Yellow Jackets earn first-ever win over Saints
WAYNESBURG – Maybe it was the 1966 NAIA National Championship team reunion that was motivation. Maybe it was a team looking to head into its bye week with a win. Or maybe it was a defense that refused to break. Any way, the Waynesburg College Yellow Jackets (2-3, 2-0) came out on top in a 23-16 win in Presidents’ Athletic Conference action against the Thomas More College Saints (2-2,1-2) Saturday at Wiley Stadium.
The Yellow Jacket win marked the first-ever win against Thomas More. Coming into the game, Waynesburg had lost all three previous meetings against the Saints, including last year’s 13-7 loss in Crestview Hills Kent.
“This is a big win for us,” said Yellow Jacket coach Rick Shepas.
“We’re getting it together right now,” Waynesburg quarterback Tres Cobb said. “A lot of things are starting to fall in place. I think it will be exciting the rest of the season.”
Waynesburg relied on a defensive stand to upset the Saints. Leading 23-16 with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Saints started their drive on Waynesburg’s 37-yard line. After three plays netted seven yards, the Saints faced a fourth and three. However, Yellow Jacket defensive end Mike Czerwien made sure to wrap up Thomas More’s QB Trevor Stellman short of the sticks giving the Yellow Jackets the ball with about a minute and a half to play.
” He’s the heart and soul of the defense,” Shepas said. “We’re starting to move him around on defense because he makes so many plays. He doesn’t like to lose. He is a winner.”
Czerwien finished the contest with seven tackles, six of them solo including his stop of Stellman on fourth and three, one sack and three tackles for a loss.
“We just wanted to win,” Czerwien said. “We put it on ourselves as a defense to win the game.”
The Yellow Jackets built a 16-0 halftime lead and found themselves up as many as 17 points, 23-6, late in the third quarter.
The Saints though did not go down without a fight. They outscored the Yellow Jackets 16-7 in the second half before coming up short.
“Our guys didn’t rally up well in the first half,” Thomas More head coach Mike Hallett said. “I think they came out and played a heck of a second half. They contained a very good offensive team in Waynesburg.”
The Yellow Jackets struck first thanks to a Cobb one-yard quarterback sneak. Senior running back Ryan Abels also scored from one-yard out to put Waynesburg on top 13-0 early in the second quarter.
Thomas More was able to get back in the game thanks in large part to Stellman’s passing. Stellman engineered two scoring drives in the third quarter that cut Waynesburg’s lead to 23-13. Stellman finished the afternoon 15-23 for 188 yards and two touchdowns.
“Thomas More is a good football team,” Shepas said. “They are well coached.”
After the Saints’ David Sheeley connected on a 29-yard field goal to make the score 23-16, Shepas knew it was important for the Yellow Jackets to stay strong.
“It was important for our guys to keep their composure at that point,” Shepas said. “We have to keep our composure whether it’s something we like or don’t like.”
Czerwien and the Yellow Jacket defense kept their composure in preventing the Saints from coming back and tying the game late in the fourth quarter. Not only did they have to worry about Thomas More’s comeback attempt, they also had two-dozen players and coaches from Waynesburg’s 1966 NAIA National Championship team in attendance at Wiley Stadium Saturday.
“It was pretty exciting to win in front of the 1966 team,” Czerwien said. “They left a great legacy and we’re tying to show that we’re trying to keep up that legacy.”