Box Score
Ohio Wesleyan 48, Hiram 24
Junior quarterback Mason Espinosa (Cookeville, Tenn.) threw for more than 300 yards in the first half alone, and senior defensive end James Huddleston (Pontiac, Mich./Saint Marys Preparatory) turned in an impressive first-quarter defensive performance as Ohio Wesleyan ran its record to 4-0 with a North Coast Athletic Conference win over Hiram on Saturday at Selby Stadium.
The Bishop offense started slowly, with Espinosa fumbling the ball away on the first play from scrimmage, and sophomore wide receiver Scott Jenkins (Cuyahoga Falls) losing the ball at the Hiram 29-yard line on Ohio Wesleyan's third possession.
Huddleston was a dynamo on the defensive side of the ball, however, recording a pair of sacks as the Bishops forced a 3-and-out and Hiram's second possession, then repeating that feat on Hiram's third possession.
Ohio Wesleyan's offense started to click midway through quarter, with Espinosa connecting with sophomore tight end Calvin Cagney (Indialantic, Fla./Melbourne) for 25 yards on a pivotal third-and-16 call, then finding sophomore running back Kevin Herman (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls) for 25 yards to set up a first-and-goal at the Hiram 2. Jenkins would finish the drive with a 1-yard vault, giving the Bishops a 7-0 lead.
With starting quarterback Brendon Rehor already sacked 4 times for a loss of 31 yards, the Terriers switched gears and went to Zach Bailey, and the move paid off when Bailey quickly drove Hiram down the field for a game-tying score. The Terriers faced only one second down on the drive, with Chris Austin ripping off gains of 14 and 17 yards to move the chains, and Bailey completing a pair of 13-yard passes to Brent Bryner before finding Richard Simpson on an 8-yard scoring strike to tie things at 7-7 with 2:58 left in the first quarter.
The Bishops answered in similar rapid-fire fashion, as Espinosa moved Ohio Wesleyan 74 yards in 5 plays in a span of just 1:34 to give the Bishops the lead for good. The key play in the march was a 45-yard strike to senior wide receiver Nick Ziegenbusch (Sugarcreek/Garaway), and the drive finished with a 24-yard throw from Espinosa to Cagney.
Sophomore kicker Miles MacKenzie (Denver, Colo./East) booted a 34-yard field goal midway through the second quarter to increase the Bishop lead to 17-7.
Another long-range connection from Espinosa to Ziegenbusch, this one for 40 yards, set up Jenkins' second 1-yard scoring plunge of the evening, giving Ohio Wesleyan a 24-7 lead at the intermission.
The Bishops broke the game open in the third quarter. Sophomore linebacker Sean Miliner (Dayton/Wayne) stripped the ball from Dante Lambert and recovered the fumble to give Ohio Wesleyan the ball on the Hiram 43-yard line, and on the first play from scrimmage, Espinosa went downtown, finding junior wide receiver Dave Mogilnicki (Middleburg Heights/Midpark) for 43 yards and a touchdown.
Hiram fumbled the ensuing kickoff, with sophomore linebacker Brok Gould (Dayton, Tenn./Rhea County) recovering at the Hiram 26, and Ohio Wesleyan increased the lead to 34-7 when MacKenzie drilled a 39-yard field goal. The field goal was the ninth of the season for MacKenzie, tying the Ohio Wesleyan season record set by Pete Billington in 1968 and tied by MacKenzie last year, as well as the 18th of his career, tying the Bishop career record set by Rob Heller from 1981-83.
Sophomore running back Kevin Mulumba (Fairfax, Va./Falls Church) scored on a 4-yard run and freshman running back Zane Kieffer (Findlay/Van Buren) went over from 1 yard out during the fourth quarter to wrap up the Ohio Wesleyan scoring.
Espinosa completed 23 of 31 passes for 306 yards during the first half alone, and finished with 380 yards passing on a 28-for-43 evening. Jenkins grabbed a team-high 8 passes for 66 yards, with Mogilnicki adding 6 catches for 79 yards. Kieffer led the Bishops with 44 yards on 8 carries.
Huddleston led the Bishops with 9 tackles, including 4 sacks for a loss of 31 yards and 5 tackles for loss of 33 yards, and recovered a fumble. Sophomore defensive end Jonathan Valentine (Franklin) made 8 stops, including 2 sacks and 2½ tackles for loss; and senior linebacker Tyler Sheetz (Eighty Four, Pa./Peters Township) made 6 tackles.
Bailey completed 25 of 33 passes for 183 yards, with Bryner making 8 catches for 80 yards and Simpson hauling in 7 passes for 53 yards and 2 scores. Dominick Harper led Hiram with 16 tackles, 3 pass breakups, and a forced fumble.
Box Score
