Box Score

WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Sept. 20) – The first three games of the 2014 season have all featured  a member of the Waynesburg University football team stepping up and elevating their play.
 
In week one, sophomore defensive back Josh Mundell not only made his first collegiate start, but he intercepted two passes and ran one back for a touchdown. Last week, senior running back Jake Forsythe exploded for his best game as a collegiate player when he carried the ball 33 times for 134 yards and two touchdowns.
 
During this past Saturday's Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) opener against a hard battling Geneva team, the Yellow Jackets needed a spark in overtime to propel them to a win. Waynesburg got that spark from first-year starting safety Mitch Vacek, who made arguably the biggest special teams play of the young season to help lead the Jackets a wild 44-38 win in overtime.
 
After both teams scored seven points in the first overtime period, the Waynesburg (3-0, 1-0) defense forced the Golden Tornadoes to try a 44-yard field goal on its second possession of extra time. Vacek did a fantastic job of elevating over the line of scrimmage and swatting the kick down.
 
The Jacket offense wasted little time in making Vacek's highlight reel payoff as senior quarterback Carter Hill hooked up with senior tight end Zac Capan on a 25-yard touchdown pass on the ensuing play to seal up the victory. It was Waynesburg's first overtime win since 1997.
 
It wasn't surprising that a play as impactful as a blocked field goal in overtime was what was required for a team to finally grab victory in a game that saw very instances where one team had control of the thrilling conference matchup.  There was only one situation where a squad held a multi-squad lead over the other.
 
Geneva (1-3, 0-1) opened the scoring with a long touchdown pass on its first play from scrimmage. The Golden Tornado defense did a fantastic job of keeping the potent Waynesburg offense in check and took a 7-0 lead into the second quarter.
 
The Yellow Jacket attack finally found its rhythm in quarter number two and broke up the shutout on its first possession of the period. The home team put together a seven-play 73-yard drive down the field that heavily featured senior running back Jake Forsythe. The powerful back not only notched three carries for 19 yards, but Hill was also able to find him wide open in the flat on a short dump off pass that turned into a 34-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown. Unfortunately, the extra point attempt by junior Scott Lewis was no good and Geneva maintained a one-point lead.
 
That slim advantage for the visitors expanded to eight points on the next Geneva possession. The score remained 14-8 in favor of the Black and Gold until Forsythe struck again, this time on a seven-yard touchdown run with 2:49 remaining until halftime. The scoring play capped a short six-play, 36-yard drive. Lewis knocked in the extra point to cut the deficit down to 14-13, which was also the score at halftime.
 
The Jackets got the second half off to a fast start, with the defense forcing a Golden Tornado punt on the visiting team's first possession after the break. The Orange and Black offense took over at its 25-yard-line and drove to the opposing 24-yard-line. Facing a fourth-and-11, Lewis took aim at his first collegiate field goal try. The Ellwood City, Pennsylvania native gave his team its first lead of the day at 16-14 after driving a low line drive attempt between the uprights with just over five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
 
Waynesburg looked primed to finally take the game over after the defense forced another Golden Tornado punt and the offense made another trip to the end zone. The drive looked ready to stall at the Geneva 12-yard-line, but Hill showed his senior poise by firing in a 12-yard scoring strike to Capan on fourth and four to make the score 22-14. A successful PAT try by Lewis expanded the Jacket lead to 23-14 early in the fourth quarter.
 
Just when it looked like Waynesburg could breathe a little easier, the Golden Tornadoes pulled themselves right back into the contest with a touchdown on the ensuing possession to pull to within two points at 23-21. Geneva regained the lead on its next drive, which resulted in a 40-yard go-ahead field goal.
 
Trailing 24-23, the home team got a big boost from senior running back Willie Leavell, who took the kickoff following the Golden Tornado field goal and returned it 34 yards to the Geneva 45. Five plays later, Forsythe pounded in a two-yard, go-ahead score. The Jackets took a bit of a gamble and went for the two-point conversion. Hill made the risk payoff when he found senior wide receiver Bernie Thompson in the back of the end zone to put Waynesburg up 31-24.
 
The Hill-to-Thompson hookup turned out to be a crucial one in Waynesburg's path to victory, as Geneva was able to find the end zone one more time in regulation play. With the score knotted up at 31-31, the Jackets took possession back with 1:38 showing on the scoreboard and were able to move the ball effectively down the field. Waynesburg set up shop with a first-and-goal at the opposing five-yard-line. Unfortunately, the GT defense pushed  the opposition back to the 15-yard-line, and the Jackets had to settle for a  32-yard field goal try that missed wide left and the game moved into overtime.
 
Just as they did before the opening kickoff, Geneva won the coin toss and elected to go on defense. Waynesburg responded with Hill hitting Thompson for a 13-yard touchdown pass in the opening possession of extra time. Lewis' final extra point of the day put his team up 38-31.
 
Geneva tied things up on its first time with the ball in OT and got the ball right back with the score tied 38-38. The Jacket defense looked masterful in forcing a three-and-out situation to set up the Vacek-blocked field goal. Mundell started things with a tackle for loss on first down and followed that play up with a pass breakup. Junior safety Mike Lopuchovsky broke up a third-and-12 pass attempt that brought out the field goal unit and set the final wheels in motion for the Jacket victory.
 
Forsythe recorded his second-straight 100-plus-yard rushing effort to pace the Waynesburg offense. He piled up a game-high 26 carries for a contest-best 105 yards and two touchdowns, to go along with his 34-yard touchdown catch-and-run. Leavell added a respectable 14-carry, 91-yard effort. The two made up the majority of Waynesburg's 174-yard day on the ground.
 
Hill rebounded from some early struggles to toss the game-winning touchdown as part of a 23-for-45 passing effort. The senior logged 301 yards through the air with four touchdown passes and two interceptions.
 
As he has done all season, Thompson proved to be Hill's favorite target. The speedy veteran snared a game-high nine catches for 90 yards and a score. Capan added five grabs for 81 yards and two scores, while senior wide out Andrew English chipped in six catches for 73 yards.
 
Senior linebacker John Sikora led the Waynesburg defense with a  game-high nine tackles. Sophomore defensive lineman Zach Machuga was outstanding in the trenches, as he piled up three sacks as part of a five-tackle day. The Jackets piled up 11.0 tackles for loss in the victory.
 
After playing its first three games of the year at home, Waynesburg will make its first road trip of the season on Saturday, Sept. 27. The Jackets will head to the state of West Virginia to take on Bethany in a 7 p.m. night game.