Wittenberg 31, Ohio Wesleyan 9

Oct. 29, 2005

Junior defensive end Owen Case (Marion/River Valley) tied a school record with 6 tackles for loss, but Wittenberg jumped to a 17-0 first-quarter lead and went on to defeat Ohio Wesleyan in North Coast Athletic Conference play on Saturday at Springfield.

The Tigers got on the scoreboard on a 64-yard pass play from Geron Stokes to Jered Glover with 10:48 left in the first quarter. Mark Porter's PAT gave Wittenberg a 7-0 lead.

After forcing an Ohio Wesleyan punt, Wittenberg got good field position on Glover's punt return to the Bishop 45-yard line. The Tigers picked up one first down, but the Bishop defense dug its heels in there, with junior end Owen Case (Marion/River Valley) dumping Stokes for a loss of 2 yards on third-and-6 from the Bishop 15. Porter came on for a 34-yard field goal and made the kick for a 10-0 Tiger lead.

The Tigers forced another Bishop punt and took over on the Ohio Wesleyan 42-yard line, and Stokes capped the drive with a 5-yard scoring toss to Andy Vanover to make it 17-0 with 1:42 left in the first quarter.

Ohio Wesleyan answered with its longest drive of the game to that point, with freshman halfback Calvin Willis (Hanford, Calif./West) picking up 5 yards on third-and-3 from the Bishop 33, then ripping off a 9-yard gain for another first down at the Wittenberg 48. Junior halfback Nick Rice (Dublin/Scioto) got 4 yards on third-and-3 from the Wittenberg 41, but the Bishop drive stalled there.

Wittenberg put together a drive in the waning moments of the half. Taking over on their own 43-yard line after a Bishop punt, the Tigers covered the 57 yards in 7 plays and scored on Stokes' 10-yard pass to Mark Harriman with :06 left in the period to take a 24-0 lead into the locker room.

Ohio Wesleyan threatened during the third quarter, with senior halfback Matt Carducci (Hudson) picking up 14 yards for a first down, then gaining 6 more on third-and-4 from the Tiger 34-yard line for another Bishop first down. On second down from the Wittenberg 27, sophomore quarterback Steve Hymes (Barberton/Massillon Washington) went for the end zone, but his pass intercepted by Mike Freeman for a touchback.

Carducci and Hymes helped the Bishops assemble another drive on their next possession. On third-and-8 from their own 20-yard line, Hymes found sophomore split end Zach Dennis (Jefferson) for 11 yards to move the chains, then connected with Rice for 10 yards on third-and-11 from the Ohio Wesleyan 30. Facing a fourth-and-1 from the Bishop 40, Ohio Wesleyan turned to Carducci, who busted loose for 12 yards and a first down at the Wittenberg 48. Willis picked up 2 yards on first down before Hymes connected with freshman tight end Terrance Raeford (Brookline, Mass./Chesire Academy) on a 46-yard scoring play. The Bishops went for 2 points, but Hymes was stopped short of the goal line.

The Bishops added a 27-yard field goal by freshman Chris Kras (Aurora) on their next possession, capping a 59-yard, 13-play drive. Key plays included a 16-yard run by Hymes on third-and-1 from the Ohio Wesleyan 40, as well as a fumble recovery by junior tackle George Shihadeh (Olmsted Falls) at the end of that play. A holding penalty on Wittenberg moved the chains once, and Hymes' 2-yard run on third-and-2 from the Tiger 8 set up a first-and-goal from the 6-yard line. Kras' field goal made the score 24-9 with 8:16 left in regulation time.

Wittenberg chewed up most of the remainder of the game, marching 78 yards in 14 plays. Tristan Murray scored on an 18-yard run with :48 to go, and Porter's PAT kick accounted for the 31-9 final.

Willis led the Bishops with 43 yards on 11 carries, while Hymes finished with 33 yards on 20 carries and completed 4 of 12 passes for 72 yards and a touchdown. Raeford led the Bishops with 2 catches for 51 yards.

Case led the Bishops with 16 tackles, including 2 sacks and 6 for loss. The 6 tackles for loss ties the school mark set by Jeff Markley against Allegheny on Oct. 10, 1987 and tied by Bo Smith at Denison on Oct. 15, 1988.

Senior safety Jeff King (Sidney/Piqua) contributed 11 tackles, junior safety Kyle Sherman (Plain City/Dublin Scioto) had 9 stops; senior end Cisco Clervoix (Naples, Fla.) made 9 tackles, including ½ for loss; and sophomore linebacker Chad Ellis (Dublin/Scioto) made 9 tackles, including 2 for loss.

Stokes completed 17 of 22 passes for 199 yards and 3 touchdowns, with Harriman making 8 catches for 58 yards and Glover hauling in 3 passes for 92 yards. Murray led the Tigers with 101 yards on 27 carries.

Tyler Harmon led Wittenberg with 16 tackles, including 1 for loss and a pass breakup. Tyler Jenkins had 11 stops, including 2 sacks and 2½ for loss; and Mike Freeman made 9 stops, intercepted a pass and forced a fumble.

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