Box Score

GROVE CITY, Pa. (Oct. 12) – The Waynesburg University football team played what most would consider its best game of the season on Saturday, when it traveled to Grove City for a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) contest. The Yellow Jackets pitched their first shutout since the 2004 season opener and junior quarterback Carter Hill was his typically excellent self, as the visiting team rolled to a 38-0 victory.
 
Waynesburg (5-1, 3-1) got off to a strong start by forcing the Wolverines (3-3, 1-3) to punt on their first possession of the afternoon. After taking over at their own 24-yard line, the Jackets traversed 76 yards in 15 plays to grab a 6-0 lead. Hill fired in a seven-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Mike Ferraro with 8:23 left in the first quarter to cap the drive and after senior Alex Henry drilled the extra point attempt, the visitors led 7-0.
 
The Jacket defense had its biggest moment in a stellar effort two possessions later, when junior defensive lineman Josh Tolliver recovered a GCC fumble and raced 75 yards for his team's second touchdown of the day. Another Henry PAT expanded Waynesburg's lead to 14-0 with less than a minute to play in the opening quarter.
 
A changing of quarters didn't slow the Orange and Black momentum. In fact, Waynesburg had even more success in the second quarter, as Hill recorded his second touchdown pass of the day. He found junior Andrew English on a six-yard scoring play during the visiting team's first possession of the period and after Henry split the uprights for a third time, the Jacket advantage stood at 21-0.
 
That advantage grew once again on the next Jacket drive, which lasted just two plays. After a Wolverine punt went out of bounds at the Waynesburg 47-yard line, junior running back Jerry Lawman moved his team into home territory with a four-yard run. On the next play, Hill hooked up with freshman wide receiver Tim Cooper on his first collegiate touchdown pass, which covered 49 yards and made the score 27-0 Waynesburg. Henry's PAT pushed his team's lead to 28-0 with 8:30 showing on the second-quarter clock.
 
The Jackets didn't let up on their opponents as the final seconds of the first half melted away. The visitors began their final possession of the second quarter with 43 seconds left until halftime. Hill completed five-of-six pass attempts and posted his fourth scoring pass of the day with no time showing on the clock to give his team a 34-0 lead. The junior standout found classmate Willie Leavell for a two-yard scoring play to end the second quarter. Henry nailed down his final extra point kick of the afternoon to make the score 35-0 as the two teams retired to their respective locker rooms.
 
Both defenses dominated play for most of the second half, as neither team scored during the third quarter. Henry closed up the scoring by setting a new personal best with a successful 43-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.
 
Hill recorded his third-straight game with at least 314 yards and three touchdowns after completing 22-of-38 passes for 332 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. English was his favorite target in the win, pulling in a team-high six balls for 66 yards and a score. Junior wide receiver Bernie Thompson added five grabs for a squad-best 73 yards.
 
Senior defensive end Brandon Fedorka led arguably the best performance from a Waynesburg defense in nine years, by piling up a team-high nine tackles, eight of which were solo stops, two sacks and a forced fumble. Senior cornerback Stephen Holt had perhaps his best individual performance as a collegiate player, as he piled up eight stops, all of the solo variety, and intercepted his first pass as a Yellow Jacket. Waynesburg recorded four sacks and forced three turnovers as a unit.
 
Not surprisingly, Waynesburg dominated most of the games' team stats. The Yellow Jackets out-gained Grove City 444 to 266 in total offensive yardage and held a plus-two advantage in turnover margin.
 
Waynesburg will look to build on Saturday's strong showing, when the Jackets return to John F. Wiley Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 19, to square off with Bethany College. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.