WOOSTER, Ohio (Sept. 5) – In 106 years of Waynesburg football, rarely has their been a contest like the one that fans at John P. Papp Stadium saw under a warm, sunny sky this past Saturday.

In a game that saw an unbelievable 10 lead changes, 1,021 yards of offense and several Yellow Jackets move up various all-time school leader lists, Waynesburg made a loud statement that they are a team to be reckoned with in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) as they upset the College of Wooster by the final score of 42-39.

The victory was due, in large part, to the Brad Dawson to Josh Fisher connection, which put up two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including the eventual game-winner on a 25-yard strike late in the contest.

The win avenges a 27-6 home loss for the Jackets in 2008 and tied head coach Rick Shepas for sixth on the school's all-time wins list with 24 victories. It certainly wasn't easy though, as Waynesburg refused to give up to a Wooster team loaded with offensive firepower.

Things opened up very well for the visitors as Dawson capped a game-opening seven-play 80-yard drive with a beautiful 22-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end Zach Fatigante that took just two minutes to accomplish. Dawson also hooked up with junior wide receiver Ray Hightower II twice on the drive for a combined 45 yards.

Unfortunately, the Waynesburg defense, which featured seven new starters, struggled early with the Fightin' Scots (0-1) as senior quarterback Austin Holter led his team to 10 unanswered points in the span of 8:43, giving Wooster a 10-7 advantage.

Down by three after the opening period, Waynesburg retook the lead on a huge defensive play in the second quarter.

On second down and one from the Jacket 16, Wooster looked prime for a big score that could put the game away. Holter took the snap, but was drilled in the backfield and coughed up the football. That allowed junior Gino Scampone, who converted to linebacker from defensive back in the offseason, to scoop up the pigskin and sprint 80 yards the other way for the touchdown.

Freshman Jon Storck tacked on his second of four extra points on the day to put Waynesburg back ahead 14-10 early in the second quarter. The Jacket defense stiffened up and kept Wooster from reclaiming the lead for the rest of the period and the visitors went into the locker room with the halftime lead.

In the third, however, Wooster went back to work and answered a Jacket touchdown with 10 unanswered points, this time off of Russ Palm's second field goal of the afternoon, and a 29-yard touchdown run by Holter. The two scores gave the Scots a 20-14 lead with 8:49 to go in the third.

Once again, Waynesburg was up to the challenge. This time, it was sophomore running back Justin Falcon who gave the Jackets the lead back with his first touchdown of the season, an 11-yard effort across the goal line that put the Yellow Jackets back up 21-20 on the Storck kick.

The Scots again flexed their offensive muscle as Holter hooked up with Robert Flagg for a 58-yard catch and run that opened up the fourth quarter and put the home team back ahead 26-21 after a failed two-point conversion try. The completion capped a two-play, 62-yard drive that ended with 11:23 to go.

Five minutes after the big play to Flagg, the passing game went to work. The first of the three touchdown passes came with 6:23 left in the contest as Fisher hauled in a pass from sophomore Ryan Williams after he took a pitch from Dawson and fired the ball 10 yards into the end zone to give the Jackets a 27-26 advantage and cap a 14-play, 85-yard march downfield.

Unfortunately, Wooster had another big play in them as Bryan Albani took the ensuing kickoff 88 yards for a counterpunch in the offensive heavyweight battle. Another failed two-point conversion try made the score 32-27 with 6:10 left on the clock.

Waynesburg found themselves pinned back on the ensuing kickoff, but still managed to put together a masterful 10-play, 92-yard effort capped by a 16-yard strike from Dawson to Fisher, putting the Jackets ahead 33-32. Dawson then found Hightower in the back corner of the end zone on a gorgeous leaping grab to run the score to 35-32.

Wooster gave it one last try as a big pass play put them deep in Waynesburg territory with 1:03 left. Holter lobbed his third touchdown throw of the day, this one to Kyle Murdock, to move the Scots back ahead by the score of 39-35 after a Palm extra point.

Despite the sting of a huge play by their opponents, Waynesburg refused to go away and got a big boost from their special teams to set up the game-winning pass.

In an effort to keep the ball away from All-American kick returner Scott Cree, Wooster squibbed the ensuing kickoff, which was scooped up by junior running back Troy Garove at his own 25. Garove caught the ball on the run and sprinted right down the heart of the coverage team to the Scots' 25-yard line, where he was finally hauled down.

Dawson then nailed Fisher with the game-winning throw and Storck added the extra point to make it a 42-39 game with just 48 second left in the contest.

However, the game was far from over as Holter and his offense got the ball back at their own 45. The senior fired a beautiful 54-yard pass to Luke McCann, which would have put the Scots at the Waynesburg one-yard line, if not for an ineligible man down field penalty that erased the play.

After Holter was sacked by Spencer McKim, he threw two incomplete passes, the second of which was a fourth down try that got knocked away by senior defensive back Dylan August with no time left on the clock.

It would be hard to select an MVP of the Waynesburg win, as so many players put forth amazing efforts.

While Dawson and Fisher stole the show in the fourth quarter, Falcon put together maybe his best effort as a Yellow Jacket. The hard-nosed runner needed just 20 carries to roll up a personal-best  and game-high 148 yards and a score. He also showcased a soft set of hands by hauling in four passes for 38 yards.

The native of nearby Jefferson, Pa. was the leader of a Waynesburg rushing attack that out-gained their opponents 225 to 172. The Jackets' rushing total was their highest since week two of last season, when they put up 230 yards against Hanover, whom they play in week two of this year.

After a bit of a slow start, Dawson settled in and looked like the player Shepas envisioned when he transferred in prior to last season from California University of Pa. The Pittsburgh native hit on 25-of-45 passes for 285 yards and three scores with no interceptions. The performance was even more satisfying for Dawson as threw for just 80 yards, no touchdowns and three picks in his debut against the Scots last year.

His performance also gives him  2,024 yards with the Jackets, and places him 10^th on the school's all-time list, just 80 yards behind the man who is in ninth place, Ryan Mytrysak (1995-98).

While Fisher and Fatigante pulled in a combined four touchdowns, Hightower continued to be Waynesburg's most consistent target as he recorded a game-high seven grabs for 84 yards. He now ranks 10^th on the school's all-time career receptions list, and needs just one more grab to tie Art Green (1974-77) for the ninth spot.

Holter was clearly the focus of the Wooster attack, as he piled up an impressive 416 total yards (328 passing, 88 rushing) and scored all four touchdowns, three of which came through the air.

Though the defense had its struggles at times, they also had their share of outstanding performers. August led all Jacket defenders with 12 tackles, including a game-high eight solo hits, 1.5 tackles for loss, and the game-winning pass breakup.

Sophomore linebacker Scott Bogdan and first-year junior linebacker Troy Cree laid out vicious hits all day, as they tallied seven and six tackles, respectively. Snovak, a first-year starter on the defensive line, was also disruptive as he rolled up six tackles, including a sack and 1.5 stops for loss. Scampone added five tackles to his huge fumble return for a score.

Wooster's defense was led by their star senior linebacker Matt DeGrand, who totaled a game-high 16 tackles.

While the little things often get lost in a thrilling win like this one, the Jackets certainly helped themselves out by not turning the ball over once.

After an emotional, hard-fought victory that took everything the Jackets had, the team only gets one week to regroup and get ready for its home-opener against the Hanover Panthers on Sept. 12. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at John F. Wiley Stadium.