Box Score
Ohio Wesleyan 19, Denison 10
Junior running back Trey Dixon (Atlanta, Ga./Westlake) returned the second-half kickoff for a touchdown to put Ohio Wesleyan ahead to stay, and the Bishop special-teams and defensive units took over from there as Ohio Wesleyan defeated Denison in North Coast Athletic Conference action on Saturday at Selby Stadium.
The Ohio Wesleyan win, combined with Wabash's 24-0 win over Hiram and Wittenberg's 43-27 win over Kenyon, leaves Wabash in sole possession of first place in the NCAC at 7-1, with Ohio Wesleyan, Denison, and Wittenberg tied for second place at 6-2.
Denison had taken a 10-7 lead on Pat Kramer's 40-yard field goal on the final play of the first half.
Dixon opened the second half by fielding Thomas Gelorme's kickoff on the Ohio Wesleyan 10-yard line and heading up the right side, then breaking through and eluding Gelorme just past midfield on the way to a 90-yard touchdown. Senior kicker Anthony Sanfillipo (Delaware/Hayes) connected on the point-after for a 14-10 Ohio Wesleyan lead.
The Bishop defense protected the lead with a pair of interceptions, first by senior safety Nick Heidel (Cincinnati/Indian Hill) at the OWU 5-yard line to end a long Denison drive early in the third quarter, then by junior cornerback Cole Nixon (Pataskala/Watkins Memorial) at the Bishop 25-yard line on Denison's next possession.
Heidel ended Ohio Wesleyan's ensuing possession with a 61-yard punt that pinned the Big Red back on their own 13, and a sack by senior defensive tackle Daniel Woodruff (Cincinnati/Mariemont) set up fourth-and-21 at the Denison 2. On the first play of the fourth quarter, junior linebacker Lucas Cooper (Hurricane, W.Va.) broke through and blocked Calvin Montgomery's punt, and the ball caromed out of the end zone for a safety that increased the Bishop lead to 16-10.
Senior wide receiver Gabriel Miller (Delaware/Buckeye Valley) returned the ensuing free kick to the Denison 49, and on second down, sophomore quarterback Zane Ries (Barberton) found senior wide receiver Justin Lowry (Litchfield/Buckeye) for 37 yards and a first down at the Big Red 10, setting up a 22-yard Sanfillipo field goal that stretched the lead to 19-10 with 11:59 left in regulation time.
The Bishop defense turned aside a pair of Denison drives after that, forcing a punt from the Denison 42 and then holding on downs at the OWU 36 midway through the quarter. Denison got the ball back with 3:57 remaining in the game and converted one fourth-down situtation on an Alex Minton run, but that possession ended with 4 straight incompletions from the OWU 42.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Big Red took advantage of a brisk wind and went deep on their first play from scrimmage of the second period, with Drew Dawkins finding Peyton Vining for 40 yards and a first down at the OWU 23. The Big Red turned to Minton from there, with the Denison running back picking up 26 yards on 5 rushes, including a 2-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-1 call that saw Minton elude a tackle and cut inside the pylon.
Special teams helped the Bishops bounce back to even the score. The Ohio Wesleyan defense forced a punt from the Denison 34, and freshman linebacker Trevar Meese (Wooster) broke through and blocked the kick, with the Big Red covering the ball at the Denison 7. On third down after an intentional grounding penalty, Ries connected with Lowry on a 19-yard scoring play and Sanfillipo's conversion tied the game at 7 with 2:20 remaining in the half.
Dawkins moved the Big Red down the field, finding Hunter Biddle and Dylan Johnson for consecutive third-down conversions, and Minton rumbled for 16 yards to give the visitors a first down at the OWU 30. After Denison worked the clock down to the final second, Kramer came on and hit the 40-yard field goal for a 10-7 lead at the half.
Ries completed 8 of 18 passes for 112 yards and a score. Senior wide receiver Sasoun Tcholakian (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington) made 3 catches for 24 yards. Senior running back Carlos Cintron (San Diego, Calif./Countryside) led the Bishops with 11 yards on 9 carries.
Defensive standouts for the Bishops included junior linebacker Cody Streit (Griffin, Ga.), whose 18 tackles included 1½ sacks and 2 for loss; junior linebacker Shane Quin (Chardon), who made 14 tackles, including half a sack; Heidel, who had 10 tackles, an interception, and a pass breakup; and seniorsafety Mario DeJoy (North Olmsted), who had 10 stops.
Dawkins completed 14 of 46 passes for 191 yards. Biddle had 6 catches for 59 yards. Minton led all rushers with 241 yards on 38 carries. Andrew Smith had a team-high 8 tackles, including half a tackle for loss.
Box Score
