WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Sept. 18) – The Waynesburg University football team hosted Thiel for a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets dominated in all aspects of the contest as they rolled to a 52-14 win.
 
The win was Waynesburg's (1-2, 1-1) first since Oct. 5, 2019, and it snapped a 12-game losing streak. The Jackets' last win was a 14-13 nail biter against Thiel (0-3, 0-2).
 
The game started as a closely-fought contest with the score tied at 7-7. Junior running back Justin Flack (Derry, Pa. / Derry) opened up the scoring with a six-yard touchdown run. Thiel tied the score 2:11 later.
 
Waynesburg began to pull way in the second quarter when junior quarterback Tyler Raines (Columbia, Md. / Long Reach) connected with senior wide receiver Trenton Kerns (Falling Waters, W.Va. / Spring Mills) on a 23-yard touchdown pass 47 seconds into the period. With 3:51 remaining in the half, sophomore kicker Keegan Raabe (Tyrone, Pa. / Tyrone) drilled a 35-yard field goal to make the score 17-7, which was also the tally at the halftime break.
 
Momentum turned squarely into the home team's favor in the third quarter. That's also when the Jackets starting putting together a string of highlight plays, one of which landed an electric newcomer into the record books.
 
Waynesburg opened the second half with a bang when sophomore Monroe Mohler (Union, W.Va. / James Monroe) took the opening kickoff and weaved his way through the Thiel coverage unit and sprinted to end zone for an 89-yard kick return for a touchdown. After forcing a Tomcat punt on the ensuing possession, the host squad put together an eight-play, 62-yard drive that ended with Raines hitting sophomore tight end Andrew Elerick (St. Clairsville, Ohio / St. Clairsville) with a six-yard scoring pass. After another Raabe extra point, Waynesburg was ahead 31-7.
 
During Thiel's next possession, the Tomcats pushed the ball all the way to the Waynesburg nine-yard line. Facing a fourth-and-goal situation, freshman Samuel Hamilton (Bowie, Md. / Charles Herbert Flowers) and senior Bret Hicks (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Chartiers Valley) met at the opposing quarterback for a drive-halting sack.
 
Following the defensive stop, Raines hooked up with freshman wide receiver Dakota Romantino (Charleroi, Pa. / Charleroi) on a 38-yard pass to put the ball at the Thiel 25. Three plays later, Raines found Elerick in the end zone again, this time from 20 yards away to make the score 38-7.
 
After Thiel got back on the board to cut its deficit down to 38-14, Raines used another 38-yard completion, this one to senior wide receiver Matt Craig (Avella, Pa. / Avella), to put Waynesburg right back into scoring range. Flack did the honors this time by finding the end zone from 15 yards out. Raabe banged through his sixth PAT of the day to make the score 45-14.
 
After the Waynesburg defense forced another turnover on downs deep in its own territory, the Jackets took over possession at their own one-yard-line. After a pair of running plays netted just a single yard, Raines connected with Romantino for a historic 98-yard touchdown catch-and-run. That play is believed to be the longest pass completion in school history.
 
After the defense halted the opposing offense one last time, backup quarterback Josh Gibbons (Saltsburg, Pa. / Saltsburg) was able to kneel twice on the football to run out the final seconds of the win.
 
Not surprisingly, most of the major statistical numbers favored the victors. Waynesburg out-gained Thiel 565-352 in total offense, picked up 28 first downs to Thiel's 16 and held the football for 36:46. The Jackets were also a perfect five-for-five in the red zone and converted 10-of-13 third down tries.
 
Raines put together his second-straight game in which he threw for 300 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He connected on 17-of-21 attempts for 325 yards and four scoring passes. Thanks in large part to that historic touchdown, Romantino led all receivers in catches (six) and yards (187).
 
Flack quietly put together a second-straight 100-yard game on the ground. He turned 27 carries into 177 yards (6.6 ypc) and two touchdowns in the victory. Senior running back Nick Hall (Fayette City, Pa. / Belle Vernon) gave the Jackets a second runner with at least 50 yards after turning 14 carries into 56 yards.
 
Waynesburg's defense, which yielded its fewest points in a game since that 2019 victory over Thiel, was paced by junior linebacker Tom Hanik (Windber, Pa. / Windber) and senior defensive back Luke Menges (Bethesda, Ohio / Union Local) with seven tackles each. Hicks and Hamilton chipped in six tackles each, while six other players recorded at least four total stops each. Hamilton picked up two sacks in the win.
 
Freshman defensive backs JaVionne Smith (Warren, Ohio / Sharon (Pa.)) and Brandon Tyson (Upper Marlboro, Md. / Frederick Douglass) broke up three passes each in the secondary.
 
Waynesburg is back in action on Saturday, Sept. 25, when they hit the road for a PAC matchup with Carnegie Mellon. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.