Freshman kicker Gabe Philhower (Reynoldsburg) connected on a 30-yard field goal to put Ohio Wesleyan on the scoreboard, and junior defensive end Kyle Hogan (Centerburg) blocked 3 kicks to keep the Bishops within striking distance, but Denison rallied for a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns and went on to defeat Ohio Wesleyan in a North Coast Athletic Conference matchup on Saturday in Granville.

Denison's Alex Minton broke loose on a 58-yard run on the Big Red's first possession of the game, setting up a 2-yard touchdown run by Canaan Gebele.  Hogan blocked the extra-point kick to keep the score at 6-0.

On the first play from scrimmage on the Bishops' ensuing drive, Ohio Wesleyan generated a big play of its own when junior quarterback Jax Harville (Marion/River Valley) connected with junior wide receiver Sasoun Tcholakian (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington) for 34 yards, but the drive stalled there.

The Bishops had a chance to take the lead later in the period when sophomore defensive end Kor'Darius Melton (Warner Robins, Ga./Houston County) sacked Gebele for a loss of 10 on third-and-6 from the Denison 31, and on the ensuing punt, Denison punter Calvin Montgomery fielded a low snap and ran out of bounds after a 2-yard gain, giving the ball to Ohio Wesleyan at the Denison 23.  On the first play from scrimmage, however, Denison's Andrew forced a Harville fumble and Chase Struewing recovered for the Big Red at the Denison 19-yard line.

The Ohio Wesleyan defense turned aside a pair of Denison fourth-down attempts to keep the game close, with senior linebacker Cameron Smith (Pataskala/Watkins Memorial) dropping Minton for a 1-yard loss on fourth-and-1 from the OWU 28 late in the first quarter, and senior linebacker Jordan King (Littlerock, Calif.) breaking up a Gebele pass on fourth-and-16 from the OWU 30 on Denison's next drive.

Senior safety Colten Harvey (Shelby) picked off a Gebele pass and returned it to the Denison 47 with 3:42 left in the first half, and Harville found freshman wide receiver Kenny Streb (Willowick/Eastlake North) for 20 yards and a first down at the Denison 17.  After a pair of short completions, Philhower came on and hit a 30-yard field goal to bring Ohio Welseyan within 6-3.

Sophomore linebacker Cody Streit (Griffin, Ga.) and senior nose guard Chicho Rodriguez (San Clemente, Calif.) teamed up to sack Gebele on third-and-10 on Denison's next possession, and the Bishops got the ball back at their own 42-yard line with 1:04 left.  A pass interference penalty on the first play moved the ball into Denison territory, but on the next play, Ryan Hallinan intercepted a Harville pass and returned it 63 yards for a touchdown.  Hogan blocked the point-after kick to keep the margin in single digits, and the first half would end with Denison holding a 12-3 lead.

Early in the third quarter, Pat Kramer lined up for a 42-yard field goal attempt, but Hogan came through with the block, his third of the day, to keep the score at 12-3.  A 15-yard gain by senior running back Jesse Beachy (Plain City/Jonathan Alder) and a 15-yard strike from Harville to senior wide receiver Deji Adebiyi (Canton, Mich./Plymouth) set up a 43-yard field goal attempt by junior kicker Anthony Sanfillipo (Delaware/Hayes), but Denison's Nate Keirn returned the favor by blocking the kick.

Gebele tossed an 8-yard touchdown pass to David Weimar early in the fourth quarter, then connected with Weimar again on a 2-point conversion to make it 20-3.

Ohio Wesleyan answered with a march that covered 70 yards, highlighted by freshman running back Martin Sesma (San Diego, Calif./Sweetwater) picking up 10 yards on a third-and-1 call from the midfield stripe and a 17-yard connection from Harville to junior wide receiver Mher Tcholakian (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington) that gave the Bishops a first down on the Denison 1.  Beachy got the final yard and Philhower's kick brought Ohio Wesleyan within 20-10 with 6:59 left in regulation time, but Gebele would drive the Big Red to another touchdown for the 27-10 final.

Harville completed 18 of 45 passes for 208 yards.  Streb led the Bishops with 5 receptions for 57 yards.  Sesma led Bishop rushers with 31 yards on 10 carries.

King led the Ohio Wesleyan defense with 13 stops, including a sack.  Senior cornerback Natrone Barnes (Deerfield Beach, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas), Smith and Rodriguez each finished with 10 tackles, with Rodriguez's total including a sack and 1½ for loss and Smith's 1 for loss.

Gebele completed 11 of 24 throws for 111 yards for Denison.  Minton led all rushers with 226 yards on 32 carries and caught a team-high 3 passes for 16 yards.  Struewing led the Big Red with 9 stops, including 1½ sacks.