Waynesburg toughs it out, downs J-M
JEFFERSON — Look who’s 2-0.
Waynesburg Central had to struggle but came away with a hard-fought 19-7 victory over Jefferson-Morgan in a non-conference game Friday night at Parker Field.
The Raiders did not win a game last year but are now 2-0 on the season.
“I was told that it’s been nine years since we were 2-0,” said Waynesburg head coach Aaron Giorgi. “I’m not sure. I haven’t checked the stats but that’s what I’ve been told.”
Waynesburg’s offense squeezed out two second-half touchdowns, one on a five-yard run by quarterback Jake Stephenson and the second on another five-yard run with a fumbled snap. The latter score seemed to take the steam out of the Rockets.
“I felt like we didn’t play our best game,” Giorgi said. “I want to give credit to Jefferson-Morgan, They played a gritty game. They controlled the clock and were moving the ball on us.”
Jefferson-Morgan had a frustrating game, getting one touchdown called back and turning the ball over in critical situations.
It was a tale of missed opportunities for Jefferson-Morgan in the first half. The Rockets were sidetracked on a drive when quarterback Houston Guesman was picked off at the 23 and returned to the 48.
“We had three deep balls (we didn’t catch),” said Jefferson-Morgan head coach Shane Ziats. “If we catch any one of those, it’s a different game. But that was it, missed opportunities. We have to go back to basics. We have to stay on them, make sure they don’t quit. We needed to complete the ball.”
Deakyn Dehoet electrified the home faithful when he appeared to return a punt 75 yards for a touchdown. But Jefferson-Morgan was penalized on the return for a block in the back, negating the score.
Replays appeared to show the penalty should have been called against Waynesburg.
“There were two penalties on that play,” said Giorgi. “So I felt OK with it. I know no one is going to believe us when I say there were two penalties on that play. I wasn’t overly worried because we had two guys go down and there were flags on the ground.”
Jefferson-Morgan gambled later in the second quarter, going for it on fourth down. Waynesburg linebacker Daniel Huffman sacked Guseman for a 16-yard loss.
“We’re playing assignment football on defense,” said Giorgi. “Whenever asked to hold a gap, we hold that gap. We swarm downhill and making tackles. Their runners are going backwards, not forwards so we’re not giving up the extra yards.”
Waynesburg, coming off a 35-0 victory over Carmichaels, managed to take a 7-0 lead when Breydon Woods broke off a 19-yard run with 3:22 left in the half. Dalton Taylor nailed the extra point.
Guesman tied the game for J-M when he scored from eight yards out and Nathan Bauza kicked the extra point.
Waynesburg has allowed just seven points this season. A tough matchup awaits in Week 3 when the Raiders take on California.
“We were able not to play our best game and still came out victorious,” Giorgi said. “It’s a huge momentum builder. As much as we wanted too see them fire on all cylinders, they came out and fought. And that’s what we wanted to see.”