Box Score
Wittenberg 38, Ohio Wesleyan 20
Sophomore quarterback Zane Ries (Barberton) tossed a 5-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Justin Lowry (Litchfield/Buckeye) to give Ohio Wesleyan an early lead, but Wittenberg rallied for a North Coast Athletic Conference win on Saturday in Springfield.
The Wittenberg win over Ohio Wesleyan, combined with DePauw's 17-13 win over Wabash and Denison's 52-13 win over Kenyon, leaves Wittenberg, Wabash, and Denison tied for the conference championship at 7-2, with Ohio Wesleyan and DePauw a game back at 6-3.
On the Bishops' first possession of the game, Ries connected with sophomore wide receiver Kenny Streb (Willowick/Eastlake North) for 15 yards and a first down, and a Wittenberg penalty gave Ohio Wesleyan a first down at the Tiger 13. Two plays later, Ries connected with Lowry for the 5-yard score, and senior kicker Anthony Sanfillipo (Delaware/Hayes) connected on the point-after for a 7-0 Ohio Wesleyan lead.
LaShon Bright returned the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown, and Christian Seger's conversion evened the score at 7.
Wittenberg's Bobby Froehlich moved the Tigers downfield on their next drive, finding Jake Saus for 20 yards before running for a 17-yard pickup to the OWU 40. After connecting with Erik Anderson for 15 yards and a first down at the OWU 12, the Bishop defense stalled the drive there and Seger came on for a 20-yard field goal that put the Tigers up, 10-7, with 2:06 left in the opening period.
Ries answered with a drive for Ohio Wesleyan, finding Lowry for 11 yards and a first down before running for 6 yards and another first down. Facing fourth-and-1 at the Wittenberg 36, the Bishops went for the first down but a holding penalty wiped out the play, and senior Nick Heidel (Cincinnati/Indian Hill) pinned Wittenberg on its own 2-yard line with a 44-yard punt.
On second down, Froehliche found Thad Snodgrass, and Snodgrass broke loose for a 91-yard scoring play that increased the lead to 17-7. The Tiger defense then forced a punt, and Bright returned the punt 26 yards to the OWU 17, setting up a Jaheem Washington touchdown run. The Tigers got the ball back when Matt Render sacked Ries, forcing a fumble that Sam Lockwood recovered on the Bishop 17, setting up a Troy Clay-to-DeShawn Sarley pass that made it 31-7. Wittenberg added a score on a Froehliche-to-Saus pass play in the third quarter.
Ries fired a pair of touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, with a 40-yard strike to senior wide receiver Mher Tcholakian (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington) setting up a 15-yard scoring play to Lowry, and a 15-yard connection with senior wide receiver Sasoun Tcholakian (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington) and a 20-yard pass to Mher Tcholakian setting up a 4-yard touchdown pass to Mher Tcholakian.
Ries completed 30 of 58 passes for 364 yards and 3 touchdowns. Sasoun Tcholakian caught 7 passes for 92 yards, and Lowry made 7 catches for 86 yards and 2 scores. Senior running back Curtis Duren (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty) led the Bishops with 30 yards on 6 carries.
Defensive standouts for the Bishops included junior linebacker Lucas Cooper (Hurricane, W.Va.), who made 10 tackles; junior linebacker Shane Quin (Chardon), who had 9 tackles; senior safety Mario DeJoy (North Olmsted), who recorded 7 stops and a pass breakup; and senior end Kyle Hogan (Centerburg), who finished with 7 tackles.
Froehlich completed 7 of 15 passes for 175 yards and 2 touchdowns. Saus had 3 receptions for 51 yards. Washington ran for 61 yards on 16 carries. Jonathan Seay had a team-high 9 tackles, including a sack.
Box Score
