Defense shines as W&J earns milestone win against Saint Vincent, 42-10

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WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Junior linebacker Sean Doran(New Castle, Pa./Neshannock) recorded a career-high 12 tackles and returned an interception 18 yards for a touchdown as the Washington & Jefferson College football team shut down Saint Vincent in a 42-10 victory at Cameron Stadium on Saturday. 

The victory is the 750th all-time for the W&J football program and helps the Presidents clinch their 36th consecutive winning season. 

Saint Vincent opened the game by driving into W&J territory. The drive stalled out when senior defensive lineman Mike Williams (Pittsburgh, Pa./Langley) sacked Saint Vincent quarterback Lorenzo Cota on a 4th-and-12 play to force a turnover on downs. Two plays later, senior quarterback Jacob Adams (Louisville, Ohio/Louisville) connected with senior running back Jordan West(Washington, Pa./Washington) for a 67-yard touchdown pass with 9:28 left in the first quarter. The point after by freshman kicker Ian Phillips (Steubenville, Ohio/Steubenville) made the score 7-0 W&J.

On the first play of the second quarter, Saint Vincent kicker Nick Srnka connected on a 24-yard field goal to cut the W&J lead to 7-3. 

The Presidents added to their lead when Doran returned a Cota interception 18 yards for a defensive touchdown. Phillips again added the point after to push the Presidents advantage to 14-3 at the 8:32 mark of the second quarter.

The Bearcats were poised to answer on the ensuing possession until Doran made another defensive play for the Presidents. With the ball at the W&J 29-yard line, a backwards pass by Cota was picked up and returned 48 yards by Doran to set W&J up at the Saint Vincent 12 yard line. West found the end zone for a second time, when he rushed 12 yards on the very next play. The point after by Phillips extended the W&J lead to 21-3 at halftime.

Late in the third quarter, the Presidents ued a 10-play, 78-yard drive to effectively put the game away. A 30-yard heave from Adams to junior wide receiver Cameron O'Brien (Irwin, Pa./Norwin) set W&J up with a first-and-goal at the Saint Vincent eight-yard line. Two plays later, Adams found junior wide receiver Payton Skalos (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) for a seven-yard touchdown pass at the 2:23 mark. The point after by Phillips made the score 28-3. 

W&J tacked on a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns. West added his third score of the game with a one-yard plunge at the 13:35 mark. The point after by Phillips made the score 35-3. Late in the fourth quarter, junior running back EJ Thompson (La Plata, Md./Thomas Stone) rushed seven times for 42 yards, the last of which was a one-yard touchdown run with 4:36 left. A late touchdown pass by Saint Vincent closed the score at 42-10. 

Adams completed 15-of-19 passes for 247 yards and a pair of touchdowns. A trio of receivers finished with strong games for the Presidents, as O'Brien finished with 82 yards, Skalos compiled 75 yards and West registered 73 receiving yards. Thompson led the way on the ground with 71 yards. 

Aside from Doran's standout effort, Williams finished with 2.5 sacks and 4.0 tackles for loss in the victory. Sophomore defensive lineman Alex Keith (Hartville, Ohio/Lake) finished with a pair of sacks to aid the defensive effort. 

The win improves the Presidents to 6-3 overall and 5-3 in the conference. The loss drops the Bearcats to 2-7 overall and 2-6 in the PAC. 

W&J hosts Waynesburg for the regular season finale at Cameron Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 16. The game will be played as part of PAC Rivalry Week. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. The Presidents will honor their senior class before the start of the game.