WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Senior quarterback Jacob Adams(Louisville, Ohio/Louisville) tossed four touchdowns, which included three scoring strikes to junior receiver Josh Burns (Coraopolis, Pa./Moon), as the W&J football team routed Bethany College by a score of 69-21 in the annual homecoming game at Cameron Stadium.
The W&J offense rolled up a season-high 620 yards and a season-best 38 first downs to claim its sixth straight win over Bethany. The defense limited Bethany to 240 yards of total offense and forced the Bison to commit four turnovers.
The Presidents move to 4-1 overall and 3-1 in Presidents' Athletic Conference play while the Bison drop to 1-4 overall and 1-3 in league contests.
Both offenses treated the homecoming crowd of more than 3,000 spectators to a combined 49 points in the opening quarter. The Bison opened the scoring with a 69-yard touchdown pass by Dom Salinetro to Gregory Avent on the first play from scrimmage. Salinetro found Avent uncovered out of the backfield and hit in stride for the early score. The point after gave Bethany an early 7-0 lead.
That lead was short-lived for the Bison, as the Presidents marched 78 yards on seven plays to tie the score. The drive was capped when Adams hit Burns for a 21-yard touchdown at the 11:55 mark of the first quarter.
The Bison answered right back, as Raekwon Wright raced 86 yards on the ensuing kickoff to help the visitors regain the lead at 14-7.
On the next possession, W&J went 75 yards on nine plays to find the end zone again. A 30-yard pass play from Adams to Burns set W&J up with a first and goal at the Bethany one-yard line. Senior running back Jordan West(Washington, Pa./Washington) plunged in from one-yard out to bring W&J back within a point (14-13) after a blocked extra point.
After forcing the first three-and-out of the game, W&J took the lead for good by driving 65 yards on six plays for its third touchdown of the quarter. The big play of the drive was a 35-yard pass by Adams to Burns that put W&J deep into Bethany territory. Shortly thereafter, the tandem of Adams and Burns connected again for a six-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion was successful to put W&J in front by a 21-14 score.
The Bison offense stalled out again on the next possession, as sophomore Alex Keith (Hartville, Ohio/Lake) picked up a sack on third down to force a Bethany punt. On that punt, sophomore Joey Koroly (Washington, Pa./Trinity) raced 54 yards for his second special teams touchdown of the season. The point after by Adam Napotnik (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) made the score 28-14.
Bethany would march 75 yards on 13 plays, scoring on the final play of the first quarter to trim the W&J lead to 28-21.
The high scoring action continued into the second quarter, as Burns hauled in his third touchdown reception of the first half, this time a six-yard pass from Adams. The point after by Napotnik gave W&J a 35-21 advantage.
Midway through the second quarter, W&J put its ground game to work, as the Red and Black rushed seven times on a nine-play, 89-yard touchdown drive. West capped the drive with a five-yard run to the end zone for a touchdown. Despite a failed point after, W&J led 41-21 with 3:25 left until halftime.
A forced turnover by the W&J defense would give the Presidents another chance to add to their lead just before halftime. Junior safety Max Garda (Lower Burrell, Pa./Burrell) intercepted the Bethany pass and returned it 17 yards to help the Presidents set up shop at the 24-yard line. Adams hit junior Jack Ryan (Lower Burrell, Pa./Burrell) for a 24-yard touchdown pass on the next play. W&J was successful on the two-point conversion, as Adams found a wide open John O'Rourke (Pittsburgh, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic) to push the lead to 49-21.
Senior defensive lineman Mike Williams (Pittsburgh, Pa./Langley) forced a fumble that classmate Conor Manning(McMurray, Pa./Peters Township) recovered to send the Presidents into halftime with a four touchdown lead.
The Presidents outscored the Bison 20-0 in the second half to roll to the victory. West added his second score of the day, a nine-yard touchdown run, on the opening drive of the third quarter. That run gave W&J a 55-21 edge over the Bison.
Later in the third quarter, sophomore quarterback Justin Heacock (New Concord, Ohio/John Glenn) found Payton Skalos for a five-yard touchdown pass. Ryan would add a fourth quarter touchdown run of five yards to conclude the scoring.
EJ Thompson (La Plata, Md./Thomas Stone) led W&J on the ground with 95 yards on 13 carries. West added 78 yards and three touchdowns, while Ryan chipped in 35 yards and a score.
Adams completed 23-of-30 passes for 301 yards and four touchdowns. Heacock completed eight-of-14 passes for 105 yards and a score off the bench. Burns finished with career highs in touchdowns (3), receptions (9) and receiving yards (163).
Williams led the defensive effort with six tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Nick Getz (Tyrone, Pa./Tyrone) tallied six tackles. Garda filled the stat sheet with five tackles, an interception and another pass breakup.
W&J travels to No. 25 Case Western Reserve for a conference showdown with the Spartans on Saturday, Oct. 12. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. in Cleveland, Ohio.
Presidents run away from Bethany in Homecoming win, 69-21
/seasons/2019/boxscores/20191005_xqqo.xml
2019
Bethany
21
Washington and Jefferson
69
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethany (1-4) | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Washington and Jefferson (4-1) | 28 | 21 | 13 | 7 | 69 |
Oct 05, 2019