WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Junior quarterback Justin Heacock(New Concord, Ohio/John Glenn) tossed five first half touchdowns as the 12th ranked Washington & Jefferson football team rolled to a 63-22 victory over Saint Vincent College in a Presidents' Athletic Conference game Saturday afternoon at Cameron Stadium.
Coming off of a narrow victory last week at Geneva, the Presidents provided little drama in Saturday's game with the Bearcats. W&J found the end zone nine times and amassed 511 yards of total offense in the victory.
Senior wide receiver Andrew Wolf (Ashland, Ohio/Hillsdale) snagged a 28-yard touchdown pass from Heacockon the game's opening possession. The point after by sophomore kicker Sean Disbrow(Sykesville, Md./Liberty) gave W&J an early 7-0 lead just 1:36 seconds into the contest.
Saint Vincent seemed poised to even the score midway through the first, as a turnover set Saint Vincent up at the W&J seven-yard line. However, back-to-back sacks by the W&J defense, the second of which came from junior Jason Hersh(Potomac, Md./The BullisSchool) stalled out the drive and SVC had to settle for a 38-yard field goal that cut the deficit to 7-3.
W&J quickly answered with another touchdown, needed five plays to amass 52 yards in less than two minutes. Senior running back EJ Thompson (La Plata, Md./Thomas Stone) rushed in from six yards out to make the score 14-3 W&J at the 6:28 mark.
The Presidents would tally another first quarter touchdown after junior Drew Ehrlich (Annapolis, Md./Gilman School) pounced on an errant snap on a SVC punt. The fumble recovery set up W&J at the Saint Vincent nine-yard line. Heacock connected with senior wide receiver Payton Skalos(Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) for a 13-yard touchdown pass with 2:15 to play in the first quarter. Disbrowtacked on another point after to stretch the lead to 21-3.
Saint Vincent used a 70-yard touchdown touchdown pass from Brady Walker to Keith Kalpto cut the deficit to 21-9 at the 1:57 mark. After a failed onside kick attempt by Saint Vincent set the Presidents up with a short field, W&J went 40 yards on just four plays to find the end zone again. Heacockfound senior wide receiver Cameron O'Brien (Irwin, Pa./Norwin) for a seven-yard touchdown pass with 35 seconds left. The DisbrowPAT gave W&J a 28-9 edge after 15 minutes.
An interception by senior cornerback Nick Friewald(Clairton, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) set W&J inside SVC territory again in the second quarter. W&J needed just two plays to extend the lead to 35-9, as Heacockconnected with Wolf for 26 yards and then followed with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Skalos at the 9:15 mark.
A touchdown pass by Walker to Jeremy Wodarekfrom 16 yards out helped SVC cut the deficit to 35-16 with 5:40 to play first half. However, W&J marched 89 yards on seven plays to find the end zone for a fifth time in the first half. Thompson rumbled 38 yards to help W&J take the ball from deep in its own end to near midfield. Sophomore running back Justin Huss (Derry, Pa./Derry) added a 25-yard run to put the ball at the SVC 26. Five plays later, Heacockconnected with Wolf for a second time to reach the end zone. The eight-yard touchdown grab by Wolf extended the W&J lead to 42-16 at the 3:41 mark.
Saint Vincent advanced the ball to the W&J 18-yard line late in the first half. However, W&J forced three consecutive incompletionsto turn SVC over on downs. W&J carried the 42-16 edge into the halftime break.
Freiwaldand Thompson combined to help put the game out of reach for good early in the third quarter. An interception, the second of the day for Freiwald, set up W&J at the SF 45. Thompson raced 20 yards on W&J's first offensive play of the second half. The senior running back then plunged in from one-yard out to stretch the lead to 49-16 early in the third. The rushing touchdown was Thompson's sixth of the season.
A drive later, W&J sophomore quarterback Colton Jones (Louisville, Ohio/Louisville) entered in relief and found Wolf for a 47-yard gain on his first play. Later on the drive, Jones found senior tight end Nick Hrivnak(Pittsburgh, Pa./Keystone Oaks) for a four-yard touchdown pass to strengthen the lead to 56-16 with 8:52 to play in the third.
Saint Vincent was turned away in W&J territory again on the ensuing possession. A sack by junior linebacker Alex Bellinotti(Lower Burrell, Pa./Shady Side Academy) on a 4th and 16 play ended a 13-play drive by Saint Vincent.
Jones capped a four-play, 62-yard drive for W&J by hitting a streaking O'Brien up the far sideline for a touchdown. The 35-yard scoring play came on a 3rd and 8. The PAT by Disbrowextended the W&J lead to 63-16. Senior defensive back Collin Christensen (Erie, Pa./McDowell) intercepted SVC backup QB Devin Gleason early in the fourth to give the W&J defense its third interception of the game. A 15-yard rushing touchdown by Saint Vincent with 2:49 to play closed the scoring at 63-22.
The win moves W&J to 6-0 overall and 5-0 in PAC play. The Presidents head into their bye week before entering a critical three-game stretch against Westminster, Grove City and Carnegie Mellon.
In addition to Heacock'sbig day through the air, Thompson finished with 122 yards and two scores on just 13 carries. Huss added 62 yards on six rushes and added 63 additional yards on two kick returns. Wolf finished with nine catches for 142 yards and two receiving scores. Skalosand O'Brien hauled in a pair of touchdown catches.
Freiwaldled the way defensively with a pair of interceptions. Hershfinished with a team-high seven tackles and a forced fumble. Senior defensive back Tyler Sabo(Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell) tallied six tackles while senior defensive back Max Garda (Lower Burrell, Pa./Burrell) added five tackles. In addition to the five takeaways, W&J sacked Saint Vincent six times and ended a pair of drives via turnover on downs.
W&J hosts No. 24 Westminster College in a PAC showdown at Cameron Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 23. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
No. 12 W&J races past Saint Vincent in 63-22 homecoming victory
/seasons/2021/boxscores/20211009_7rnp.xml
2021
St. Vincent
22
Washington and Jefferson
63
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Vincent (3-2) | 9 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 22 |
| Washington and Jefferson (6-0) | 28 | 14 | 21 | 0 | 63 |
Oct 09, 2021