Box Score
Ohio Wesleyan 42, Kenyon 0

Junior running back Trey Dixon (Atlanta, Ga./Westlake) scored on a 1-yard run in the first quarter and Ohio Wesleyan struck for a pair of touchdowns in the closing minutes of the second quarter on the way to a win over Kenyon in the North Coast Athletic Conference opener for both teams on Saturday in Gambier.

After a 35-yard punt return by senior wide receiver Gabriel Miller (Delaware/Buckeye Valley) gave the Bishops the ball near midfield halfway through the first quarter, sophomore quarterback Zane Ries (Barberton) connected with senior wide receiver Sasoun Tcholakian (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington) for gains of 22 and 19 yards and a first down at the Kenyon 8.  Ries picked up 7 yards on first down and Dixon covered the final yard for a 7-0 Bishop lead at the 4:39 mark of the first period.

It was still a 7-0 game late in the second quarter when a 33-yard strike from Ries to sophomore wide receiver Kenny Streb (Willowick/Eastlake North) resulted in a first down at the Lord 37-yard line.  On fourth-and-10 from the 37, it was Streb who came up throwing, finding senior tight end Cody Brown (Lebanon) for a 37-yard touchdown with 1:59 remaining, with the point after by senior kicker Anthony Sanfillipo (Delaware/Hayes) making it 14-0.

Senior safety Ryan Rubel (Toledo/St. John's) then picked off a Thomas Merkle pass at the Kenyon 45-yard line, and Ries took advantage of the opportunity by finding senior wide receiver Mher Tcholakian (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington) for 26 yards and a first down.  A 12-yard completion to Streb moved the ball to the 13-yard line, and Ries took care of that himself, going over from 13 yards out with :10 left, with Sanfillipo's conversion giving the Bishops a 21-0 halftime lead.

The Bishop defense forced a 3-and-out on the opening possession of the second half, and Miller returned a Kenyon punt 10 yards to the Lord 35.  Ries moved the chains with a 3-yard pass to Brown on fourth-and-3, and senior running back Curtis Duren (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty) picked up 2 yards before breaking loose on a 23-yard scoring run.

Freshman cornerback Ian Riddle (Perrysburg) returned an interception 45 yards for a score, and later in the third quarter, senior running back Carlos Cintron (San Diego, Calif./Countryside) capped a 92-yard, 7-play drive with a 24-yard touchdown run.

Ries completed 15 of 25 passes for 200 yards.  Brown caught 4 passes for 89 yards and Miller had 4 catches for 29 yards.  Dixon led the Bishops with 52 yards on 4 rushes.

Defensive standouts for Ohio Wesleyan included junior linebacker Shane Quin (Chardon), who led the Bishops with 10 tackles, including 1½ for loss; junior linebacker Lucas Cooper (Hurricane, W.Va.), who made 9 tackles, including a sack; junior cornerback Cole Nixon (Pataskala/Watkins Memorial), who made 5 stops; senior defensive end Kyle Hogan (Centerburg), whose 4 tackles included 2½ sacks; and junior defensive end K.D. Melton (Warner Robins, Ga./Houston County), who had 1½ sacks among his 4 stops.

Merkle completed 16 of 37 throws for 132 yards.  Justin Bosch caught 4 passes for 51 yards and Matt Jolliffe had 4 catches for 23 yards.  Jimmy Andrews gained 19 yards on 15 rushes.  Jack Sherritt led the Lords with 6 tackles, including 2 sacks and 3 for loss.

Box Score