COLUMBUS, Ohio – Junior quarterback Tyson Bagent (Martinsburg, W.Va./Martinsburg) completed 26-of-37 passes for 346 yards and four touchdowns to lead Shepherd to a 35-30 win over Ohio Dominican in football action at Ohio Dominican on Thursday night.
Ohio Dominican took a 7-0 lead when Evan Ernst tossed a four-yard scoring pass to Austin Davis with 5:19 left in the first quarter.
Shepherd answered back when Bagent fired a 43-yard scoring strike to senior wide receiver Greg Leonard (Lusby, Md./Patuxent/Clarion) with 2:40 left in the first quarter. Senior kicker Hayden August-Scriven (North Potomac, Md./Quince Orchard) added the extra point.
The Panthers took a 10-7 lead when Jed Quackenbush connected on a 36-yard field goal with 5:36 left in the second quarter.
Shepherd took a 14-10 lead into the break when Bagent tossed a five-yard scoring pass to freshman wide receiver Ryan Beach (Frederick, Md./Northwest) with 25 seconds left in the half.
Travis Whittaker scored on a five-yard run with 11:58 left in the third quarter to give Ohio Dominican a 17-14 advantage.
Shepherd responded as Bagent and Beach teamed on a 45-yard scoring strike with 9:40 left in the third quarter to give the Rams a 21-17 edge.
Ohio Dominican got a 21-yard field goal by Quackenbush with 6:56 left in the third quarter to cut the lead to 21-20.
Quackenbush nailed a 37-yard field goal minutes later to give the Panthers a 23-21 lead.
Shepherd retook the lead when Bagent found Leonard in the front of the end zone for a seven-yard scoring pass with 4:09 to give the Rams a 28-23 lead. Ohio Dominican drove into Shepherd territory and turned the ball over on downs on a fourth-and-seven at the Shepherd 37 after senior linebacker Chrys Lane (Baltimore, Md./Dundalk) broke up a pass intended for David Turner.
Sophomore running back Ronnie Brown (Baltimore, Md./Dundalk) raced 63 yards for a score to up the lead to 35-23 with 4:47 remaining.
Ernst hit Turner on a four-yard scoring pass with 34 seconds left to cut the lead to 35-30.
Ohio Dominican recovered the onside kick, but senior linebacker Frankie Stevens (Reisterstown, Md./Franklin) picked off Ernst on the last play of the game to seal the win.
Ernst was 29-of-44 for 263 yards and a pair of scores for Ohio Dominican.
Beach had 11 receptions for 129 yards and a pair of scores for the Rams. Leonard added five catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns. James Morgan had five catches for 205 yards and
David Turner added 10 grabs for 34 yards.
Brown had eight carries for 71 yards to lead the ground game.
Shepherd amassed 390 yards of total offense, while Ohio Dominican totaled 343.
Lane posted a team-high 12 tackles (six solos) for the Rams. Senior defensive back Antonio Fox (Germantown, Md/Seneca Valley) added 11 stops (four solos) and a pair of pass breakups. The Rams recorded four sacks on the night with junior defensive end Kyle Smith (Sterling, Va./Dominion) leading the way with three. Dauson Dales had a game-high 14 tackles (nine solos) for the Panthers.
The Rams will return to action on Saturday when they travel to Gannon for a noon contest.
