Ohio Wesleyan 24, Kenyon 8

Oct. 11, 2008

Sophomore quarterback Mike Fisher (Chagrin Falls/Kenston) ran for a pair of first-half touchdowns and the Ohio Wesleyan defense made some timely plays to keep Kenyon off the scoreboard for more than 58 minutes as the Bishops defeated the Lords in North Coast Athletic Conference action on Saturday at Selby Field.

The Bishops took the opening kickoff and marched down the field to a first down at the Kenyon 24, with Fisher throwing to junior running back Steven Brown (Redford Township, Mich./Redford) for one first down, running for another, and hitting sophomore split end Seth Phillips (London/Madison Plains) for 13 yards and another first down. Kenyon's Mason Stabler ended that drive with an interception at the Lords' 12-yard line.

After forcing a punt, the Bishops took over at the Kenyon 48-yard line, and on the second play from scrimmage, Fisher broke loose on a 47-yard scoring run to put the Bishops ahead to stay. Senior Chris Kras (Aurora) tacked on the point after for a 7-0 Ohio Wesleyan lead.

Kenyon's Charles Small returned the ensuing kick to the Bishop 37-yard line, but the Ohio Wesleyan defense forced the Lords into a fourth-and-4 situation from the 31. The Lords rolled the dice, with quarterback Mike Hermanson taking the ball on a draw play, but sophomore defensive tackle Taylor Smith (Marengo/Highland) tripped him up a yard shy of the first down to give the Bishops the ball on downs.

Fisher assembled another scoring drive late in the first quarter, picking up 15 yards to move the chains, then giving to Brown for 2 carries and another first down before Brown reeled off a 12-yard run to take the ball down to the Kenyon 28. Fisher added a pair of 9-yard gains, coming up just short of the goal line on the second, and Brown finished off the 76-yard march with a 1-yard run, and the Bishops were up, 14-0, with 14 seconds left in the period.

The Lords answered with a drive of their own, getting a Hermanson-to-Harry von Kann completion for one first down and a Hermanson scramble for another. Facing a fourth-and-3 call from the Bishop 20, Hermanson hit Small on a slant pattern for 14 yards and a first down at the 6.

Ohio Wesleyan's defense stiffened there, with senior tackle Julian Strother (Warren/Kennedy) bringing Hermanson down after a gain of 1 on first down, senior linebacker Tommy Saunders (Gallipolis/Gallia Academy) and junior safety Rylan Mitter-Burke (Marlborough, Mass./Marlboro) stopping fullback Charles Clark after a 3-yard gain on second down, and DeLay tackling Clark just short of the goal line on third down. On fourth down from the Ohio Wesleyan 1-yard line, Kenyon turned to Kyle Toot, the NCAC's leading rusher, for that final yard, but Mitter-Burke and junior defensive end Mike Browning (East Islip, N.Y.) dumped Toot for a loss of 1 to give the Bishops the ball on downs.

Fisher moved the chains with gains of 5 and 11 yards, and after a personal foul moved the ball into Kenyon territory, Fisher was flushed from the pocket on third-and-3 and broke loose for a 41-scoring run to cap the Bishops' 98-yard drive and give Ohio Wesleyan a 21-0 lead.

Once again, Kenyon answered with a lengthy scoring drive, highlighted by Hermanson's 12-yard strike to A.J. Clair on fourth-and-5 from the Ohio Wesleyan 42, and gains of 10 yards by Clark and 8 yards by Hermanson that gave the Lords a first down at the Bishop 9. Clark moved the ball to the 5 on first down, and after an incomplete pass, Toot picked up 2 yards to set up a fourth-and-goal from the Bishop 3-yard line. This time, Kenyon elected to try a 20-yard field goal, but the snap was high, and while holder Brian Thorn made a good play to get the snap down and get the ball placed, kicker Thomas Parker's timing was thrown off enough that his attempt fell short, and the Bishops took the 21-0 lead into the locker room.

The Lords put together another long scoring drive to open the second half, but DeLay knocked the ball free from Toot and Strother recovered at the Ohio Wesleyan 19-yard line, setting up a 17-play, 74-yard drive that culminated in a 24-yard field goal by Kras that stretched the Bishop lead to 24-0 with 1:36 left in the third quarter.

Freshman cornerback Eli Cowan (Galena/Columbus DeSales) intercepted a Hermanson pass at the Ohio Wesleyan 3-yard line to end Kenyon's first possession of the fourth quarter, but Kenyon averted the shutout on its next drive, marching to a first-and-goal at the Ohio Wesleyan 2-yard line. Saunders assisted on stops on first and second downs before a third-down incompletion brought up fourth-and-goal from the Bishop 1, and Hermanson got the final yard to put Kenyon on the scoreboard, then hit Small for a 2-point conversion to bring the Lords within 24-8 with 1:57 left in regulation time.

Ohio Wesleyan recovered the ensuing onside kick, and the Bishops ran out the clock to seal the win.

Fisher, who ran for 152 yards and 2 touchdowns during the first half alone, finished with 158 yards on 14 carries to lead all rushers. Brown added 110 yards on 21 rushes. Fisher also completed 9 of 11 passes for 53 yards, with 6 of those completions going to Brown for 24 yards.

Defensive standouts for Ohio Wesleyan included Mitter-Burke, who led the way with 12 tackles, including 1 for loss, and a pass breakup; Saunders, who finished with 11 stops; Cowan, who had 9 hits, intercepted one pass and broke up another; and DeLay, who made 6 tackles, forced a fumble and broke up a pass.

For Kenyon, Toot ran for a team-high 104 yards on 20 carries. Hermanson completed 13 of 24 passes for 120 yards and von Kann caught 6 passes for 74 yards.

Beau Calcei led the Lord defense with 16 tackles, including 1 1/2 for loss, while Stabler had 13 stops, including 1 1/2 for loss, and an interception.

Box Score