HIRAM, Ohio (Oct. 31) – When the crowd at Hiram's Charles A. Henry Field at Malmisur Stadium took a seat for the Terriers' homecoming game against Waynesburg, they couldn't have imagined what they were about to witness over the next 60 minutes. A slew of splash plays on offense, seven turnovers, multiple miscues on special teams and a furious comeback ultimately led to an unforgettable 40-39 victory for the Yellow Jackets.
Things started well for Hiram (4-4, 1-4), as its potent passing game struck for a pair of long touchdown tosses that put it up 13-0 early in the second quarter. After some early offensive struggles following an injury to freshman starting quarterback
Dominic Hickman (Huntingtown, Md. / Huntingtown), Waynesburg's (2-6. 2-4) attack finally gained some traction under the guidance of junior quarterback
Luke Hudson (Morgantown, W.Va. / University).
Hudson helped guide his team on a five-play, 60-yard drive that ended with a four-yard touchdown run by sophomore
Landon Cawley (Huntingtown, Md. / Huntingtown). Senior kicker
Drew Pinkerton (Fayetteville, Pa. / Chambersburg) tacked on the extra point and Waynesburg trailed 13-7 with just over seven minutes remaining in the first half.
The Terriers responded to the Jackets' challenge with its third scoring drive that them ahead 21-7. Waynesburg counterpunched with Hudson's first touchdown pass of the day that found senior
Tyler Richmond (Carmichaels, Pa. / Carmichaels) from 14 yards out. Pinkerton's second successful PAT pulled the Jackets to within seven points (21-14) with a minute left in the second quarter.
The Jacket special teams made its first big impact of the day when freshman
Angelo Galluci (Johnstown, Pa. / Bishop McCort) forced and recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. The turnover gave Waynesburg possession at the Hiram 27 with less than a minute remaining in the period.
Despite facing a third-and-21 on the drive, Hudson found Cawley for 14 yards and followed that completion with a 24-yard scoring strike to sophomore
Chase Whysong (Alum Bank, Pa. / Chestnut Ridge) A missed extra point kept the Terriers in the lead 21-20 as the two squads broke for halftime.
Hiram rebuilt a seven-point advantage (27-20) with a touchdown on its second drive of the third quarter. After giving the ball back to the Terriers by way of a turnover, Waynesburg's special teams did it again as senior
Ethan Floyd (Philippi, W.Va. / Philip Barbour) blocked a punt, picked up the loose ball and sprinted 34 yards for a touchdown. A failed two-point conversion made the score 27-26, which was also the tally as the fourth quarter got underway.
The Hiram offense struck again with its fifth touchdown of the afternoon, but a blocked kicked by senior
John Johnson III (Glenrock, Pa. / Susquehannock) kept the Jacket deficit at just seven points (33-26).
Things went from bad to worse for Waynesburg, as the Terriers not only grew their advantage to 39-26 on its next drive, but burned up over 7:30 of game time. However, the Jackets got a helping hand from the host team on the kickoff following the score.
Hiram popped up a short kick to midfield that Waynesburg fielded at the 50-yard line on a fair catch. However, a Terrier defender not only drilled Floyd after he signaled for the fair catch for one flag, but then a personal foul following the play during a heated exchange moved the ball all the way down to the home team's 19-yard line. Hudson wasted no time as he lobbed a touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage to junior
Isaiah Fields (Cumberland, Md. / Allegany). A failed two-point try made the score 39-32.
Waynesburg tried to get the ball back on an onside kick, but the attempt was secured by Hiram. The Jacket defense did its part by forcing a punt. A 22-yard return by sophomore
Marcus Crum Jr. (Warren, Ohio / Warren G. Harding) gave his team the ball at its own 37-yard line.
The Yellow Jackets stared defeat in the face while facing a fourth-and-three at its 44. Hudson showed his mettle by not only picking up the first down, but by moving the ball down to the Hiram 27 on a 29-yard completion to Fields. An 11-yard run by Cawley pushed the line of scrimmage to the 16 and two plays later, Hudson found Richmond for his second touchdown of the day. Still trailing 39-38, the Jackets decided to go for two and the lead. Hudson rolled right and dumped a pass off to Cawley for the conversion with 1:21 left to play.
Hiram started the next possession at its own 25. The Jacket defense stepped up again by forcing a fumble on second and one. Senior
Ewing Jamison (Jefferson, Pa. / Jefferson-Morgan) popped the ball loose and it was recovered by senior
Joanes Polynice (Winter Garden, Fla. / West Orange) with 66 seconds showing on the clock.
The Jackets ran four plays before turning the ball over on downs with 11 seconds left to play and the ball resting on the Hiram 35. The Terriers had one last shot to pull out a victory, but junior Ishaak Adam (Carnegie, Pa. / Chartiers Valley) broke through the offensive line and recorded the game-clinching sack.
Hudson overcame three interceptions and some early accuracy issues to throw for 241 yards and four touchdowns on the day. Richmond recorded 94 yards and two scores on six grabs, while Fields led the Orange and Black with seven catches for 81 yards.
Adam was an absolute monster on the defensive line. He piled up a game-high nine tackles, all of which were solo stops. Nearly half of those tackles were for loss and he posted a pair of sacks. Juniors
Keith Wright Jr. (Clairton, Pa. / Clairton) and
Samir Grayson (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Central Catholic) added two TFLs of their own, as Waynesburg piled up 15.0 stops behind the line of scrimmage.
After securing one of the wildest wins in recent program history, Waynesburg will prepare a showdown against longtime rival Geneva on Saturday, Nov. 7. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
