WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Oct. 6) – Coming into Saturday’s homecoming game against Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) rival Grove City, Waynesburg knew that job number one was to stop the Wolverines’ top ranked running game. The Yellow Jacket defense did just that as they held GCC, which averaged 193.4 yards per game coming into Saturday, to just 84 yards on the ground as the Orange and Black scored a 21-14 victory over the Wolverines in front of the hcrowd gathered at John F. Wiley Stadium.
With the win, the Jackets remained undefeated at 6-0 overall and 4-0 in PAC play. GCC dropped to 3-3 on the year and 2-2 in conference action.
Waynesburg looked to be a bit short-handed going into the game as starting quarterback Tyler Fatigante and starting cornerback LaVance Turnage, Jr., both seniors, were among several starters dealing with injuries. While Turnage was forced to sit out the game, Fatigante showed guts and a commitment to his team by playing wide receiver. Junior Marvin Sampson got the start at defensive back, while sophomore Carter Hill made his first start under center for the Jackets.
After a scoreless first quarter that was dominated by the two defenses, Hill made his first and only big mistake of the day by throwing an interception to GCC’s Joe Diani, who took the pick back 36 yards for the first game’s first touchdown. After the extra point was tacked on with 12:36 left to play in the second quarter, the Wolverines held a 7-0 lead and were in fine position to spoil the day’s homecoming festivities.
However, Waynesburg was far from ready to concede its first loss of the 2012 season and wasted little time in tying the game back up. After the Jackets punted the ball back to the Wolverines on their ensuing possession, junior safety Bryan Gary intercepted Grove City quarterback Brian Pell at the visitors’ 32-yard line. From there, Waynesburg marched down the shortened field and on third-and-goal Hill lobbed a two-yard touchdown pass into the back of the end zone to All-American tight end Adam Moses for the home team’s first score. Junior Alex Henry added the extra point and with 6:26 to play until halftime, the game was tied at 7-7.
Neither team was able to score again before heading to its respective locker room and Grove City got the ball to open the second half. After the Wolverines were forced to punt the ball away, Waynesburg took over at its own 23-yard line. From there, Hill and the Waynesburg running game combined to 77 yards down the Wiley Stadium turf and with 7:23 left to play in the period, Hill found senior wide receiver Doogie Sanner for his first-ever collegiate touchdown catch from 11 yards out to put the home team ahead. Junior Dominic Zappa drilled his first extra point of the season to give the Yellow Jackets a 14-7 lead.
After Grove City went three-and-out on its next drive, the Jackets went back to work on offense and put the game out of reach. Waynesburg took possession of the ball at the Grove City 30-yard line after the Wolverines were forced to punt from deep within their own end zone. Senior Christian Jackson put the Yellow Jackets right on the door step of a third touchdown with a 25-yard run on his team’s first play from scrimmage. Two plays later, Waynesburg head coach Rick Shepas reached into his bag of tricks and called for a halfback pass by senior running back Dominic Moore. The gamble paid off as Moore, a former quarterback at Beth-Center High School, found Moses for his second touchdown grab of the day. After Zappa converted the PAT, the home team found itself ahead 21-7 late in the third quarter.
Still up by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, Waynesburg was able to whittle off all but 3:33 off the scoreboard clock when the Wolverines found the end zone on a 19-yard touchdown pass. Down by just seven points with just a few minutes left in the game, Grove City decided not to go for the onside kick and instead gave the home team the ball at its own 21-yard line. From there, Hill was able to complete a pass to Fatigante for six yards on third-and-five for a crucial first down. A six-yard run by junior Bertrand Ngampa and a five-yard run Moore combined to give the Jackets another first down and with just over a minute left to play, Waynesburg was able to kneel on the football twice and keep its unbeaten record intact.
Even though, Saturday’s game featured a battle of the top two running teams in the PAC, only one of squads was able to approach its season average. While the Wolverines were held to a season-low 84 yards on the ground, Waynesburg came up just short of its 179.3 ypg average with 165 yards on 43 carries. Ngampa and Moore led the ground game by going for 68 and 67 yards, respectively. Those were the top two rushing totals in the game.
After throwing the early interception that resulted in Grove City’s first touchdown, Hill settled down and was able to contribute in the passing game by completing 14-of-24 passes for 109 yards. His two favorite targets on the day were Jackson and Moses, who pulled in five and four receptions, respectively. Jackson led all players in catches for a game-high 55 yards. Moses totaled four grabs for 23 yards and his pair of scores.
Waynesburg was led defensively by Gary, who posted his second-straight double-digit tackle effort with 11 stops on the day. The hard-hitting veteran also notched his second interception of the year and broke up two passes on the afternoon. While Gary was busy disrupting things in the defensive backfield, junior defensive end Brandon Fedorka had perhaps his best game of the year by racking up eight tackles, including five solo hits, recording two sacks in a game for a second-straight week and totaling a game-high three tackles for loss.
Speaking of sacks, the Waynesburg offensive line didn’t allow Hill to be sacked once on the sun-drenched afternoon. Waynesburg also held the advantage in time of possession (32:45-to-27:15) and was better on third down opportunities, converting six-of-15 attempts. Grove City converted just two-of-10 tries on third down.
The Jackets will try to keep their winning ways going on Saturday, Oct. 13, when they hit the road to face Bethany for another PAC showdown. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
