COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio Dominican Panthers football team looked to bounce back following a Week 1 setback with the 2023 home opener at Panther Stadium on Saturday (Sept. 9) afternoon. After an early deficit against a new opponent - the Winston-Salem State Rams, the Panthers battled back and evened their record at 1-1 for the young season. 

Trailing 7-0 after the first quarter, Ohio Dominican scored 20 consecutive points to win 26-14. 

BOX SCORE NOTES

• Drew Gallehue (Edon, Ohio) made his first career start at quarterback. Gallehue completed 18 of his 27 attempts for 168 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. 
• Jonzell Norrils (Toledo, Ohio) was Ohio Dominican's leading rusher with 79 yards on the ground on 16 carries. 
• Jordan Pantaleo (Dresden, Ohio) tallied two rushing touchdowns, scoring on half of his carries - totaling 23 yards.
• Ty Wiley (Pickerington, Ohio) ended the game as the leading target with a team-high six catches for 65 yards (out of ten targets). 
  • Wiley had 91 yards on three kick returns, totaling 156 all-purpose yards. 
• Jayden Cornell (Kenton, Ohio) caught both of Gallehue's touchdown passes as he totaled 39 yards receiving with three catches. 
• Dimitri Mitsopoulos (Toledo, Ohio) made a career-high eight stops with six solo tackles. 
• Brady Blattner (Cumberland, Ohio) forced his second fumble in as many weeks, with two tackles for loss and seven tackles.  
• Daishaun Hill (Rocky River, Ohio) picked off a pass late in the second quarter, his fifth interception of his career. He also made seven tackles on defense. 
• Eddie Miller-Garrett (Newark, New Jersey) swarmed the QB with three QB hurries, one sack and two tackles for loss in a seven tackle afternoon. 
• Caleb Diersing (Cincinnati, Ohio) added a sack and three QB hurries. 
• Kalos Farrier (Cincinnati, Ohio) recovered the fumble that Blattner forced for the second straight week. 
• The Panthers defense held the Rams to 25 yards rushing on 26 attempts. 
  • That is the 7th lowest rushing output by an opposing offense in program history. 
• Overall, the Rams outgained the Panthers 303-290. 
• The Panthers held the ball for 32:27 of the game, converting five-of-14 third down conversions and both fourth down tries. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Winston-Salem took advantage of a Panther interception, taking the 7-0 lead with 59 seconds left in the first quarter on a one-yard run. 
• The Panthers answered back with a score to open the second quarter. Gallehue regained his footing and fueled a seven play, 42-yard drive. He found Cornell on a leaping grab in the corner of the end zone for a seven-yard touchdown pass. The game was tied at seven with 11:39 left before halftime. 
• The next drive for the Rams was promising with three first downs but the Panthers defense stood tall, forcing a punt. 
• Gallehue and Cornell capped off another scoring drive with a 24-yard score. The Panthers went 80 yards in six plays, taking a 14-7 lead with 3:16 on the clock.
• Both teams traded interceptions at the end of the half with D. Hill taking the Panthers into halftime with a 14-7 lead. 
• With the Panthers deferring in the opening coin toss, ODU started the second half with the ball. 11 plays later, Pantaleo ended the drive with a two-yard TD run. Five minutes into the second half, Ohio Dominican led 20-7. 
• Blattner and Farrier kicked off the fourth quarter with a fumble as ODU took over one minute in. 
• WSSU cut the lead to 20-14 with a 52-yard touchdown pass with ten minutes remaining. 
• Pantaleo iced the game for the Panthers as they answered with a ten play, 67-yard drive. He scored his second TD of the day, a seven-yard scamper. The Panthers led 26-14 and ended the game on top. 

UP NEXT

• The Panthers will open conference play next Saturday (Sept. 16) with a trip to the Bluegrass State to face Thomas More. Kickoff from Crestview Hills, Kentucky is set for 7:00 PM.