GREENVILLE, Pa. (Oct. 22) – The Waynesburg University football team traveled north to Thiel for its only night game of the 2022 season. The Yellow Jackets had an enjoyable trip home after downing the Tomcats 34-8.
 
Saturday's victory marked the first time since 2018 that the Jackets (4-3, 3-2) have won back-to-back games. That same season was also the last time Waynesburg tallied at least four victories in a campaign. Combined with last week's win at Bethany, the Jackets have now won consecutive games on the road for the first time since 2014.
 
Things started slowly for Waynesburg, as Thiel (1-6, 1-4) scored on the game's first drive and added a two-point conversion to take an early 8-0 advantage. However, that was the last time Thiel would lead or put any points on the board for the evening.
 
After the two teams traded punts, Waynesburg started its second possession of the game at its own 45-yard-line. It took the Jackets just one play to cut into the Tomcat advantage, as senior running back Justin Flack (Derry, Pa. / Derry) continued a sensational final season by busting off a 55-yard scoring run. Junior Keegan Raabe (Tyrone, Pa. / Tyrone) tacked on the extra point and the visitors trailed by just one point (8-7) with 10:42 remaining in the first quarter.
 
The Orange and Black scored the game-deciding points on its final drive of the first quarter when senior quarterback Tyler Raines (Columbia, Md. / Long Reach) connected with sophomore wide receiver Dakota Romantino (Charleroi, Pa. / Charleroi) on a 22-yard touchdown pass. The scoring play capped an 80-yard possession that stretched between the first two quarters.
 
An unsuccessful PAT try kept the Jacket advantage at 13-8.
 
After keeping Thiel off the board over a pair of possessions, Waynesburg struck again with less than a minute remaining until halftime. Flack pounded in a two-yard touchdown run that capped an 11-play drive and made the score 19-8. Another Raabe PAT grew the Jacket lead to 20-8.
 
Waynesburg picked up right where it left off after taking the opening kick of the second half and setting off on yet another scoring drive. Flack tallied his third scoring run of the night and his PAC-leading 11^th of the season to punctuate a nine-play, 64-yard possession. After Raabe connected on the PAT, the Jacket lead grew to 27-8.
 
Thiel looked poised to cut into the deficit after driving the ball to the Jacket two-yard line. However, after sophomore Isaac Huey (Klymer, Pa. / Purchase Line) recorded a tackle-for-loss and the Tomcats were flagged for a false start, sophomore safety Brennan Boron (St. Mary's, W.Va. / St. Mary's) intercepted a pass in the end zone to give Waynesburg the ball back at the 20-yard-line.
 
After the two defenses controlled most of the fourth quarter, sophomore running back Hunter Cameron (Armagh, Pa. / United) posted his fourth touchdown over his last two games to cap the scoring and bring about the eventual final score of 34-8.
 
The Jacket defense ended the night in style thanks to freshman linebacker Jeremiah Ramsey (Rankin, Pa. / Woodland Hills) sacking the opposing quarterback on a fourth-and-four situation that gave the ball back to the Waynesburg offense for a final kneel down.
 
After missing last week's win at Bethany, Flack bounced back in a big way with a game-high 151 yards on 16 carries. Cameron added 96 yards on a contest-best 18 totes. The duo combined for the bulk of Waynesburg's 282 yards on the ground, while Thiel countered with 105 rushing yards.
 
While the Jackets ran the ball 45 times, they attempted just 16 passes to Thiel's 41 throws. Raines completed nine of those tosses for 113 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. Six different Waynesburg players caught passes, including Romantino, who pulled in four balls for a game-high 72 yards.
 
Four different Jackets posted a team-high six total tackles to lead the Waynesburg defense. Freshman Rickey Pharr (Washington, D.C. / Howard D. Woodson) was one of those players, with all of his stops being of the solo variety. Pharr also broke up a pair of passes.
 
Waynesburg piled up 10 tackles for loss, including a team-high 1.5 from senior defensive lineman Joel Zellem (Beaver Falls, Pa. / Riverside). Zellem also knocked down a pair of passes at the line of scrimmage.
 
Sophomore Brandon Tyson (Upper Marlboro, Md. / Frederick Douglass) joined Boron in logging an interception in the winning effort.
 
A major reason for Waynesburg's latest victory was its efforts on both sides of the ball inside the red zone. The Yellow Jackets went a perfect three-for-three in those situations with three touchdowns. The Tomcats, on the other hand, were stopped on all four of their trips inside the Waynesburg 20-yard line.
 
The Jackets return to John F. Wiley Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 29, for a PAC showdown with Westminster. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.