WAYNESBURG, Pa. – The sunny skies and warm temperatures made a picture perfect setting for Saturday’s homecoming festivities at John F. Wiley Stadium. The first-quarter efforts of the Yellow Jackets were nearly as flawless, as the home team raced out to a 21-0 lead over visiting Thiel during the first 10 minutes of play. The Tomcats came back to make the game more interesting for the more than 2,000 people gathered at the stadium, but it was too little, too late, as the Jackets sent their fans home happy with a 35-21 victory.
Waynesburg (4-1, 2-1) was led, as usual, by junior quarterback Carter Hill who put together another productive and efficient effort in victory. He completed 31-of-40 passes for 314 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Hill has now recorded 14 scoring passes with just one interception in 2013.
The Jackets’ standout signal caller came out of the gates firing the football all over the field against the Tomcat (0-5, 0-3) defense. After Waynesburg took the ball on the opening possession of the game, Hill went a perfect three-for-three for 53 yards, 31 of which came on a touchdown catch by junior Willie Leavell that gave the home team a 6-0 lead. Senior kicker Alex Henry knocked in his first of five successful extra point tries and Waynesburg led 7-0 after just 1:22 of play.
The Jacket defense supported its offensive counterparts by forcing Thiel into a three-and-out on the ensuing possession. Waynesburg started its next drive at its own 44-yard line and Hill was once again able to quickly move the ball down the field for six more points. After dashing 35 yards on the first play of the drive, Hill completed back-to-back passes to junior tight end Zac Capan and junior wide receiver Bernie Thompson. The latter of the two completions went for a 15-yard touchdown strike. Hill’s second scoring toss made the score 14-0 with 11:18 still showing on the first-quarter clock.
The Orange and Black defense kept the clamps on the Thiel offense, which was forced into another punt that gave the Yellow Jackets the ball at their own 42-yard line. The home team’s latest scoring drive took a little longer than its previous two, but after 16 plays, Waynesburg was able to punch in its third score in as many tries. Hill found Thompson for a second time in the end zone, this time hooking up with one of his favorite targets from 13 yards out on a third-and-10 situation.
After racing out to its 21-0 lead, Waynesburg’s offense cooled off considerably, but the Yellow Jacket defense and special teams maintained the shutout until the second quarter came to an end. Senior defensive end Brandon Fedorka blocked a 29-yard Thiel field goal try to stuff the Tomcats’ best scoring chance.
The two defenses continued to control the contest in the second half, as the score remained 21-0 until the final seconds of the third quarter. However, with the final seconds of the period melting off the clock, Waynesburg capped a nine-play, 68-yard possession with a three-yard touchdown run from Hill that widened the Jacket lead to 28-0
A change at quarterback sparked the Thiel offense to put up 21 points in the fourth quarter, but a one-yard touchdown plunge from junior running back Jake Forsythe helped seal up the homecoming victory.
Junior wide receiver Andrew English was the top beneficiary of Hill’s big day, as he pulled in a game-high seven catches for a contest-best 71 yards. Freshman wide receiver Jake Danks snared six balls for 49 yards, while Leavell recorded five receptions for 65 yards and a score.
The Jacket defense was led by junior linebacker John Sikora, who piled up a team-high eight tackles, all of which were solo stops, and two tackles for loss. Fedorka added seven total tackles, 2.0 stops for loss, a sack, two pass breakups and the blocked field goal.
Waynesburg hits the road on Saturday, Oct. 12, for its next Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) test, which comes from Grove City College. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
