The Ohio Wesleyan defense forced 6 turnovers, with sophomore defensive end Kor'Darius Melton (Warner Robins, Ga./Houston County) scoring on 2 of them in a span of less than 90 seconds, and junior quarterback Jax Harville (Marion/River Valley) connected with senior wide receiver Deji Adebiyi (Canton, Mich./Plymouth) on 3 touchdown passes as the Bishops defeated Kenyon in North Coast Athletic Conference action on Saturday at Selby Stadium.
Sophomore wide receiver Gabe Miller (Delaware/Buckeye Valley) returned the opening kickoff 59 yards to the Kenyon 35-yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, Harville connected with sophomore running back Trey Dixon (Atlanta, Ga./Westlake) on a pass to the Kenyon 2, but a holding penalty brought the play back. Freshman running back Martin Sesma (San Diego, Calif./Sweetwater) had carries of 13 and 10 yards, and an 11-yard strike from Harville to junior wide receiver Sasoun Tcholakian (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington) took the ball to the Kenyon 1. Sesma found paydirt on the next play and Ohio Wesleyan took a 7-0 lead.
Kenyon's first possession ended when senior cornerback Sterling O'Hara (New Canaan, Conn.) picked off a Thomas Merkle pass at the OWU 48 and returned it to the Kenyon 47. On third-and-7, Harville hit Miller for 39 yards and a first down at the Lord 5-yard line, and on third-and-goal, Harville found Adebiyi on a 6-yard pass for a 14-0 Ohio Wesleyan lead.
Facing third-and-16 from the Kenyon 16, Merkle dropped back to pass and lost the handle on the ball, with Melton recovering the fumble and taking it 8 yards for a touchdown with 5:56 left in the first quarter. Merkle moved the chains with a 5-yard completion to Ian Robertson on the Lords' next drive, but on second-and-10 from the 26, Merkle's screen pass was intercepted by Melton, and the Bishop defensive end took it back 27 yards for a touchdown and a 28-0 margin.
Merkle answered with a 9-play, 75-yard drive that took Kenyon to the end zone, connecting with Robertson 3 times for 52 yards on the march, including the 28-yard touchdown pass that put the Lords on the board.
Later in the second quarter, senior cornerback Natrone Barnes (Deerfield Beach, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) intercepted a Merkle pass and ran it back 41 yards for a score and a 35-7 Ohio Wesleyan lead.
On the Lords' first play from scrimmage after the touchdown, Merkle completed a pass to Justin Bosch, but sophomore linebacker Cody Streit (Griffin, Ga.) knocked the ball loose and senior linebacker Jordan King (Littlerock, Calif.) recovered at the Kenyon 28. After a 19-yard pass play from Harville to Tcholakian, Harville found Adebiyi from 7 yards out to make the score 42-7 with 1:20 left in the first half.
Early in the third quarter, Harville picked up a first down with a 12-yard pass to Adebiyi on third-and-11 from the Bishop 3, then Sesma broke loose for 39 yards before a 13-yard run from junior running back Curtis Duren (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty) set up a first-and-goal. On third-and-goal, Harville went back to Adebiyi, who hauled in a 5-yard pass for a 49-7 Bishop lead.
Harville completed 15 of 26 passes for 156 yards and 3 touchdowns. Adebiyi led the Bishops with 5 receptions for 42 yards and 3 scores, making him the first Bishop with 3 touchdown catches in a game since Calvin Cagney at Carnegie Mellon on Oct, 20. 2012. Sesma led Bishop rushers with 99 yards on 12 carries.
O'Hara had a team-high 7 stops along with an interception and 2 pass breakups. Barnes made 5 tackles, including 2 for loss, and intercepted a pass; Streit had 5 tackles, including a sack, and forced a fumble; and senior defensive and Weeginne Cherrelus (Naples, Fla./Golden Gate) made 5 tackles, including 1 for loss. Melton recovered 2 fumbles and intercepted a pass.
Merkle completed 28 of 41 throws for 237 yards for Kenyon. Robertson caught 10 passes for 142 yards and a score. Rob Meagher led the Lords with 37 yards on 11 rushes. Tom Zaleski, Michael Picone, and Chris Nehasil shared the team lead with 6 tackles apiece.
