Box Score

WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Nov. 7) – Though it was senior day at John F. Wiley Stadium, a pair of juniors led the Yellow Jackets against Thiel as they rolled to a 38-17 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) win on Saturday.

Junior quarterback Brad Dawson got back to his dominant ways in the passing game, while first-year junior linebacker Troy Cree had another monster day for the Yellow Jacket defense.

Dawson, the conference's top passer, completed 23-of-37 passes for 306 yards and three touchdowns, while not throwing an interception. He also rushed eight times for 49 yards and a fourth score. Dawson's 22 touchdown passes are three off of John Huntey's school single-season mark of 25, which was set in 1968.

While Dawson led the offense to 449 yards and 38 points, Cree led the defense to a solid performance. The Waynesburg native tied for the game-high in total tackles with 12, including a game-high 11 solo stops. He also recorded a sack, two total tackles for loss and broke up two passes.

With the win, the Jackets jumped back over .500 for the year (5-4) and are now 2-3 in PAC play. The Tomcats dropped to 3-6 on the season and 1-4 in conference action.

Waynesburg came out firing and built a 24-3 lead before halftime. After winning the toss, the Yellow Jackets went on offense and drove 40 yards in 10 plays. Though the drive stalled out before finding the end zone, freshman kicker Jon Storck drilled a 37-yard field goal with 10:56 to go in the first quarter. The boot put the Jackets up 3-0.

With Waynesburg holding onto a three-point lead through most of the opening period, the Yellow Jackets expanded their lead to 10-0 when Dawson hooked up with senior wide receiver Josh Fisher on a 13-yard touchdown pass. For Fisher, it was his team-leading seventh touchdown catch of the year.

After Thiel's John Madeline connected on a 35-yard field goal that cut the Jackets' advantage to 10-3, the home team rolled up 14 unanswered points before the teams broke for halftime.

Sophomore running back Justin Falcon capped a 12-play, 79-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run that gave his team a 16-3 advantage. Storck's extra point made it 17-3 Waynesburg.

With time winding down in the second, Waynesburg managed to find the end zone again, this time on a Dawson to Bobby Francis touchdown connection that spanned 38 yards. The big strike capped a five-play, 70-yard drive and after another Storck PAT, the home team went up 24-3.

The halftime break definitely didn't slow Waynesburg's momentum. After stopping Thiel on their opening drive of the third quarter, the Jackets took over at their 32-yard line. From their, they marched 68 yards in 10 plays, and the Dawson-to-Francis connection proved fruitful once again as the two juniors hooked up on an 11-yard scoring pass. Another Storck kick put the home team up 31-3.

The Tomcats managed to trim the lead back to 21 points after quarterback Willie Bova combined with wide receiver Brendan Taylor on a 70-yard scoring play, but the Jackets rebounded before the end of the third with a Dawson touchdown run.

The junior quarterback scampered in from eight yards out to cap a 10-play, 75-yard march to pay dirt with just over two minutes to go in the third. Storck's kick ended the scoring and gave Waynesburg a 38-10 lead.

The Tomcats managed a 16-play, 80-yard scoring drive that ended with 12:09 to go in the fourth that brought about the final score of 38-17.

Waynesburg enjoyed advantages in several statistical categories. The Jackets out-gained Thiel 449 to 372 on offense, including a 143 to 22 advantage in rushing yards. The home team also held the ball for 34:19, as compared to 25:41 for Thiel.

The Jackets also excelled on third down, converting of 11-of-17 chances, while the Tomcats could only pick up first downs on four-of-18 attempts. Thiel also went for it on fourth down seven times, converting four of them.

Bova and Dawson both filled the air with passes during the contest. Thiel's starting signal-caller threw the ball a whopping 61 times, and completed 37 attempts for 350 yards and a score. Without a doubt, his favorite target on the day was Taylor, who snared a game-high 17 passes for a game-high 216 yards and a score.

Waynesburg's receiving corps was led by junior tight end Zach Fatigante, who hauled in six catches for 70 yards. Dawson did a great job of spreading the ball around, as he completed passes to nine different receivers.

Falcon took top rushing laurels for the day with 83 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. He also pulled in two catches for 49 yards, giving him 132 total yards on the day.

The Thiel defense was led by linebacker Sam Swartzfager, who tied for the game lead with 12 tackles. He also had two sacks and three tackles for loss. 

Waynesburg ends their regular season next weekend when they travel to Washington, Pa. to face Washington & Jefferson in their PAC Football Rivalry Week game.