Wooster Drops Conference Opener

Chad Peterman protects Justin Abraham during Saturday's game at Ohio Wesleyan.

WOOSTER, Ohio - The College of Wooster, ranked No. 15 in the nation in Division III heading into Saturday, managed only one touchdown in dropping its North Coast Athletic Conference opener to Ohio Wesleyan 14-11 in Delaware, Ohio.

The Scots, who were 2-0 heading into the contest, suffered their first loss to the Bishops since 1996 and their first conference-opening defeat since 1995.

Wooster got on the board first at the 7:02 mark of the first quarter, as junior Joe Zombek (Westlake, Ohio) connected on a 42-yard field goal.

Ohio Wesleyan responded on its next possession, as Matt Capone capped a 53-yard drive with a 36-yard touchdown run.

The score remained 7-3 until 30 seconds were left before halftime. ThatÈs when Bishop quarterback Phil Heyn connected with Capone on a nine-yard scoring pass that gave Ohio Wesleyan what appeared to be a 14-3 halftime lead. But with just six seconds remaining in the half, junior Justin Abraham (North Olmsted) hit senior Reggie Ray (Norton) on a 67-yard touchdown pass. Abraham hit sophomore Kyle Mueller (Westlake) on a two-point scoring pass to cut the deficit to 14-11 at halftime.

There was no scoring in the second half, although the Scots did get the ball inside the Ohio Wesleyan 35-yard line twice in the fourth quarter. They turned the ball over on downs at the Bishop 20-yard line with 7:31 to play, then were intercepted with 28 seconds to play in the game after reaching the 36-yard line.

Statistically, Wooster outgained the Bishops 295-287 in total offense. The Scots passed for 173 yards and rushed for 122, while Ohio Wesleyan used 50 of its 68 offensive plays to run the ball, amassing 208 yards on the ground.

Individually, Abraham completed 12-of-26 passes for 121 yards. Ray caught four passes for 106 yards, while senior Will Schober (Avon) gained 46 yards on nine carries in his first action of the season.

Capone led Ohio Wesleyan with 72 yards on 14 carries. He also had three receptions for 25 yards. Heyn completed 7-of-16 passes for 63 yards.

Defensively, Mike Fowler had a big day for the Bishops, racking up 18 tackles, while seniors Keathun Gale (West Palm Beach, Fla.), Shawn Marks (Warrensville Heights), and Kevin Brown (Doylestown) had 12 tackles each for Wooster.

The Scots return to action next Saturday at home against Kenyon, while Ohio Wesleyan, which improved to 2-0 on the season, travel to Allegheny.