BEAVER FALLS, Pa. -- The 11th-ranked Washington & Jefferson College football team erased a double-digit second half deficit to pick up a 24-20 victory at Geneva College in a Presidents' Athletic Conference game in Beaver County.
The win improves W&J to 5-0 overall and 4-0 in PAC play. Geneva slips to 2-3 overall and 2-2 in league contests.
Fueled by a homecoming crowd, Geneva raced out to a 14-0 lead after a quarter of play. The GT's marched 69 yards on 10 plays to score a touchdown on the opening possession of the game. A two-yard touchdown run by Amos Luptak and the point after by Daniel Nordaas gave the GT's a 7-0 lead less than four minutes into the game. W&J saw its drive stall out at the Geneva 23 yard line on its ensuing possession, as Justin Heacock (New Concord, Ohio/John Glenn) was sacked on a fourth and four play.
Geneva then used its triple-option attack to posses the ball for a 12-play, 71-yard touchdown drive that spanned six minutes. An eight-yard touchdown pass by Luptak to Peyton Schell gave the GT's a 14-0 edge with 1:25 to play in the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter, another W&J offensive drive stalled after a sack on a 4th-and-12 from the Geneva 27-yard line. The W&J defense was able to force a three-and-out and took over at its own 24-yard line with 11:41 remaining in the second quarter.
The Presidents marched 76 yards on seven plays to find the end zone for the first time in the game. Heacock found senior wide recevier Andrew Wolf (Hillsdale, Ohio/Ashland) for a 26-yard touchdown pass. Sophomore kicker Sean Disbrow (Sykesville, Md./Liberty) tacked on the PAT to cut the deficit to 14-7 with 9:23 to play second quarter.
Later in the quarter, a 23-yard field goal by Disbrow brought W&J within four points at 14-10 with 3:25 to go until halftime. Disbrow's second field goal of the season capped a nine-play, 72-yard drive for W&J. Geneva was able to push the ball into W&J territory to the 38-yard line. However, the clock ran out and the GT's took a 14-10 edge into the break.
Geneva extended its lead to 20-10 with a 47-yard touchdown pas by Luptak to Schell at the 9:25 mark of the third quarter. W&J quickly countered back with a score of its own on the ensuing possesion, as the Red and Black needed just five plays to go 75 yards for the touchdown. The drive was highlighted by a 43-yard completion by Heacock to senior wide receiver Payton Skalos (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) that moved the ball into Geneva territory.
Later on the drive, senior running back EJ Thompson (La Plata, Md./Thomas Stone) reached the end zone from 10 yards out. The rushing touchdown was the fourth of the season for Thompson. The PAT by Disbrow brought the deficit to 20-17 with 7:49 to play in the third.
W&J continued to trail by three points until early in the fourth quarter. A short punt and 26 yard return by Wolf allowed W&J to start at the Geneva 25-yard line. Heacock found Wolf for a 19-yard touchdown strike with 9:54 to play. The Wolf touchdown grab, his fifth of the season, gave W&J its first lead of the game. The PAT by Disbrow gave W&J a 24-20 edge.
Geneva threatened late in the game, as the hosts moved the ball into W&J territory with a 27-yard pass completion. However, sophomore linebacker Justin Johns (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) came through with an interception at the W&J 45 with 1:06 to play. W&J moved into victory formation and ran out the remainder of the clock to finish off the comeback victory.
Heacock finished 22-of-32 with 318 passing yards and two touchdowns. Koroly and Thompson combined to account for 96 yards rushing on 17 carries.
Wolf had seven catches for 85 yards and two touchdown receptions. Burns led W&J through the air with 99 receiving yards on just four catches. Skalos added 63 yards on four catches.
Defensively, senior linebacker Sean Doran (New Castle, Pa./Neshannock) finished with a team-high 14 tackles, three of which were for loss including a sack. Junior defensive lineman Alex Keith (Hartville, Ohio/Lake) finished with a career-high 13 tackles while senior defensive back Max Garda (Lower Burrell, Pa./Burrell) made 10 stops. Johns finished with eight tackles and his critical interception.
W&J finished with 402 yards of total offense with 318 of those coming through the air. The W&J defense limited Geneva's triple option to 3.3 yards per carry, as the home team totaled 220 yards on 67 rushes.
After playing four of its first five games on the road, W&J hosts Saint Vincent College for homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 9. The Bearcats edged Case Western Reserve by a 42-40 score to improve to 3-1 overall and 2-1 in league play. Saint Vincent's lone loss thus far in 2021 season was to Geneva. Kickoff between W&J and Saint Vincent is set for 2 p.m. at Cameron Stadium.
No. 11 W&J escapes with 24-20 road victory at Geneva
/seasons/2021/boxscores/20211002_bz7g.xml
2021
Washington and Jefferson
24
Geneva
20
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington and Jefferson (5-0) | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Geneva (2-3) | 14 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 20 |
Oct 02, 2021