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Wittenberg 32, Ohio Wesleyan 0
Sept. 27, 2008
Wittenberg running back Tony Hall ran for 3 touchdowns and quarterback Matt Brumfield connected with wide receiver Josh McKee for 2 more scores as the Tigers defeated Ohio Wesleyan in North Coast Athletic Conference play on Saturday at Selby Field.
The Tigers forced the first turnover of the game when Taylor Scherer sacked sophomore quarterback Mike Fisher (Chagrin Falls/Kenston), forcing a fumble, and Wittenberg's Matt Maidlow recovered at the Ohio Wesleyan 33-yard line.
The Bishop defense forced the Tigers into a fourth-down situation, but Brumfield found Michael Cooper over the middle for 13 yards and a first down, then hit McKee for 12 yards and a touchdown, giving Wittenberg a 6-0 lead with 11:38 left in the first quarter.
Ohio Wesleyan answered with a lengthy drive, with freshman running back Raymon Beach (Landover, Md./Crossland) picking up a first down with a 13-yard gain off an inside handoff, then rolling up 2 more first downs before an 11-yard strike from Fisher to freshman tight end Pat Embleton (Chesterland/Gilmour Academy) set up the Bishops at the Tiger 20-yard line. But on third down from the 12, Wittenberg's Zach Hurtt forced a Beach fumble and the Tigers recovered at the Ohio Wesleyan 19.
Later in the first quarter, Wittenberg recovered a fumble by sophomore running back Mickey Gies (West Palm Beach, Fla./Seminole Ridge) at the Bishop 44-yard line, and the Tigers took advantage of the opportunity, with Trevor Luckenbill running 13 yards for a first down, then Tony Hall going up the middle for 19 yards for a touchdown and a 12-0 Wittenberg lead.
The Bishops had the ball in Wittenberg territory twice during the second quarter, but were not able to drive into the red zone.
The Tigers took the second-half kickoff and drove 55 yards for a score, with Hall going over from one yard out, then forced a break on Ohio Wesleyan's next possession. The Bishops were in punt formation from their own 41-yard line, but Wittenberg's Jeff Wilbur broke through the line and into the backfield and tackled senior punter Chris Kras (Aurora) for a 9-yard loss. The Tigers moved the ball into the red zone with a 13-yard completion from Brumfield to Patrick Williams, and after a 9-yard gain by Luckenbill, Hall covered the final 6 yards in 2 carries for a 25-0 lead.
Wittenberg wrapped up the scoring early in the fourth quarter when Travis Brunic intercepted a Fisher pass and returned it 69 yards to the Bishop 5-yard line, with Fisher making the tackle. After a penalty moved the ball back to the 14-yard line, Brumfield hit McKee on the right sideline for a 14-yard scoring play and a 32-0 lead.
Beach led the Bishops with 50 yards on 16 carries. Fisher completed 9 of 14 passes for 73 yards, while freshman quarterback Keegan Varner (Westerville/Central) hit 4 of 10 passes for 52 yards. Sophomore split end Seth Phillips (London/Madison Plains) caught 2 passes for 32 yards, sophomore tight end Danny Flanegan (Mansfield/Ontario) had 2 catches for 28 yards, and senior split end Grant Geib (Brecksville/Brecksville-Broadview Heights) made 2 catches for 9 yards.
Defensive standouts for the Bishops included senior linebacker Matt Weisman (Solon/Gilmour Academy), who shared the Bishop lead with 8 stops; junior safety Rylan Mitter-Burke (Marlborough, Mass./Marlboro), whose 8 tackles shared the team lead; senior linebacker Jason Chitwood (Toledo/Bowsher), who had 7 stops and forced a Wittenberg fumble; and senior tackle Julian Strother (Warren/Kennedy), who recorded 7 tackles.
Luckenbill led all rushers with 117 yards on 19 carries, while Hall finished with 44 yards and 3 touchdowns on 10 rushes. Brumfield completed 9 of 16 passes for 68 yards and 2 scores, while Andrew Durbin completed 4 of 4 passes for 32 yards. Cooper had a team-high 4 receptions for 33 yards. Hurtt led the Tigers with 12 tackles, a forced fumble and an interception.