Washington (Mo.) 26, Ohio Wesleyan 14

Oct. 24, 2009

Sophomore quarterback Keegan Varner (Westerville/Central) scored on a 14-yard run to bring Ohio Wesleyan within 12-7 at halftime, but Washington pulled away with a pair of second-half touchdowns and went on to defeat the Bishops in non-conference action on Saturday at Selby Field.

Washington appeared to be headed for an early lead when Tim Olivos picked off a pass from freshman quarterback Geoff Gompf (Mount Gilead) and returned it to the Bishop 31-yard line, with the Bears getting 3 completions from quarterback Steve Sherman to a first down at the Ohio Wesleyan 8. On third-and-goal from the 2, however, Matt Glenn tried to vault the line and junior tackle Taylor Smith (Marengo/Highland) knocked the ball loose, with senior linebacker Sam Bixler (Denver, Colo./South) recovering at the 1-yard line to keep the game scoreless.

The Bears took a 2-0 lead late in the quarter when Nick Hillard blocked a punt by senior John Romano (Hightstown, N.J./Peddie School) and the ball bounced through the end zone.

Later in the first period, Washington downed an Austin Morman punt on the Ohio Wesleyan 1-yard line, and the Washington defense forced a Bishop punt, giving the Bears the ball at the Ohio Wesleyan 25-yard line. Washington turned to running back Jim O'Brien, who ran on 5 straight plays to a first down at the Bishop 4, but the Ohio Wesleyan defense stiffened there, with junior linebacker Chad Murawski (Chesterland/West Geauga) and senior safety Rylan Mitter-Burke (Marlborough, Mass./Marlboro) tripping up O'Brien for no gain on first down. After 2 incompletions, the Bears brought on Brandon Rogalski, who converted a 20-yard field goal for a 5-0 Washington lead with 12:09 left in the second quarter.

On the first play from scrimmage after the ensuing kickoff, the snap went awry and Washington's John Schneider recovered at the Bishop 14-yard line, setting up a Sherman-to-Austin Morman touchdown pass that gave the Bears a 12-0 lead with 10:40 left in the half.

The Bishops got a chance to cut into the deficit when Smith sacked Sherman, forcing a fumble, and freshman defensive end James Huddleston (Pontiac, Mich./Saint Marys Preparatory) returned the ball to the Bear 30-yard line, but on fourth-and-2 from the 22, Gompf was sacked by Bryce Buchanan and John Schneider to end the threat.

Murawski came up with another turnover, picking off a Sherman pass at the Washington 44-yard line, and this time Ohio Wesleyan took advantage of the opportunity. Varner scrambled for 12 yards on a fourth-and-4 call from the Washington 38, then hit freshman split end Nick Ziegenbusch (Sugarcreek/Garaway) for 12 yards and a first down at the Bear 14. After a pair of incompletions, Varner scrambled for the final 14 yards to bring the Bishops within 12-7 with :16 left in the first half.

The Bishops came up with a stop to open the second half, thanks in part to a timely third-down sack by senior defensive end Mike Browning (East Islip, N.Y.), and Ohio Wesleyan got the ball back with a chance to take the lead.

Junior fullback Chris Marshall (Georgetown/Mason County (Ky.)) reeled off 13 yards to move the chains, but on fourth-and-2 from the Washington 23, Olivos brought down Varner for no gain to end the drive.

Washington responded with its longest drive of the day, with Glenn picking up 15 yards for one first down, getting 2 yards on a third-and-1 carry from midfield, and finally bursting through left tackle for 41 yards and a score that extended the Bear lead to 19-7, and Washington moved the lead to 26-7 early in the fourth quarter when Kyle Larkin recovered a fumble and returned it 43 yards for a touchdown.

The Bishops came back with first-down carries by freshman halfback Isaac Morris (Clarksville, Tenn./Northeast) for 13 yards and freshman halfback Carlos Rogers (Stone Mountain, Ga./Redan) for 12 more before Morris moved the chains with an 8-yard pickup on third-and-8 from the Washington 48. Varner then got 6 yards on fourth-and-1 from the 31, and senior halfback Steve Brown (Redford Township, Mich./Redford) had a clutch 11-yard gain on fourth-and-2 from the 17. On the next play, Morris found the end zone to bring the Bishops within 26-14.

Ohio Wesleyan forced a punt and got the ball back with 3:24 to go, and the Bishops threatened again, with Varner hitting junior tight end Danny Flanegan (Mansfield/Ontario) with a strike for 7 yards on a fourth-and-3 play from the Washington 38, but Washington's Brandon Brown intercepted a Varner pass at the Bear 29-yard line to end the threat and seal the win.

Varner led the Bishops with 44 yards on 7 rushes and completed 8 of 20 passes for 39 yards. Freshman running back Bryan Hoover (Sciotoville/Portsmouth East) ran for 36 yards on 10 carries, Morris finished with 35 yards on 6 carries, and Marshall added 31 yards on 6 rushes. Rogers led the Bishops with 3 receptions for 8 yards.

O'Brien led Washington with 83 yards on 20 rushes and Glenn finished with 79 yards on 11 carries. Sherman completed 8 of 20 passes for 71 yards, with Matt Mangini making 2 catches for 26 yards.

Smith led the Bishops with 16 tackles, including a sack and 3 1/2 tackles for loss along with 2 forced fumbles. Murawski finished with 15 stops and picked off a Washington pass. Mitter-Burke and Bixler added 10 tackles apiece. Huddleston finished with 9 stops, including a sack and 2 1/2 tackles for loss, and Browning made 8 tackles, including 2 sacks.

Buchanan led the Bears with 8 tackles, including half a sack. Andre Baeeryman, Schneider, and Kyle Huber added 7 tackles apiece for Washington.

Box Score