WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Oct. 3) – Saturday's Homecoming ceremony at Waynesburg's John. F. Wiley Stadium was a beautiful day of sun, celebration and reminiscing with current students and alumni. The game on the field was the polar opposite of that as the Yellow Jackets and Saint Vincent piled up penalties and turnovers over 60 hard-fought minutes.
When the dust settled, however, the Jackets and their faithful left the field happy as the Orange and Black gave first-year head coach
Larry Wilson win number one in his tenure by the final score of 13-7.
Lost in the chaos of the battle was a superb performance by the Waynesburg (1-4, 1-2) defense, which shut down Saint Vincent's (1-2, 0-2) high-powered passing game. Not only was the Bearcats' top-ranked scoring attack kept in check, but the vaunted passing attack led by senior quarterback Jake Phillips and senior wide receiver Chris Downs produced just 159 yards.
Waynesburg also sacked Phillips three times and intercepted him three times as he completed just 13-of-30 attempts.
After a scoreless first quarter, SVC struck first to go up 7-0 with 3:21 left to play in the first half.
After emerging from its locker room that was dedicated to head coach Carl DePasqua, the head coach of the undefeated 1966 NAIA championship team during a pregame ceremony. Freshman quarterback
Dominic Hickman (Huntingtown, Md. / Huntingtown) got his team into rhythm and marched them down the field on the opening possession of the third quarter.
Hickman hit on eight-of-nine attempts, including a 12-yard strike on second down to junior
Isaiah Fields (Cumberland, Md. / Allegany) that got the Jackets on the board. A successful extra point by senior
Drew Pinkerton (Fayetteville, Pa. / Chambersburg) tied things up at 7-7 early in the third quarter.
The Orange and Black scored the game's final points on its next possession, which traveled just 33 yards thanks to a 37-yard punt return by sophomore
Marcus Crum Jr. (Warren, Ohio / Warren G. Harding). The drive lasted just five plays and ended with a 26-yard scoring run by senior
Carson Shriver (Fairview, W.Va. / Clay-Battelle) with just under six minutes left to play in the third.
The final 20 minutes of the afternoon turned into a battle of wills between the two conference rivals. Waynesburg's defense showed its mettle by forcing a punt and a turnover on downs on consecutive possessions, but the Bearcats still had a chance to tie or pull out a victory as it held the ball at its own 37 facing a third and 15 situation.
However, sophomore
Antonio Cipoletti (Amity, Pa. / Trinity) stepped in front of a Phillips pass and intercepted it at the Waynesburg 40 to seal the win.
Senior linebacker
Joanes Polynice (Winter Garden, Fla. / West Orange) intercepted this third pass of the season and tied for the team lead with five tackles. Crum added a pick and two pass breakups to go along with four total stops, while junior
Jacobe Street (Leakesville, Miss. / George County) logged a pair of sacks.
Fields paced the Jacket offense with a game-high seven catches for a team-best 113 yards. Sophomore
Chase Whysong (Alum Bank, Pa. / Chestnut Ridge) enjoyed arguably his best collegiate game by snaring five balls for 75 yards.
Hickman set a personal collegiate best with 246 yards passing while completing 17-of-26 attempts.
Congratulations go out our 2026 Homecoming Queen, Mia Henkins, and the 2026 Homecoming King, Tyler Gordon.
Waynesburg gets an extra week to enjoy its first win of the season as it heads into its bye week. The Jackets return to competition on Saturday, Oct. 17, when they head to Cleveland to face Case Western Reserve. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
