WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Oct. 29) – The Waynesburg University football team faced a stiff test when two-time defending Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) champion Westminster came to town on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets took an early lead and played right with the Titans throughout the first half. However, the visitors pulled away in the second half en route to a 30-10 win at John F. Wiley Stadium.
Waynesburg (4-4, 3-3) took the opening kickoff and marched down the field on Westminster's (5-3, 4-2) PAC-leading defense to the tune of an 11-play ,53-yard possession. Though the Jackets were unable to find the endzone, junior kicker Ricco Sastoque (Concord, N.C. / Northwest Cabbarus) put the first points of the game on the board to give the Orange and Black a 3-0 edge 4:55 into the first quarter.
Defenses dominated the rest of the quarter, as Waynesburg took its three-point lead into the period number two. Westminster grabbed its first lead of the day with just under six minutes showing on the first-quarter clock when a seven-play, 76-yard drive ended with a Titan touchdown. That score kicked off a 27-0 run by the visitors that lasted until halfway through the fourth quarter.
Freshman quarterback Thomas Burke III (West Leechburg, Pa. / Leechburg) connected on a five-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Ke'AnDre Hollis (Boynton Beach, Fla. / Lake Worth) with 7:33 showing on the game clock. Sastoque's extra point made the score 27-10.
The Titans answered back with a field goal of their own to close out the game's scoring.
The Waynesburg offense was led by sophomore wide receiver
Dakota Romantino (Charleroi, Pa. / Charleroi), who tied for the game lead with seven catches that he turned into a game-high 86 yards. Hollis added six grabs for 48 yards.
Senior quarterback
Tyler Raines (Columbia, Md. / Long Reach) got the start under center and completed 16-of-28 passes for 142 yards. Burke took advantage of his latest varsity reps by hitting on four-of-five attempts for 31 yards and a score.
Senior running back
Justin Flack (Derry, Pa. / Derry) paced the Jacket ground game with 58 yards on 14 carries.
Waynesburg returns to the field on Saturday, Nov. 5, when it makes its final road trip of the 2022 schedule. The Yellow Jackets head to Saint Vincent for a 1 p.m. showdown with the Bearcats.
