Small college football roundup: Yellow Jackets hang on for 35-27 win over Hiram
Waynesburg University built a 35-14 lead then held off Hiram’s late rally thanks to Marcus Crum Jr.’s second interception of the game to secure a 35-27 victory at Wiley Stadium in the PAC opener for both teams Saturday.
Zayne Cawley exploded for 230 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries to lead the Yellow Jackets offense and quarterback Luke Hudson was near perfect in his first career start, completing 17 of 19 passes for 170 yards, two TDs and no interceptions.
It was the third career 200-yard rushing game for Cawley.
Waynesburg (1-0, 1-2) survived an aerial onslaught by Terriers quarterback Sean Tejeda who completed 29 of 45 passes for 439 yards and three touchdowns but was intercepted twice by Crum.
The game included a nearly four hour lightning delay after halftime.
Waynesburg led 21-14 at halftime and extended its lead to 35-14 on Cawley’s 6-yard touchdown run with 9:34 left in the third and Hudson’s 15-yard TD pass to Elija Jackson early in the fourth quarter.
Hiram cut the lead to 14 on Tejeda’s 33-yard touchdown pass to Devin Tufts with 10:03 to play, then got within eight when Tejeda connected with Da’Vaughn Lewis for a 31-yard TD with 1:43 remaining after Nathan Lavigne missed the extra point.
Cawley ran for 38 yards on the next play from scrimmage to give the Yellow Jackets a first down at the Hiram 37. The Terriers used all three of their timeouts as their defense forced a turnover on downs and took over at their own 28 with 1:04 left.
Tejeda moved Hiram to a first down at the Waynesburg 13-yard line with 19 seconds left but Crum’s interception at the goal line two plays later sealed the win for the Yellow Jackets.
Waynesburg took a 7-0 lead on Cawley’s 1-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter but the Terriers tied it on Isaiah Livingstone’s 6-yard TD run later in the quarter then went ahead 14-7 early in the second on Tejeda’s 84-yard touchdown strike to Kevin Dycks.
The Yellow Jackets tied it on Hudson’s 28-yard touchdown pass to Carmichaels graduate Tyler Richmon with 4:07 left in the half, then went ahead 21-14 on Cawley’s 7-yard TD run 1:09 before halftime.
Hudson completed passes to seven different players, including three each to Isaiah Fields (62 yards), Richmond (41 yards), Cawley (28 yards) and Carson Shriver (14 yards).
Dycks had six receptions for 169 yards and Jordan Stapleton grabbed eight passes for 96 yards for Hiram (0-1, 1-2) which also got seven catches for 74 yards from Lewis and five catches for 74 yards from Tufts.
Jefferson-Morgan graduate Ewing Jamison led Waynesburg’s defense with 12 tackles.
It was the first ever meeting between the Terriers and Yellow Jackets. Waynesburg continues PAC play next Saturday when it travels to Thiel for a 3 p.m. game.
PennWest California 42, Lock Haven 6 — The eighth-ranked Vulcans jumped out to a 35-0 lead in rolling past the Bald Eagles at Adamson Stadium in a PSAC crossover game.
California (3-0) was led by Bobby Boyd Jr. who 11 carries for 73 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Roman Purcell completed 14 of 25 passes for 140 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
D’Avay Johnson led Cal with four receptions for 54 yards and Jeff Nyamekye had three catches for 38 yards, including a 32-yard TD from Purcell to open the scoring in the first quarter.
Laurel Highlands graduate Keondre DeShields had two receptions for 28 yards for the Vulcans, including an 11-yard touchdown from Phaeton Hill in the fourth quarter.
Boyd extended the Vulcans’ lead to 21-0 with touchdown runs of 3 yards in the first quarter to cap a 93-yard drive and 1 yard in the second.
Tavin Willis returned an interception 63 yards for a score to make it 28-0 with 6:58 left in the second quarter.
Purcell’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Amire Spencer made it 35-0 with 2:43 remaining in the first half.
Lock Haven (1-2) scored its lone touchdown with 41 seconds left in the half on Jack Ostrowsky’s 21-yard pass to Connor Foltz.
Ostrowsky completed 17 of 28 passes for 149 yards. He was intercepted twice, by Willis and Alexie Sangster Jr., who also blocked a Lock Haven field goal attempt and tied Khalil Taylor for the team lead in tackles with eight.
Laurel Highlands graduate Harry Radcliffe converted all five of his extra-point kicks for California.
The Vulcan open PSAC West play this Saturday at No. 4 Slippery Rock with a 6 p.m. kickoff.