WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Sept. 10) – In 2021, the Waynesburg University football team hosted Case Western Reserve and suffered through a 66-33 loss. Flash ahead one year and the hard work of the team and coaching staff through training and recruiting was evident when the two teams met up at John F. Wiley Stadium on Saturday.
 
Once again, victory evaded Waynesburg in a 45-31 final score, but the majority of the afternoon was played out as a thrilling battle between the two Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) members. The game did not count against either team's conference record.
 
The first quarter of Saturday's matchup may have been giving Waynesburg (1-1) fans and veteran players a sick feeling of déjà vu, as Case Western Reserve (1-1) built a 14-0 lead after the first 15 minutes of play. Junior kicker Ricco Sastoque (Concord, N.C.) broke up the shutout with a 29-yard field goal 2:30 into the second quarter and it looked like Waynesburg was going to hold the Spartans to an 11-point lead heading into halftime. However, the visiting team was able put together a six-play, 70-yard drive that ended in its third touchdown of the day with just 57 seconds remaining until halftime.
 
The first play from scrimmage of the ensuing Yellow Jacket drive resulted in Waynesburg senior quarterback Tyler Raines (Columbia, Md. / Long Reach) taking a sack. Case proceeded to take a timeout, perhaps looking to get the ball back for its high-powered offense. However, the plan appeared to backfire and gave Waynesburg a chance to claw its way back into the game.
 
Following the sack, senior running back Justin Flack (Derry, Pa. / Derry) ripped off a 17-yard run that was followed by a 27-yard hookup between Raines and sophomore wide receiver Dakota Romantino (Charleroi, Pa. / Charleroi). Following a Waynesburg timeout, Raines found Flack for 10 more yards and then found Romantino for a 26-yard touchdown pass with 17 seconds showing on the clock. A Sastoque extra point pulled the Jackets back to within 11 points (21-10) of tying the game up.
 
The halftime break didn't do much to slow the Jacket momentum.
 
Waynesburg started the third quarter with the football, which was placed at the Jacket 35-yard-line following the kickoff going out of bounds. Raines went right back to Romantino, finding the honorable mention All-PAC pick for a 21-yard completion. Two plays later, the duo connected again, this time for 11. A five-yard run by Flack combined with a pass interference penalty against the Spartans put the ball on the visiting 17. Flack chewed up those final 17 yards on his way to the endzone with 12:35 showing on the third quarter clock. Sastoque knocked another successful PAT try through the uprights to cut the Case lead down to just four points at 21:17.
 
Momentum swung back to the visitors throughout the remainder of the quarter, as the Spartans scored the final 10 points before the start of the fourth period.
 
Waynesburg didn't shy away from the challenge of another multi-touchdown deficit and cut its opponent's lead in half with a marathon 16-play, 88-yard drive that ended with Raines hitting graduate student running back Nick Hall (Fayette City, Pa. / Belle Vernon) for a five-yard touchdown pass.
 
One of the highlights of the possession was a 33-yard leaping grab over a defender by freshman wide receiver Jonathon Frishkorn (Frederick, Md. / Oakdale) on a first-and-27 play.
 
Unfortunately, Case Western Reserve's high-powered offense produced its first big play of the game, a 70-yard touchdown pass that made the score 38-24.
 
That explosive play did little to deter Waynesburg's own attack, which fired back with a seven-play, 80-yard possession. Most of that yardage came off three pass plays: a 24-yarder to Flack, a 23-yarder to freshman Isaac Trout (Ruffs Dale, Pa. / Southmoreland) and a 28-yarder to senior tight end Andrew Elerick (St. Clairsville, Ohio / St. Clairsville).
 
After a four-yard completion to sophomore wide receiver Ke'AnDre Hollis (Boynton Beach, Fla. / Lake Worth) put the ball at the one-yard line, Flack recorded his second touchdown run of the day with just under six minutes showing on the game clock. Sastoque's final PAT of the day made the score 38-31.
 
Unfortunately, Case's offense was able to break through one last time with a scoring drive that not only brought about the final score, but consumed all but the final 19 seconds of play.
 
Raines outdueled Case's three-time first-team All-PAC quarterback, Drew Saxton on the day. Waynesburg's veteran signal caller completed 25-of-37 passes for 310 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Saxton went for 189 yards and no scores.
 
Romantino pulled in seven catches for a game-high 104 yards and his first score of the season. Flack, Trout, Frishkorn and Hollis all reeled in four catches each on the day. Flack also ran for 80 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. The three-time All-PAC selection currently leads the conference with four touchdown runs.
 
The Jackets were led defensively by sophomore Brennan Boron (St. Mary's, W.Va. / St. Mary's) and freshman Austin Derr (Mifflintown, Pa. / Juniata), who both logged 10 total tackles and seven solo stops each.
 
One of the unsung heroes of Waynesburg's afternoon was sophomore punter Brennan Campbell (Meyersdale, Pa. / Meyersdale), who averaged 42.8 yards on four punts. He recorded a long of 51 yards and allowed his coverage team to down a ball inside the Case one-yard line.
 
As a team, the Jackets converted six-of-12 third downs and went a perfect four-for-four in the opposing red zone.
 
Waynesburg is back at John F. Wiley Stadium next week to open PAC play. The Yellow Jackets will welcome Geneva to town for a 1 p.m. kickoff.