Kenyon 44, Ohio Wesleyan 42

Sept. 30, 2006

Junior quarterback Steve Hymes (Barberton/Massillon Washington) fired a 23-yard touchdown pass to junior split end Zach Dennis (Jefferson) with 1:00 to play to tie the game, and senior Jason Whitcomb (Wauseon) converted the point after to give Ohio Wesleyan a 42-41 lead, but Kenyon rallied for a field goal with :06 on the clock to escape with a North Coast Athletic Conference win on Saturday at Selby Field.

For the hard-luck Bishops, it was the third time this season that Ohio Wesleyan was less than 10 seconds away from a win only to see its opponent score the go-ahead or tying points.

Kenyon had taken a 41-28 lead on Alby Coombs' fourth touchdown of the day, a 2-yard burst with 9:45 left in regulation time, but Chad Rothschild's point after kick was wide left, leaving a window of opportunity open for Ohio Wesleyan.

The Bishops answered with an 11-play, 79-yard drive to get within striking distance. Hymes picked up 2 yards on a key third-and-1 call from near midfield, and on third-and-2 from the Kenyon 42, it was Hymes again for 15 yards and a first down. After finding Dennis for 10 yards and another first down, senior halfback Nick Rice (Dublin/Scioto) took over, picking up 9 yards on first down and scoring from 8 yards out on second down. The conversion by sophomore kicker Chris Kras (Aurora) brought the Bishops within 41-35 with 5:45 left to play.

It was up to the Ohio Wesleyan defense now, and the Bishops came through. Coombs picked up 15 yards on the first play of Kenyon's ensuing possession, but got only 3 on first down from the Kenyon 44. On second down, sophomore linebacker Tommy Saunders (Gallipolis/Gallia Academy) hit Coombs and knocked the ball loose, but Kenyon's Javier Arbolaez was there to cover the ball at the Lord 47. On the very next play, freshman linebacker Justin Saunders (Gallipolis/Gallia Academy) forced a fumble by Lord quarterback Rafael Sanchez on a quarterback draw and sophomore tackle Julian Strother (Warren/Kennedy) recovered for Ohio Wesleyan at the Bishop 49-yard line with 3:21 to play.

Rice ran twice for a first down, then caught a pass from Hymes for 9 yards and a second-and-1 from the Kenyon 32. Sophomore fullback Kyle Adams (North Canton/Hoover) rumbled for 9 yards and another first down, this time at the Kenyon 23. The Kenyon defense stiffened, tripping up Hymes after a 1-yard gain on first down and running Rice out of bounds for a loss of 1 on second down. On third down, Hymes overthrew Rice along the sideline, bringing up fourth-and-10 from the Kenyon 23. Hymes went for Dennis, who cut inside and hauled in the pass in the Kenyon end zone to tie the game at 41-41 with 1:00 to play, and Whitcomb's kick gave the Bishops a 42-41 lead.

Kenyon's Carlin Shoemaker took the ensuing kickoff and returned it 63 yards to the Ohio Wesleyan 23 before getting knocked out of bounds, giving the Lords a chance. Arbolaez picked up 2 yards on first down and Coombs went for 10 yards and a first down just outside the Ohio Wesleyan 10-yard line. Coombs got the ball down to the 5-yard line before Kenyon called time out with :18 to play, then ran up the middle to the 2-yard line before another Kenyon time out with :10 to go. Out of time outs and facing third-and-1 from the Ohio Wesleyan 2-yard line, the Lords lined up for a field goal try. Ohio Wesleyan was penalized for having 12 men on the field, giving Kenyon a first down inside the 1-yard line, and Rothschild atoned for his earlier miss by converting on a 16-yard field goal for the winning points.

Kenyon had taken a 7-0 lead on Rafael Sanchez' 12-yard pass to Mikey Sanchez, but the Bishops answered with a 10-play, 68-yard drive capped by Adams' 2-yard run.

Coombs scored on a 4-yard run in the last minute of the first quarter for a 14-7 Kenyon lead, but once again Ohio Wesleyan had an answer, this time when Hymes scored from 34 yards out on an option play to even the score early in the second quarter.

The Bishops took a 21-14 lead on Hymes' 18-yard touchdown run with 5:30 left in the first half, capping an 11-play, 78-yard drive. Kenyon answered with a 76-yard march in 13 plays, with Rafael Sanchez hitting Phelipe Johnson on a 25-yard strike to tie the game at 21-21 with :07 left in the half.

Coombs scored on 5- and 1-yard runs in the third quarter, increasing Kenyon's lead to 35-21. The second score came on a fourth-and-goal call from the 1-yard line, one play after Ohio Wesleyan had denied Rafael Sanchez on a quarterback sneak on third-and-goal from the Bishop 1.

Ohio Wesleyan answered with a lengthy drive of its own, covering 66 yards in 11 plays, with Rice scoring from 6 yards out on the first play of the fourth quarter to bring Ohio Wesleyan within 35-28. Key plays included Hymes' 6-yard pickup on fourth-and-1 from the Bishop 43, and Hymes' 10-yard burst on thrd-and-1 from the Kenyon 22.

Hymes led the Bishops with 174 yards and 2 touchdowns on 22 rushes while completing 10 of 15 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown. Rice ran for 86 yards and 2 touchdowns on 17 carries and caught 4 passes for 40 yards, while Dennis led the Bishops with 5 catches for 74 yards.

Coombs collected 207 yards and 4 touchdowns in 34 carries, while Rafael Sanchez ran for 112 yards in 17 carries and completed 12 of 15 passes for 142 yards and 2 scores. Mikey Sanchez caught 4 passes for 37 yards to lead the Lords.

Defensive standouts included sophomore defensive back Matt Weisman (Solon/Gilmour Academy), who led the Bishops with 14 tackles; junior linebacker Chad Ellis (Dublin/Scioto), whose 13 tackles included 1 1/2 for loss; and senior defensive back Kyle Sherman (Plain City/Dublin Scioto), who made 8 stops.

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