The Bethany Bison scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to defeat the Bearcats by a score of 35-27 in the annual Green Game at Chuck Noll Field.
The first quarter was a defensive battle, with neither team able to score. Things changed dramatically in the second quarter, as the teams combined for 34 points.
Saint Vincent got on the board first, as quarterback Tyler Donahue ran for 30 yards to move the ball into Bison territory at the 24 yard line. After three straight incomplete passes, the Bearcats sent the kicking team onto the field for what appeared to be a field goal attempt. However, center Joe Navari quick snapped the ball directly to kicker Steven Scherer, who threw a 24-yard scoring strike to a wide-open Dustin Lowman Sr in the end zone for the touchdown. Scherer then added the PAT to make the score 7-0.
On the next drive, Bethany picked up back-to-back penalties, moving the ball back to the 15-yard line. On a 2nd-and-30 play, Lincon Reyes attempted a screen pass, but SVC's Josh Shivetts stepped in front of the receiver for the interception, carrying the ball into the end zone for a 13-0 lead. Scherer's PAT into a strong wind hit the left upright, leaving the score 13-0.
The visitors came right back, scoring on a 50-yard touchdown pass from Reyes to Eric Blynn on the third play of the drive, cutting the lead to 13-7 at the 10:58 mark of the second quarter.
Later in the quarter, SVC scored on a Donahue pass to DJ Oceant-Kelly from 13 yards out, making the score 20-7. Oceant-Kelly stayed with the ball despite the pass being tipped in the end zone by a Bethany defender.
Once again, Bethany scored on its next possession, with Reyes completing a 14-yard pass to Dustin Hess to make it a 20-14 score at halftime.
After a mostly scoreless third quarter, the Bearcats added to their lead with just 1:05 left, as a pair of passes - one from Evan Shimensky to Damon Black and a second from Donahue to Dalton Dietrich - put the ball at the Bethany 6. Two plays later, Shavonta Craft scored from a yard out to make the score 27-14.
The Bison quickly drove downfield, as Reyes hit Robert Seman for a 42-yard pass to put the ball at the SVC 4-yard-line. On the first play of the 4th quarter, Reyes threw to Blinn in the end zone to make the score 27-21.
Later in the 4th, a Bearcat fumble turned the ball over to the visitors at the SVC 38, and they put together a 7-play scoring drive capped by a Reyes-to-Blinn 16-yard touchdown pass. The extra point by Chris Ray gave the Bison their first lead of the day, 28-27 with 6:40 remaining in the 4th.
After both teams were forced to punt on their next possessions, SVC took over at its own 27 with 3:43 to go, but the Bearcats were unable to move the ball, turning it over on downs after an incomplete pass on fourth down.
Bethany took over with 2:36 to go, with Jalen Holmes scoring on an uncontested 4-yard run with 1:37 to go, as the Bearcats wanted to give themselves the ball back with an opportunity to tie the game.
Down 35-27, the Bearcats took over at their own 32 following the kickoff. A Shimensky pass to Damon Black for 26 yards moved the ball just past midfield. With less than 10 seconds remaining, a Donahue pass to Lowman moved the ball to the Bethany 46, setting up one final play. Donahue's "Hail Mary" pass into the end zone as time expired was intercepted by Blinn, ending the game.
SVC held the edge on the day in total yards, 280-263. The offense was led by Donahue, who ran the ball 23 times for 109 yards. He ends the season with 834 yards rushing, the highest single-season total in the modern era of Saint Vincent football. Donahue was 11-for-27 through the air for 95 yards, while Shimensky was 4-8 for 41 yards.
Black had 5 catches for 44 yards, while Lowman caught four passes for 51 yards.
Matt McCarthy had 9 tackles to lead the SVC defense, including a sack. Renny LaRue-Holloman had 5 tackles, while Kim Ornis, Shivetts and Devin Anderson had 4 each.
For Bethany, Holmes had 28 carries for 84 yards, while Reyes was 14-26 through the air for 186 yards. Blinn had 10 catches for 128 yards and an interception. Donovan Hayden was dominant on defense, tallying 16 tackles, including 13 solo.
Saint Vincent ends the season with a record of 4-6 for the second consecutive year. The team went 3-5 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference. Bethany finishes with a 5-5 record (4-4 PAC).
Bethany wins Green Game over Saint Vincent, 35-27
/seasons/2015/boxscores/20151114_cvkf.xml
2015
Bethany
35
St. Vincent
27
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethany (5-5) | 0 | 14 | 0 | 21 | 35 |
| St. Vincent (4-6) | 0 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 27 |
Nov 14, 2015