BETHANY, W.Va. (Oct. 16) – The Waynesburg University football team traveled to Bethany on Saturday for a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup. Despite playing without star senior running back Justin Flack (Derry, Pa. / Derry) the Yellow Jacket offense cranked out 291 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, as Waynesburg scored a 34-17 win over the host Bison.
 
Saturday's win was significant for several reasons. It allowed Waynesburg (3-3, 2-2) to reach the .500 mark in a season for the first time since the 2018 campaign. That same year was also the last time Waynesburg reached at least three victories in a season. Speaking of three wins, the Jackets' 2022 win total now matches that of the previous three campaigns combined.
 
Saturday's victory was the Jacket's first away from John F. Wiley Stadium since 2018.
 
Saturday also served as a coming out party of sorts for sophomore running back Hunter Cameron (Armagh, Pa. / United), who exploded for 191 yards and three touchdowns on just 19 carries. He also pulled in two catches for 22 yards, giving him 213 yards of total offense.
 
Graduate student running back Nick Hall (Fayette City, Pa. / Belle Vernon) gave Waynesburg the rare achievement of boasting a pair of 100-plus-yard backs. Hall matched Cameron with 19 carries, which he turned into 108 yards.
 
Waynesburg's run-first attack on the day featured 44 totes of the rock, to just 19 pass attempts for senior quarterback Tyler Raines (Columbia, Md. / Long Reach). Raines completed 10 of those tries for 134 yards, a touchdown and an interception. His biggest play of the day went to freshman Isaac Trout (Ruffs Dale, Pa. / Southmoreland), who turned his only reception into a 46-yard scoring play.
 
Sophomore Dakota Romantino (Charleroi, Pa. / Charleroi) logged a team-high five catches for 38 yards.
 
Things started well for Bethany (1-5, 0-5), which turned its second drive of the game into the day's first points thanks to a field goal that capped a 14-play, 63-yard possession. That was the last time the Bison led on the day.
 
The very next play from scrimmage saw Raines finding Trout for the go-ahead touchdown. Those six points marked the beginning of a 20-0 Waynesburg run that featured what was perhaps the play of the game. With Bethany facing a third-and-11 at its own seven-yard-line, sophomore Brennan Boron (St. Mary's, W.Va. / St. Mary's) intercepted a pass at the Bison 30 and sprinted to the endzone to put his team ahead 12-3. Junior Keegan Raabe (Tyrone, Pa. / Tyrone) knocked in the extra point to put Waynesburg up 13-3.
 
The Jacket defense produced another big play on the next Bethany possession. Senior safety Jesse Cain (Hedgesville, W.Va. / Hedgesville) came up with a tackle for loss on fourth down that gave the ball back to his offense all the way back at the Bison 26.
 
Four plays later, all of which were on the ground, the Jackets were back in the endzone thanks to a six-yard carry by Cameron. Another Raabe PAT extended Waynesburg's lead to 20-3.
 
A touchdown late in the first half allowed Bethany trim its deficit down to 10 points. By the time the final whistle blew in the second quarter, the Jackets held a 20-10 advantage.
 
Waynesburg successfully reestablished its physical run-first offense with a 15-play drive, 12 of which were on the ground, that covered 71 yards and concluded with touchdown number two of the day for Cameron. Raabe's extra point made the score 27-10 with just 6:27 left to play in the third quarter.
 
The Bison fired back with what wound up being their final touchdown of the day on the next possession. The Jackets' final score, on the other hand, was of a much flashier variety.
 
The Jackets got the ball back thanks to senior defensive lineman Joel Zellem (Beaver Falls, Pa. / Riverside) who slammed the door on a fourth-and-one Bison run play at the Waynesburg 13. On the very next snap, Cameron produced his biggest play of the day: an 87-yard sprint to pay dirt that brought about the game's final score with 10:07 showing on the game clock.
 
Even through there were no more points scored, Waynesburg wasn't done making big plays. Once again, it was Zellem doing the honors, who recovered a fumble forced by senior Shawn Hytla (Moon, Pa. / Moon) at the Waynesburg 43.
 
The Jackets had a chance to add to their lead, but a 39-yard field goal was off the mark. Luckily, the Orange and Black defense and run game was more than up to the task of bleeding the rest of the clock and securing the victory.
 
Freshman linebacker Emanuel Meyers (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Brashear) produced a second-straight fantastic day. The rookie logged a game-high 12 tackles, four of which were solo stops. Sophomore linebacker Isaac Huey (Klymer, Pa. / Purchase Line) continued to quietly put together a very productive year with 11 tackles and an interception of his own.
 
Zellem tallied eight total tackles on the day, while Cain and senior defensive lineman Tyler Metzger (Connellsville, Pa. / Connellsville) chipped in seven each.
 
Waynesburg will be back on the road on Saturday, Oct. 22, when it heads to Thiel. The Jackets are scheduled to face the Tomcats under the lights at 7 p.m.