Football ‘Cats drop 41-9 home decision to Notre Dame

BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Wesleyan football team (0-7, 0-6) fell at home to Notre Dame (Ohio) on Saturday (Oct. 15) afternoon at Cebe Ross Field.

WVWC Leaders
Tailback Javian Tomlinson carried his fourth rushing touchdown. Tomlinson has found the end zone in his last three games. Dariuse Cooper hauled in a pair of receptions for 35 yards. Deontre Logan once again led the Bobcats on the defensive front, racking up 10 total tackles, 2.0 tackles for a loss and a sack. Derrick Smith forced a fumble and added a sack.

NDC Leaders
Quarterback Chris Brimm completed 16 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns. Tyris Dickerson gained 49 rushing yards and one score. Nathan Moore racked up 17 tackles, including 2.0 tackles for a loss. Isaiah Stephens blocked a punt and made six stops.

Inside the First Half
The visitors received the opening kickoff and drove 56 yards in 12 plays. The Bobcats forced NDC to settle for a field goal. Devin Washington returned the ensuing kickoff 56 yards to set up a short field for the WVWC offense. The Bobcats converted a 4th and 7 after Nathan Payne found Cooper for a 29-yard pitch-and-catch that set-up first and goal at the five. Tomlinson bulldozed into the end zone two plays later and put WVWC on top, 6-3. The Falcons responded as Brimm passed his first touchdown pass of the afternoon to Michael Solomon on the following drive. The Falcons led 10-6 after the first quarter of action.

The Falcons were threatening in the red zone at the start of the second quarter. Smith punched the football out of the arms of Krys Riley-Richardson and AJ Johnson recovered the ball to keep NDC off the scoreboard. Two plays later, Jacalyn Morrison perfectly read a Payne pass for an interception and scampered 15 yards to the end zone for a Falcons score. On the next Bobcats’ drive, Nathan Rosario-Santos caught a pass off of the hands of a WVWC receiver that turned the ball over to the Falcons in Bobcat territory. Brimm found his tight end, CJ Kiss for a three-yard touchdown to build a 24-6 cushion. Wesleyan manufactured a field goal at the end of the half after driving 51 yards in 94 seconds. Cam Ceccotti nailed a 31-yard field goal as the clock expired to cut the score to a two-possession game at the break.

Inside the Second Half
After going three-and-out on its first drive, Wesleyan was forced to punt out of the shadow of its own end zone. Isaiah Stephens broke through the WVWC punt formation and blocked Camden Lawrence’s kick. Wendell McClain pounced on the football in the end zone to put the Falcons up 31-9. NDC added to its lead when Dickerson finished an 11-play, 74-yard touchdown-scoring drive with a 4-yard rush. The Falcons padded their lead after Cameron Shirkey made a 46-yard field goal. NDC came away with the victory at Ross Field.

Up Next
The Bobcats will travel north on Route 119 to Philippi next Saturday (Oct. 22) to face Alderson Broaddus. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.

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