Box Score
WASHINGTON, Pa. (Nov. 14) – The Yellow Jacket football team kept it close with 20th-ranked Washington & Jefferson on Saturday, but the Presidents, who were playing for a spot in the NCAA Division III tournament, turned it on in the second half and took the game 35-12.
The loss ends Waynesburg’s season with a 5-5 overall record and a 2-4 mark in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC). W&J, who will have to wait and see if they get into the tournament, end the regular season 9-1 and 5-1 in PAC play.
The Jackets struck first in the contest as junior quarterback Brad Dawson found junior tight end Zach Fatigante for a six-yard touchdown pass. After a missed extra point, Waynesburg found itself ahead 6-0 with 4:47 to go in the first quarter.
After W&J took the lead 7-6 with 4:40 to go in the opening period, Waynesburg’s defense stiffened and got the ball back for their offense. The Jackets retook the lead early in the second quarter, when freshman kicker Jon Storck nailed down a 22-yard field goal that capped a 10-play, 64-yard drive. The boot put the Jackets ahead 9-7 with 7:58 to go in the first half.
Unfortunately, W&J took over from there and scored the next 21 points over the second and third quarters. Waynesburg ended the scoring run with a 35-yard Storck field goal, but the damage had already been done and the boot only managed to cut the lead down to 28-12.
The Presidents managed to tack on a fourth-quarter scoring pass that brought about the final score of 35-12.
Though there wasn’t much to celebrate for the Jackets, one player made a little bit of history as Dawson’s 237 yards passing gave him a school-record 2,718 for the season. He passed Waynesburg great Jeff Dumm for the mark.
The Pittsburgh native completed 18-of-35 attempts with a touchdown and three interceptions. He completed a team-high five passes each to Josh Fisher, who went for 89 yards, and Fatigante, who recorded 44 yards and the score.
W&J’s Gino Rometo threw for 310 yards, a touchdown and an interception on 27-of-36 passing. Presidents wide out Craig Besong set game highs in catches (11) and receiving yardage (114). Jordan Roycroft snared two touchdown catches as part of a 112-yard day.
Waynesburg junior linebacker Troy Cree ended the season with his third-straight double-digit tackling day with a game-high 14, eight of which were solo stops. He also picked up a sack in the loss.
The Presidents held a big advantage in total yardage (489 to 329) and time of possession (36:01 to 23:59).