Yellow Jackets make most of off week, pummel Thiel
WAYNESBURG – After having 14 days off unexpectedly, the Waynesburg University football team overcame some rust and was able to defeat Thiel College 46-7 in their President’s Athletic Conference opener Saturday afternoon.
The Yellow Jackets (1-1, 1-0) had the long time off due to their home game last week against non-conference foe Wilkes University being cancelled because of flooding at the campus of Wilkes.
“We didn’t know how our team would react to the week off,” Yellow Jackets’ coach Rick Shepas said. “I thought we would be chomping at the bit to get back on the field, but we started out slow and it took time to get adjusted. Our defense carried us early on and they were the difference in the game.”
With the win, Waynesburg defeats the Tomcats (0-3, 0-1) for the sixth straight time and leads the all-time series by a 25-8-1 margin.
The Yellow Jackets’ defense was dominant in the first 30 minutes of action, as they limited the Tomcats to 43 offensive yards and one first down. The defense also forced four turnovers and blocked a punt in the first half that led to five Waynesburg scores.
Waynesburg’s free safety Bryan Gary was a catalyst for the stout defense, as he recorded an interception with a 31-yard return that set up a score and made seven total tackles.
“We just played our defense today with everybody running to the ball and coming off of blocks,” Gary said. “I thought we set the tempo early and they just couldn’t move the ball on us. The turnovers definitely changed the tide in our favor and our offense took advantage of it.”
Tailback Justin Falcon, who led Waynesburg in rushing with 67 yards on nine carries, opened the scoring with a 6-yard swing pass from Josh Graham.
Four minutes later, Tyler Fatigante took a 6-yard quarterback draw to the end zone to make it 14-0 with 4:25 left in the first.
In the second stanza, running back Dominic Moore garnered a 3-yard touchdown run, followed by a 23-yard pass to tight end Adam Moses from Graham.
Moses, a preseason All-American held without a reception in the opener, caught five balls for 61 yards.
“Every time you have a talent like Adam on the field, you have to feed him the ball,” Shepas said. “He is a big time player and he needs to be a focus of what we do offensively. When the defense focuses in on him, that opens up a lot of things for everybody else.”
Tailback Bertrand Ngampa ended the scoring in the first half with a 2-yard plunge into the end zone to make it 33-0 at halftime.
In the second half, Waynesburg tallied its fifth score of the day via a 32-yard pass to Christian Jackson from Graham with 0:22 left in the third. The final score came by way of a 65-yard sprint by Fatigante at the 11:28 mark of the fourth.
The Tomcats were able to avoid the shutout, as they got their only score of the day with 6:23 left in the game, when tailback De’Von Drish burrowed into the end zone from three yards out.
“We recruit heavy on defense,” Shepas said. “And we play defense with an attitude and also prepared that way throughout the week. It’s a mindset you have to have, from the front four to the secondary. We were aggressive with our play calling, and that aggressiveness turned into a trend on the field, both offensively and defensively.”