LATROBE, Pa. (Sept. 12) – Saturday's Waynesburg vs. Saint Vincent football game was played under gray, wet and all-around ugly skies. The play on the field mirrored the sloppy conditions, as the two squads combined for 23 penalties resulting in 236 lost yards.
 
The Jackets and Bearcats were also successful on just five-of-25 combined third down conversion attempts. Appropriately, the game-deciding play came as an unattractive end to a promising Jacket drive. With the ball resting on the home team's 20-yard-line, a pass from Waynesburg quarterback Jake Dougherty was intercepted at the Bearcat three-yard-line, preserving a 28-21 Saint Vincent victory.
 
The game was contested as the 2015 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Kickoff Classic, although it did not count towards either team's conference record. The loss marked just the second time Saint Vincent (1-1) has defeated Waynesburg (1-1) since joining the PAC in 2007.
 
After the two teams traded punts to open the game, the home team struck pay dirt on a 79-yard touchdown pass less than four minutes into the contest. Waynesburg answered back on its next possession by slowly working its way down the field. Aided heavily by three penalties that totaled 35 yards, the Jackets got on the scoreboard thanks to a four-yard touchdown run from freshman running back Zach Helsel. Senior Scott Lewis connected on his first of three successful PAT attempts to tie the score at 7-7 after 5:30 of play.
 
The Jacket defense rebounded from giving up the earlier long pass for a score by stopping the Bearcats on fourth-and-two at the Waynesburg 48-yard-line. Senior linebacker Aaron Palmer stonewalled the opposing running back after just a one-yard gain.
 
Waynesburg took its one-and-only lead of the day following the turnover on downs. Dougherty completed his first pass of the game to cap a seven-play, 52-yard drive. The ball found its way into the waiting arms of junior wide receiver Kevin Barnes, Jr., in the end zone from 13 yards away. Lewis nailed down the extra point to put the visitors up 14-7 late in the first quarter.
 
Saint Vincent ended the half with a pair of unanswered touchdowns to move ahead 21-14. Waynesburg had one more chance to take the lead before halftime, but a turnover by the Jackets ended the threat in Bearcat territory.
 
Midway through the third quarter, senior running back Jerry Lawman notched his fourth rushing touchdown of 2015 by plunging over the goal line from one yard out. The short yardage conversion capped a grinding 11-play, 55-yard possession that lasted 6:45 and tied the score at 21-21.
 
Saint Vincent scored the eventual game-winning touchdown with 4:55 remaining in the third quarter. Waynesburg's offense threatened several times to tie the game up, including the game-clinching interception. Unfortunately, none of the efforts produced points before the day's final whistle sounded.
 
Lawman put together a second-straight productive effort on the ground by racking up a game-high 90 yards and a score on 20 carries. He produced the bulk of the Jackets' 139 yards on the ground.
 
Dougherty completed 16-of-34 passes for 189 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Barnes pulled in a game-high six catches for 73 yards and a score.
 
The Waynesburg defense, which was without 2014 honorable mention All-PAC cornerback Josh Mundell, was led by Palmer, who piled up a game-high nine tackles, five of which were solo stops. Junior punter Jonathan Hager did all he could to slow down the Bearcat offense by averaging 40.8 yards over six punts.
 
The Jackets will try to bounce back from their first loss of 2015 next week, when they play their third-straight game on the road. Waynesburg heads north to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, to face Geneva. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.