet 9. Willis gained 7 yards on first down and Rice got inside the 1-yard line on second down, but the Comets held Rice out of the end zone on third down and clogged the middle to keep Rice out of paydirt on fourth down. Later in the period, Comet cornerback Cliff Sims picked off a Sir Louis pass at the Bishop 9-yard line to stymie another Bishop threat.

Ohio Wesleyan threatened again in the third quarter, but the drive stalled at the Olivet 22-yard line.

The Bishops built upon their lead early in the fourth, with Sir Louis picking up a pair of first downs during a 10-play, 44-yard drive that was culminated by Rice making a splendid sliding catch of a Sir Louis pass in the end zone. The conversion by senior Jason Whitcomb (Wauseon) gave Ohio Wesleyan a 21-7 lead.

Ohio Wesleyan's defense kept the Comets in check during the second half, keeping Olivet on its own side of the 50 for the entire 30 minutes.

Sir Louis completed 14 of 23 passes for 185 yards and 2 touchdowns and led the Bishops with 76 yards on 14 carries. Willis finished with 58 yards on 14 carries and shared the team lead with 4 catches for 36 yards, and Carducci finished with 38 yards on 6 rushes. Rice also shared the team lead with 4 catches for 50 yards and 2 touchdowns and Dennis made 2 catches for 46 yards.

Olivet was led by Nielsen, who rushed for 39 yards in 9 carries. Marcus Robinson completed 5 of 11 passes for 59 yards and Leon Hilaski came on to complete 6 of 12 passes for 30 yards. Lonnie Jones had 3 catches for 14 yards.

Clervoix and senior tackle Steve Greene (Mansfield/Senior) shared the Bishop lead with 8 tackles apiece. Clervoix had 3 tackles for loss and a sack, while Greene had 2½ tackles for loss and a sack and forced a Comet fumble. Each player ended an Olivet drive with a tackle for loss.

Other defensive standouts included junior end Owen Case (Marion/River Valley), who made 5 stops, including 2 for loss and a sack, and blocked a Comet punt; Sherman, who had 5 tackles, including 1 for loss; and junior cornerback Tom Thome (Macedonia/Nordonia), who had 5 tackles.

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