Senior running back Jesse Beachy (Plain City/Jonathan Alder) and sophomore running back Trey Dixon (Atlanta, Ga./Westlake) scored on short runs to help Ohio Wesleyan build a 17-0 lead, and the Bishops went on to post a North Coast Athletic Conference win over Oberlin on Saturday in Oberlin.

Sophomore wide receiver Gabe Miller (Delaware/Buckeye Valley) returned the opening kickoff 38 yards to the Oberlin 49, and it took the Bishops 5 plays to find paydirt, with freshman running back Martin Sesma (San Diego, Calif./Sweetwater) picking up 11 yards on the first play from scrimmage and junior quarterback Jax Harville (Marion/River Valley) finding junior wide receiver Mher Tcholakian (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington) for 28 yards on the next play for a first down at the Oberlin 10.  On third down, Beachy went over from 2 yards out to put the Bishops on the scoreboard.

Late in the first quarter, Oberlin intercepted a Harville pass and had a first down at the Ohio Wesleyan 36, but the Bishop defense stopped the drive.  On fourth-and-3 from the OWU 29, the Yeomen went for the first down, but Zach Taylor's pass fell incomplete.

Ohio Wesleyan then assembled a 13-play drive to cover the 71 yards to the end zone, highlighted by a connection from Harville to Sesma for 19 yards on a third-and-5 call.  A pass interference penalty set up the Bishops at the Oberlin 2, and on second down, Dixon found the end zone and freshman kicker Gabe Philhower (Reynoldsburg) converted the point after for a 14-0 lead.

The Bishop defense turned the Yeomen away 3 more times during the period.  Senior cornerback Sterling O'Hara (New Canaan, Conn.) forced a Miles Temoney fumble at the Bishop 37-yard line, with sophomore safety Shane Quin (Chardon) recovering the ball at that spot.  On Oberlin's next possession, junior defensive end Kyle Hogan (Centerburg) blocked a 31-yard field goal attempt to preserve the shutout.  After a Bishop punt, sophomore safety Cole Nixon (Pataskala/Watkins Memorial) picked off a Taylor pass and returned it 48 yards to the Oberlin 8, setting up a 22-yard field goal by Philhower that gave the Bishops a 17-0 lead with :34 left in the half.

Oberlin's Luke Buck intercepted a Harville pass at the Ohio Wesleyan 41-yard line midway through the third period, and after Taylor moved the chains with a 12-yard pass to Ryan Gleeson, Melvin Briggs broke free on a 26-yard scoring run that made it a 17-7 game.

Sophomore linebacker Cody Streit (Griffin, Ga.) forced a Briggs fumble at the Oberlin 37, with senior linebacker Cameron Smith (Pataskala/Watkins Memorial) falling on the ball at the Oberlin 35.  That set up a 36-yard Philhower field goal that increased the margin to 20-7 with 4:22 remaining in the period.

The Yeomen closed to within 20-13 when Taylor found Gleeson on a 56-yard scoring pass with 3:37 left in the game, but Hogan blocked the extra-point attempt and senior cornerback Natrone Barnes (Deerfield Beach, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) picked up the loose ball and returned it for a defensive extra point.  Not only was it Ohio Wesleyan's first defensive extra point since Rylan Mitter-Burke recorded one on Sept. 20, 2008, at Wooster, but it gave the Bishops a 9-point lead at 22-13 rather than the 20-14 margin a successful kick would have produced.

Oberlin's Christian Arnold recovered the ensuing onside kick, and a Taylor strike to Jabari Clemons picked up 21 yards to the Bishop 33-yard line, but O'Hara broke up a pass on fourth-and-5 to end that scoring threat.  The Yeomen would get the ball back once more, but facing fourth-and-20 from midfield, Oberlin's Chuck Williams was forced out of bounds short of the line to gain and the Bishops ran out the clock.

Harville completed 12 of 26 passes for 85 yards.  Junior wide receiver Sasoun Tcholakian (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington) had a team-high 4 catches for 14 yards.  Sesma led Bishop rushers with 38 yards on 14 carries.

Streit led the Bishop defense with 11 tackles, including half a tackle for loss and a forced fumble.  Smith finished with 9 stops, including a sack, and Quin made 7 tackles and broke up a pass.  Hogan blocked 2 kicks and added 3 tackles, including a sack and 1½ for loss.

Taylor completed 19 of 44 throws for 241 yards, and led all rushers with 67 yards on 12 carries.  Clemons had 10 receptions for 94 yards.  Buck led the Yeomen with 10 tackles.