WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Oct. 19) – For 59 minutes, Waynesburg and Bethany clawed, scraped and battled for every yard they could get in their Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup at John F. Wiley Stadium on Saturday. After both teams struggled for almost the entirety of the game, one big play for the Bison allowed them to score the game-winning touchdown and stun the Yellow Jackets’ home crowd, which sat through the cold and rainy conditions of a 27-20 Jacket loss.
With the game tied 20-20 and seemingly headed to overtime, Bethany (3-3, 3-1) quarterback Matt Grimard hit wide receiver Eric Blinn on a short pass that turned into a 68-yard sprint to the Waynesburg (5-2, 3-2) end zone with 20 seconds left to play. The home team was able to reach the Bethany 39 yard-line on its final possession, but the Bison held on to pick up the win.
Things started out well for the host team, as Waynesburg’s defense kept the potent Bethany offense in check early in the contest. After forcing the Bison into a turnover on downs during the first possession of the game, the Jackets drove down the field to the Bethany nine yard-line. Unfortunately, Waynesburg was only able to advance two more yards on the drive and had to settle for a 24-yard Alex Henry field goal that put the home team ahead 3-0.
The Orange and Black defense came up with another big play to end the visiting team’s next possession. With Bethany again driving into opposing territory, senior linebacker Ronnie Skinner delivered a jarring blow to the Bison’s Jalen Holmes and popped the ball loose. Senior safety Logan McAnany scooped up the pig skin and raced 44 yards to the Bethany 20 to put the home team in great field position to put up its first touchdown of the day.
Unfortunately, a Bison sack on first down pushed Waynesburg backwards and the home team had to settle for another Henry field goal. The senior’s second make on the day, this one coming from 38 yards away, doubled the Jackets’ lead to 6-0 with 4:05 left to play in the first quarter.
The Bison offense was able to protect the football on the ensuing possession and scored its first touchdown of the game five seconds into the second quarter. However, a missed extra point kept the game tied at 6-6.
Following the first touchdown of the game, the two defenses took over, as Waynesburg intercepted passes on each of Bethany’s next two possessions, while the Jackets were held to a four-and-out and a punt. The home offense finally broke the defenses’ hold on the game when the Yellow Jackets went 91 yards on 10 plays to finally get into the end zone. Junior quarterback Carter Hill capped the possession with a nine-yard touchdown pass to sophomore tight end Zac Capan, and with 38 seconds showing on the second-quarter clock, the Jackets held a 13-6 lead on their opposition.
Waynesburg carried its seven-point lead into the third quarter, but after failing to add to it on the first possession of the half, the Bison tied things up at 13-13 on their first drive of the period. The Jackets didn’t wait long to regain the lead as Hill led his team down the field on the ensuing possession and sophomore running back Jerry Lawman put an exclamation point on the eight-play, 62-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run. After Heny connected on his second PAT of the day, the Orange and Black held a 20-13 advantage late in the third quarter.
Unfortunately, Lawman’s short run gave his team its last lead of the afternoon, as Bethany scored the tying touchdown on a marathon 15-play, 64-yard drive that started in the third period and ended in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. After the two teams traded punts, Waynesburg looked poised to jump back into the lead after driving 72 yards on 12 plays to set Henry up for a go-ahead 25-yard field goal. Unfortunately, the kick was blocked by the Bison, who regained possession at their own two yard-line.
The contest looked destined for overtime, but that was before Grimard found Blinn for the longest offensive play of the day that provided the eventual game-winning points. The Jackets had one last chance to pull out a miraculous win after taking possession at their own 40-yard line, but Bethany’s defense was able to deny Waynesburg a big play of its own and a disheartened Jacket crowd went home to dry out and warm up from the gloomy conditions.
Though he saw a three-game streak with at least 300 passing yards and three touchdowns come to an end, Hill still played an efficient game and had his team in position to win. The current PAC Offensive Player of the Week completed 18-of-30 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown in the victory. Junior Andrew English pulled in six of those completions for a team-high 80 yards in the loss. Lawman turned in the first 100-yard Jacket rushing effort on the year after posting 25 carries for 109 yards and a score.
The Waynesburg defense boasted several strong individual performances, including the one turned in by Tolliver, who piled up a game-high nine tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and an interception. Skinner added an interception and a forced fumble as part of a five-tackle game. The three turnovers forced by the home team weren’t enough to overcome a 481-to-301 disadvantage in total offensive yardage.
Waynesburg will have to rebound quickly from its most disappointing loss of 2013, as it hosts another powerful offense in Geneva on Saturday, Oct. 26, for senior day. Kickoff for this year’s home finale is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
