WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Westminster football team won, 23-18, over No. 11 Washington & Jefferson in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) showdown Saturday afternoon.
Down 12-3 at halftime, Westminster (5-2, 5-1 PAC) scored 20 unanswered points to take a two-score lead, 23-12, with six minutes left in the game.
Senior quarterback Cole Konieczka (Coraopolis, PA / Moon Area) surpassed Kevin
Franz (2006-08) for third all-time in passing touchdown with 51, following his two big-time touchdown tosses in the fourth quarter. Konieczka also surpassed Sean O'Shea (1991-94) for fourth all-time in career passing with 5,223 after his season-high 278 on Saturday.
Westminster led first with a career-long 35-yard field goal by junior Joshua Byers (Pittsburgh, PA / Canon McMillan) in the second quarter. The 12-play, 70-yard scoring drive was highlighted by a 31-yard pass from Konieczka to sophomore wide receiver Tylon Eilam (Sharon, PA / Sharon Area) – a foreshadowing of fourth quarter-heroics. The Titans led, 3-0, early in the second quarter. Byers had a touchdown-saving tackle on the ensuing kickoff at Westminster's 10-yard line. Washington & Jefferson (6-1, 5-1 PAC) tied the game with a 26-yard field goal from Sean Disbrow. Later in the second quarter, the Presidents blocked a Titan punt in the end zone and led 5-3 with 7:42 on the clock. W&J took advantage of a Westminster fumble with less than five minutes remaining in the half inside the Titans' 20-yard line. W&J's Justin Heacock found Andrew Wolf for a 14-yard touchdown pass and the Presidents led 12-3 at halftime.
The Titans scored on their opening drive of the second half when senior Frank Antuono (New Castle, PA / Neshannock) connected with fellow defense lineman Brayden Thimons (Natrona Heights, PA / Highlands) for a two-yard toss – Antuono's first passing and Thimons's first receiving touchdown of their respective careers.
Westminster started the fourth quarter with back-to-back touchdowns from Konieczka to Eilam - the first from 41 yards and the second from 30. The Titans led 23-12 with six minutes to play.
The Presidents answered with Wolf's second touchdown of the day, this time from Colton Jones, cutting Westminster's lead to 23-18 with three minutes to play (the two-point try was unsuccessful). W&J forced a three-and-out on the Titans' next drive and drove it down to Westminster's 20. Antuono showed up big again, this time on defense, sacking Jones for a 3-yard loss. The Titan defense continued to apply pressure and on 4th-and-13, Jones's pass in the back of the end zone was broken up by none other than senior linebacker Ian Barr (College, PA / State College Area).
Eilam led all receivers with 10 receptions for 172 yards and two touchdowns. His receptions and yards were a career-high. Eilam has now eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark three times this season (four for his career). Junior Ryan Gomes (Tampa, FL / Walter L. Sickles) ran for a game-high 55 yards. The Titan defense held W&J to a season-low 174 total yards, including only a 19 rushing yards - W&J's lowest rushing total in over nine years. Westminster totaled a season-high six sacks. Barr led the Titan defense with nine tackles. Saturday's win was Westminster's first over a nationally-ranked opponent since 2018 when the Titans upset #7 Washington & Jefferson, 27-20, in New Wilmington, Pa.
The Titans are back in action on Saturday, Oct. 30 with a road PAC game at Bethany with a start time of 1 p.m.
For more Westminster Athletics news, go to westminster.edu/athletics.
Written by Nathan LaRiccia | Photo by Sarah Dudik