Ohio Wesleyan 35, Kenyon 27

Sept. 29, 2007

Junior running back Kyle Adams (North Canton/Hoover) and sophomore running back Steven Brown (Redford Township, Mich./Redford) each ran for over 100 yards and a pair of second-half touchdowns to lead Ohio Wesleyan over Kenyon in North Coast Athletic Conference action on Saturday in Gambier.

Kenyon took a 7-0 lead on the first possession of the game, with quarterback Rafael Sanchez hitting 4 straight passes to take the Lords to the Bishop 28-yard line. The Lords turned to the ground from that point, with Javier Arbolaez rushing for 21 of the final 23 yards, including a 1-yard scoring burst that gave the hosts the lead.

Ohio Wesleyan answered with a scoring drive of its own, combining a pair of Brown runs for 17 yards with 3 Kenyon penalties for a first down at the Lords' 27-yard line. Adams carried for 1 yard before freshman split end Greg Orr (San Antonio, Texas/Clark) ran for 15 yards, then followed that with an 11-yard scamper to even the game at 7-7.

After the Bishop defense posted a 3-and-out, Ohio Wesleyan threatened to take the lead on its next possession. Brown and Adams each ripped off 12-yard games as the Bishops drove to a first down at the Kenyon 24, but on second down from the 22, Orr fumbled and Kenyon recovered to end that threat.

In the second quarter, the Bishops drove to a first down at the Kenyon 13 thanks to a 16-yard run by Brown and a 35-yard bomb from freshman quarterback Mike Fisher (Chagrin Falls/Kenston) to junior split end Nathan Osborn (Edgerton). The drive stalled there, though, and junior Chris Kras (Aurora) came on for a 30-yard field goal attempt which sailed wide.

Ohio Wesleyan's defense, meanwhile, recovered from the first scoring drive to shut out the Lords for the remainder of the half. The Bishops kept Kenyon outside of the Ohio Wesleyan 40-yard line until a personal foul penalty in the closing seconds spotted the ball at the Bishop 30.

The Bishops jumped to a 14-7 lead early in the second half, taking the kick and covering 66 yards in only 4 plays. On second-and-5 from the Bishop 39, Fisher broke loose for 36 yards to the Kenyon 25, and from there, it took Adams 2 carries to reach paydirt, going over from 16 yards out to put the Bishops ahead to stay.

After another Bishop stop, Brown ran for 14 yards and a first down before 3 straight Kenyon penalties gave Ohio Wesleyan a first down at the Lords' 17-yard line. Senior split end Zach Dennis (Jefferson) ran for 10 yards and another first down, then Brown took the ball to the 1-yard line and Adams plunged over from there. Kras' point after stretched the Ohio Wesleyan lead to 21-7 midway through the third quarter.

Arbolaez and Sanchez helped Kenyon answer with a score. Arbolaez rushed 7 times for 28 yards, while Sanchez connected with Carlin Shoemaker for 10 yards and a first down before covering the final 9 yards himself, bringing the Lords within 21-14.

On Ohio Wesleyan's first play from scrimmage on the ensuing drive, Adams broke loose for 60 yards and a first down at the Kenyon 5-yard line. Brown carried twice from there, finishing the possession with a 4-yard TD run. Kras' PAT try hit the left upright and the score remained 27-14 with 2:45 left in the third period.

Kenyon started its next drive on the Bishop 38-yard line, and the Lords took advantage of the good field position. Arbolaez picked up 2 yards on a fourth-and-2 call from the Bishop 30-yard line, and on the next play, Rafael Sanchez connected with Mikey Sanchez for 28 yards and a touchdown, and Ben Trachtenber's conversion brought Kenyon within 27-21 with :32 left in the third quarter.

Orr set the Bishops up with good field position, returning the ensuing kickoff to the Kenyon 43-yard line. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Orr picked up 14 more yards for a first down at the Lords' 27, and Brown later added a 9-yard run, with a Kenyon face mask penalty giving the Bishops a first down at the Lords' 11-yard line. Brown finished off the drive on the next play, scoring from 11 yards out for a 33-21 Ohio Wesleyan lead. After an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Kenyon, Brown rushed for the 2-point conversion to make it a 35-21 game with 13:42 left in regulation time.

Kenyon answered with a 37-yard connection from Rafael Sanchez to Harry von Kann to set up a first down at the Ohio Wesleyan 21-yard line, and 3 rushes by Arbolaez gave the Lords a first-and-goal at the Ohio Wesleyan 9. But the Bishop defense rose up this time, dumping Arbolaez for a 3-yard loss on second down and forcing a pair of Rafael Sanchez incompletions to get the ball back on downs at the Bishop 7.

Ohio Wesleyan again turned Kenyon away on the Lords' next possession, with Kenyon driving to a first down at the Bishop 16, but a key sack by senior linebacker Chad Ellis (Dublin/Scioto) on third down helped end that threat.

Rafael Sanchez drove Kenyon to a score in the closing minutes, first rushing for 14 yards and a first down before hitting Shoemaker for 15 yards and another first down before Mike Hermanson passed 7 yards to A.J. Clair for a 7-yard touchdown with :50 on the clock.

Adams led the Bishops with 137 yards and 2 touchdowns on 16 carries, while Brown ran for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns on 18 carries. They are the first Ohio Wesleyan tandem to rush for 100 yards in a game since Oct. 23, 2004, when Eric Indiciani and Nick Rice topped the century mark against Kenyon.

Fisher added 91 yards on 11 rushes and completed 3 of 4 passes for 43 yards.

Ellis led the Bishop defense with 14 tackles, including a sack. Senior end Patrick Trenor (Urbana) added 12 tackles, including a sack and 3 for loss; junior linebacker Tommy Saunders (Gallipolis/Gallia Academy) contributed 11 stops, and junior defensive back Matt Weisman (Solon/Gilmour Academy) made 7 tackles, including 1 for loss, and broke up a pass.

Rafael Sanchez led Kenyon rushers with 116 yards on 20 carries and completed 17 of 32 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown.

Mike Chase led the Kenyon defense with 12 stops, while Justin Morgan made 10 tackles.

Box Score