Ohio Wesleyan 34, Denison 28

Oct. 15, 2005

Sophomore quarterback Steve Hymes (Barberton/Massillon Washington) ran for one touchdown and threw for another, freshman fullback Evan Walker (Fairlawn/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy) ran for 2 scores and freshman Chris Kras (Aurora) booted a pair of fourth-quarter field goals that proved to be the margin of victory as Ohio Wesleyan edged Denison in North Coast Athletic Conference play on Saturday at Selby Field.

Denison jumped to an early lead after linebacker Rob Hackett picked off a Hymes pass on the Bishops' first play from scrimmage. Hackett's interception gave the Big Red the ball at the Ohio Wesleyan 28-yard line, and the Big Red converted 3 straight third-down situations en route to the end zone. Quarterback Larry Cappetto scrambled for 11 yards on third-and-10 from the 28, the Big Red picked up a first down on a pass interference penalty on third-and-9 from the 16, and Cappetto found tight end Frank Roe for a 1-yard touchdown pass on third-and-goal.

Ohio Wesleyan answered by taking the ensuing kickoff and converting 3 straight third-down situations on the way to evening the score. Freshman halfback Calvin Willis (Hanford, Calif./West) broke loose for a 31-yard gain on third-and-4, then Hymes picked up 6 yards on third-and-2 from the Denison 17. On third-and-goal from the Big Red 6, Hymes found junior halfback Nick Rice (Dublin/Scioto) in the back of the end zone to tie the game.

The Big Red took a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter on Cappetto's 11-yard scoring strike to Andrew Pace. The 64-yard, 12-play drive included 3 third-down conversions, with Cappetto picking up yardage both on the ground and through the air, before the touchdown pass on third down from the 11.

Once again, Ohio Wesleyan responded with a long drive to tie the game. Hymes found Rice for 8 yards on third-and-3 from the Bishop 34, then scrambled for 13 yards and another first down on the next play. Hymes and Rice hooked up again, this time for 16 yards and another first down, before Willis picked up 13 yards and a first down at the Denison 7. From there, Hymes rushed twice to move the ball to the 1-yard line and Walker finished off the drive with a 1-yard plunge and a 14-14 tie.

Ohio Wesleyan's defense got the ball back on downs on Denison's next possession, forcing a Cappetto incompletion on fourth-and-1 from the Bishop 26, and the Ohio Wesleyan offense responded with another scoring drive. Rice led the way by picking up 18 yards to move the ball into Denison territory, then reeling off a 31-yard game to give the Bishops a first-and-goal from the Big Red 2. Walker went over from 1 yard out to put Ohio Wesleyan ahead to stay, and Kras' conversion gave the Bishops a 21-14 lead late in the second quarter.

The Bishops got the ball to open the second half and assembled another lengthy march, but the drive bogged down at the Denison 18, when Hymes was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-1.

The teams traded punts, with Ohio Wesleyan senior Neil Smiley (Cincinnati/Wyoming) pinning the Big Red on their own 2-yard line. On third down from the 2, Cappetto's pass was intercepted by junior safety Kyle Sherman (Plain City/Dublin Scioto). Sherman was ruled down inside the Denison 1-yard line, and two plays later, Hymes went around left end for a touchdown. Kras' PAT gave the Bishops a 28-14 lead with :59 left in the third quarter.

Denison wasted no time cutting the deficit in half. The Big Red dodged a bullet when an interception by junior cornerback Tom Thome (Macedonia/Nordonia) was wiped out by a pass interference penalty. Cappetto then completed 3 straight passes, the last a 21-yarder to Adam White, to bring the Big Red within 28-21 with :04 left in the third quarter.

The Bishops once again answered a Denison score with a long drive, highlighted by a Hymes run for a first down and a Hymes pass to sophomore split end Zach Dennis (Jefferson) for a first down at the Denison 6-yard line. Willis moved the ball to the 1-yard line, but on third down, Hymes was chased out of bounds at the 12 while looking for an open receiver and Kras came on and converted a 29-yard field goal to give the Bishops a 31-21 lead.

On Denison's next possession, Ohio Wesleyan forced a Denison punt and freshman halfback Joey Riley (Grove City) broke loose down the right sideline. Denison's Jon McDermott prevented a touchdown by bringing Riley down at the Big Red 12, but Riley's 73-yard return set up Kras' 28-yard field goal that gave the Bishops a 34-21 lead with 9:21 to play.

Denison got the ball in good field position after an Ohio Wesleyan penalty on the ensuing kickoff, and Cappetto took advantage by connecting with Matt Petersen on a 40-yard scoring play to slice the deficit to 34-28 with 9:05 to go.

The Big Red forced the Bishops to punt, but Denison was flagged for roughing the punter, giving Ohio Wesleyan a key first down. From there Willis and Hymes made timely rushes to pick up first downs as the Bishops moved to the Denison 20-yard line. Denison eventually forced a punt and took over on its own 20 with 2:33 left in regulation time.

Denison picked up one first down on a pass interference penalty, another when Cappetto found Mike Kushner for 11 yards on fourth-and-6 from the Denison 28, and still another on a Cappetto-to-Peter Jarowey connection that moved the ball to the Bishop 47-yard line with just over a minute to play.

On second down, Cappetto threw deep down the left sideline for Pace, but Thome intercepted the pass at the Bishop 19-yard line and Ohio Wesleyan ran out the clock to end the game.

Hymes led the Bishops with 105 yards on 27 rushes and completed 9 of 14 passes for 87 yards and a touchdown. Willis ran for 89 yards on 17 carries and Rice finished with 74 yards on 9 carries and caught 5 passes for 55 yards.

Cappetto completed 20 of 37 passes for 223 yards and 4 touchdowns and also was the Big Red's leading rusher with 42 yards on 7 carries. Pace caught 6 passes for 70 yars and Kushner caught 4 passes for 35 yards.

Defensive standouts for Ohio Wesleyan included junior linebacker Dominic Schwed (Aurora), who had a team-high 8 stops; sophomore linebacker Chad Ellis (Dublin/Scioto), who had 7 tackles and broke up a pass; senior tackle Doug Rittmeyer (Macedonia/Nordonia), who had 6 tackles, including 1 for loss; and junior end Owen Case (Marion/River Valley), whose 5 stops included 1 for loss.

Jason Wright led Denison with 11 tackles, while Ike Akusoba had 9 stops, including 1 for loss.

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