Catholic 34, Ohio Wesleyan 33

Sept. 9, 2006

Junior quarterback Steve Hymes (Barberton/Massillon Washington) connected with junior split end Zach Dennis (Jefferson) on a 24-yard scoring play in overtime, but Hymes' game-winning 2-point conversion pass attempt was tipped and fell incomplete, allowing Catholic to hold on for a non-conference win on Saturday in Washington, D.C.

The overtime contest was the first in Ohio Wesleyan history.

Catholic had taken the lead on the opening possession of overtime when Nick Olivero broke loose on a 25-yard run on the first play of the extra session. Sam Weaver's kick stretched the Cardinals' lead to 34-27.

On Ohio Wesleyan's overtime possession, sophomore fullback Kyle Adams (North Canton/Hoover) picked up a yard before Hymes found Dennis for the remaining 24 yards and the score. On the 2-point conversion, Hymes rolled right and fired for senior halfback Nick Rice (Dublin/Scioto) in the end zone, but the ball was tipped and Rice could not come up with the reception.

The thrilling overtime session was an extension of a frantic fourth quarter of play.

Hymes had scored on an 8-yard run with 8:45 left in regulation, and sophomore kicker Chris Kras (Aurora) followed with a conversion to give the Bishops a 20-17 lead.

Catholic then churned out a lengthy drive, moving 52 yards in 12 plays and chewing up over 5 minutes of playing time, with Weaver booting a 42-yard field goal to tie the game at 20-20 with 3:11 left in regulation time. Cardinal quarterback Keith Ricca converted a pair of third-down situations during the march, finding Ryan Bowman for 11 yards on third-and-4 from the Catholic 29, then moving the chains with a 5-yard strike to Jeff Sheehan on third-and-4 from the Bishop 30-yard line.

Rice returned the ensuing kickoff to the Bishop 41, and Ohio Wesleyan marched downfield to take the lead. Rice ripped off a 17-yard gain on first down, Hymes picked up 10 more and Adams followed with 9 more to the Catholic 23. Adams got the first down with a 2-yard burst, and after an Ohio Wesleyan holding penalty, Hymes found Rice for 30 yards and a first down at the Catholic 1-yard line. On the next play, Adams found the end zone. Kras added the conversion and Ohio Wesleyan led, 27-20, with 1:54 on the clock.

The Cardinals started their next possession on their own 29-yard line and found themselves in a third-and-long situation after sacks by senior defensive end Owen Case (Marion/River Valley) on first down and by sophomore defensive tackle Julian Strother (Warren/Kennedy) and sophomore linebacker Dustin Meehan (Laurel, Md./St. Vincent Pallotti) on second down. Facing third-and-12 with 1:02 left, Ricca connected with Bowman for 25 yards and a first down, then hit Myles Sabrick for 15 yards and Andrew Buis for 12 more and a first down at the Ohio Wesleyan 21-yard line with :24 on the clock.

Case and senior cornerback Tom Thome (Macedonia/Nordonia) then dumped Gates Garcia for a 5-yard loss, forcing the Cardinals to take their final time out with :13 to play.

Ricca then found Sabrick for 24 yards to the Bishop 2-yard line, and after spiking the ball to stop the clock, connected with Bowman for the touchdown with :01 to go. Weaver's point after kick was successful, sending the game into overtime.

Catholic had taken a 7-0 lead on Reuben Simmons' 3-yard run on the first possession of the game, and the Cardinals stretched the lead to 10-0 on Weaver's 26-yard field goal early in the second quarter.

Ohio Wesleyan came back with a 47-yard pass from Hymes to Dennis on the first play from scrimmage after Catholic's field goal, slicing the deficit to 10-6 with 12:08 left in the first half.

The Bishops got the ball back when Case forced a fumble on the first play from scrimmage, and Ohio Wesleyan was once again quick to take advantage of the opportunity, with Hymes scoring on an 18-yard run on the second play after the turnover. Kras' PAT gave Ohio Wesleyan a 13-10 lead with 10:23 left in the first half.

Catholic re-took the lead with a 73-yard pass play from Ricca to Bowman on the second play after the ensuing kickoff, and Weaver's conversion gave the Cardinals a 17-13 halftime advantage.

Neither team scored during the third quarter, setting up the fourth-quarter fireworks.

Adams led the Bishops with 83 yards on 17 carries, while Rice finished with 75 yards on 11 carries. Hymes completed 6 of 7 passes for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns, with Rice making 3 catches for 41 yards and Dennis catching 2 passes for 71 yards and 2 scores.

Simmons led all rushers with 125 yards on 24 carries. Ricca completed 18 of 30 passes for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns, with Bowman making 8 catches for 148 yards.

Case led the Bishop defense with 11 tackles, including 2 1/2 for loss and 1 1/2 sacks, and forced a Catholic fumble. Junior safety Mike Schleiden (Canton/Massillon Perry) shared the team lead with 11 tackles and intercepted a pass, junior linebacker Chad Ellis (Dublin/Scioto) had 10 tackles and senior safety Kyle Sherman (Plain City/Dublin Scioto) contributed 8 stops.

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