Kenyon 33, Ohio Wesleyan 28

Oct. 10, 2009

Freshman quarterback Mike Bashioum (Wyano, Pa./Yough) connected with freshman halfback Stephen Haynes (Crestview, Fla./Niceville) on an 8-yard touchdown pass that brought Ohio Wesleyan within 33-28 midway through the fourth quarter, but Kenyon held on for a North Coast Athletic Conference win over the Bishops on Saturday in Gambier.

Ohio Wesleyan trailed, 33-21, entering the fourth quarter but pinned the Lords on their own 3-yard line with a well-placed punt by senior punter John Romano (Hightstown, N.J./Peddie School). On third down of the ensuing series, senior safety Rylan Mitter-Burke (Marlborough, Mass./Marlboro) intercepted a Mike Hermanson pass and the Bishops had the ball at the Kenyon 25-yard line.

Bashioum picked up 4 yards on a fourth-and-2 call before consecutive gains of 9 and 3 yards by freshman halfback Bryan Hoover (Sciotoville/Portsmouth East) gave the Bishops a first down at the Kenyon 1-yard line. The Lord defense stiffened, bringing down first Bashioum and then Hoover for a loss of 1 yard, and a false start penalty moved the ball back to the Kenyon 8 before Bashioum found Haynes for the score with 7:45 left in regulation time.

The Bishop defense did not allow a first down in getting the ball back, but a fumble and a false start penalty backed Ohio Wesleyan inside its 10-yard line. The Bishops got a significant break in field position with a 57-yard punt from Romano and a holding penalty on Kenyon, and the Ohio Wesleyan defense held once more in getting the ball back with 3:22 to play.

This time, Ohio Wesleyan moved the chains with a Bashioum pass to junior split end Kent Crozier (Curtice/Cardinal Stritch) and 3-yard pickups by Haynes and freshman halfback Carlos Rogers (Stone Mountain, Ga./Redan). Bashioum then found senior halfback Steve Brown (Redford Township, Mich./Redford) for 14 yards and a first down at the Kenyon 42, but the drive stalled there, and on fourth down from the Lord 39, Bashioum's pass was intercepted by Kenyon's Justin Morgan at the Lord 13-yard line to seal the win.

Ohio Wesleyan had taken the lead before many of the home faithful had settled into their seats. On the opening kickoff, Kenyon's Harry von Kann fumbled and senior safety Daniel DeLay (Pine, Colo./Conifer) picked up the ball and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown.

The Lords closed the gap to 7-3 on von Kann's 30-yard field goal midway through the first quarter, then took the lead when Hermanson and Kyle Toot connected on a 53-yard touchdown pass with 3:08 left in the period.

Sophomore quarterback Keegan Varner (Westerville/Central) directed the Bishop response, hitting Rogers for 9 yards on first down from the Bishop 40 and then giving to Haynes for a 4-yard gain and a first down. On third-and-2 from the Kenyon 39, Varner broke loose on a run to the Kenyon 1-yard line, with a stop by Carlo Gagliardo saving the touchdown. On the next play, Varner got the last yard for a touchdown and a 14-10 Bishop lead.

The Bishops cashed in on another fumble recovery during the second quarter. With Kenyon driving, Hermanson fumbled and senior linebacker Sam Bixler (Denver, Colo./South) picked up the ball and was off to the races, rumbling to the Kenyon 1-yard line before von Kann caught him. On second down, Varner got the last yard and the Ohio Wesleyan lead was 21-10 with 10:18 left in the first half.

Kenyon closed to within 21-17 midway through the quarter, getting excellent field position when Brandon Ventling intercepted a Varner pass and returned it to the Bishop 6-yard line. On third-and-goal, Toot found A.J. Clair on a halfback option pass for 2 yards and the score with 6:56 left in the quarter.

Ohio Wesleyan answered with a lengthy drive, with Haynes picking up 11 yards and a first down and Bashioum moving the stakes with a 3-yard run on third-and-2 from the Kenyon 32. Runs by freshman fullback Woody Earls (New Lebanon/Dixie) and Brown set up a third-and-1 at the Lord 20-yard line, but the Kenyon defense tripped up Haynes for no gain on third down and stopped Bashioum for no gain on fourth down.

Buoyed by the shift in momentum, the Lords moved downfield as Hermanson ran for 24 yards and 12 yards on the next 2 plays, then found von Kann for a 3-yard gain, with a roughing the passer penalty giving Kenyon a first down at the Bishop 22-yard line. The Bishop defense forced an incompletion on third-and-3 from the 15, but a pass interference penalty gave the Lords life, and Kenyon took advantage of the reprieve as Hermanson scrambled for 8 yards and the score to give Kenyon a 24-21 lead in the final seconds of the half.

Kenyon added to its lead with a safety early in the third quarter, and after the ensuing free kick, saw Hermanson turn to the air, finding Williams for 12 yards and a first down before connecting with Clair for 6 yards on fourth-and-2 from the Bishop 26. On the next play, Hermason connected with von Kann for 20 yards and a score that made it a 33-21 game midway through the third quarter.

Varner led the Bishops with 40 yards and 2 touchdowns on 5 rushes and completed 3 of 6 passes for 24 yards. Bashioum ran for 33 yards on 10 carries and completed 10 of 19 passes for 42 yards and a score. Haynes caught a team-high 6 passes for 14 yards and a score.

Toot led the Lords with 65 yards on 25 carries, with Hermanson adding 56 yards on 11 rushes along with completing 21 of 38 passes for 177 yards and a pair of TDs. von Kann and Williams caught 6 passes apiece for Kenyon.

Junior defensive tackle Taylor Smith (Marengo/Highland) and junior linebacker Chad Murawski (Chesterland/West Geauga) shared the Bishop lead with 15 tackles apiece, with Smith adding 2 1/2 tackles for loss and Murawski forcing a fumble. Bixler finished with 14 tackles, including 1 1/2 for loss, and recovered a fumble, while DeLay finished with 7 stops and recovered a fumble.

Dan Runnals led the Lord defense with 11 tackles, including 1 for loss, and Mason Stabler made 10 stops, with 1 for a loss.

Box Score