from the NC Wesleyan Battling Bishops website, with Greensboro College not posting at our 1am Sunday morning post time/press time…..
Greensboro, NC — North Carolina Wesleyan Football battled to the final minutes Saturday afternoon, but the Battling Bishops came up just short in a 22-20 road setback against Greensboro at Pride Field. Wesleyan overcame an early deficit and held a four-point lead for much of the second half before the Pride scored with just over two minutes remaining to take the lead.
Greensboro opened the scoring with a touchdown on its first possession, but Wesleyan answered almost immediately. Braden Selvage connected with Robert Wayne Trip III for 25 yards before finding Jalen Moore for a 44-yard touchdown. Jorge Hernandez-Lara converted the extra point to give the Bishops a 7-6 advantage with 11:21 remaining in the opening quarter.
The Pride regained the lead later in the first quarter and added a field goal in the second to move ahead 16-7. North Carolina Wesleyan responded with another explosive scoring drive. Jaylen Solomon helped move the Bishops down the field before Selvage connected with Tyson Resper for a 42-yard touchdown on third-and-long, cutting the Greensboro lead to 16-14 with 4:47 remaining before halftime.
Wesleyan threatened again before the break, driving 55 yards and reaching the Greensboro 14-yard line before turning the ball over on downs. The Bishops entered halftime trailing by just two points at 16-14.
North Carolina Wesleyan came out of halftime with an impressive response. Beginning at its own nine-yard line, the Bishops marched 91 yards in seven plays. Solomon provided the biggest play of the drive with a 51-yard run that moved Wesleyan inside the Greensboro 10. Selvage finished the possession with a five-yard touchdown pass to Ethan Fay, giving the Bishops a 20-16 lead with 10:47 remaining in the third quarter.
The Wesleyan defense came up with several key stops to protect the lead. Greensboro drove inside the Bishops’ 10-yard line midway through the third quarter, but the defense held and forced a missed field goal. Later, after Greensboro took possession at the Wesleyan 41, Zion Wright recorded back-to-back sacks to push the Pride backward and help force a turnover on downs early in the fourth quarter.
The Bishops then put together a lengthy fourth-quarter possession, taking nearly nine minutes off the clock while moving 57 yards in 16 plays. Wesleyan reached the Greensboro 10-yard line before being pushed back by consecutive sacks, and a 40-yard field goal attempt went wide with 6:02 remaining.
Greensboro took advantage on the ensuing possession, driving 76 yards before scoring on a 45-yard touchdown pass with 2:19 remaining to take a 22-20 lead. North Carolina Wesleyan had one final opportunity, but the Bishops’ drive ended on fourth down near midfield, allowing Greensboro to hold on for the two-point victory.
Selvage finished the afternoon completing 20 of 28 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns. Resper led the receiving corps with eight catches for 79 yards and a touchdown, while Nicholas Crosby added five receptions for 55 yards. Moore finished with two catches for 50 yards and a score, while Fay added two receptions for 14 yards and a touchdown.
Solomon turned in a strong performance on the ground, rushing for 148 yards on 20 carries and averaging 7.4 yards per attempt. His 51-yard run helped set up Wesleyan’s go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter. The Bishops finished with 369 yards of total offense, including 227 through the air and 142 on the ground.
Defensively, Lavar Williams led North Carolina Wesleyan with seven tackles, while Cedric Somme finished with six and Elijah Wiggins added five. Wright recorded two sacks and two tackles for loss, while Mathias Winston finished with two tackles for loss. The Bishops also blocked an extra point in the opening quarter, with Wyatt Wesson getting a hand on the attempt.
North Carolina Wesleyan showed resilience throughout the afternoon, responding to an early deficit, taking the lead in the second half and battling until the final possession before Greensboro scored late to escape with the 22-20 victory.