HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. -- Junior quarterback and team captain Carter Sido (Dallas, TX) passed for a game-high 266 yards and two touchdowns, adding a rushing touchdown, and redshirt-freshman wide receiver Manning Lasso (Raleigh, NC) had a game-high and career-high 121 yards receiving and two touchdowns, as Hampden-Sydney College took a 42-21 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) football home win past Averett University on Saturday afternoon on Fulton Field at Lewis C. Everett Stadium. Sophomore running back Terry Hicks (Clayton, NC) rushed for a game-high 115 yards and two touchdowns, as well, while junior linebacker and team captain Robert Clarke (Atlanta, GA) had a game-high 12 tackles. The Tigers (4-3, 2-2) trailed 14-13 at halftime against the visiting Cougars (2-5, 0-4), but rallied to lead 27-14 after three quarters en route to the convincing home victory.
"Really proud of the team, they fought through some adversity early and never gave up," said first-year head coach Vince Luvara. "Great team win!"
H-SC scored the first points of the Homecoming Weekend contest witnessed by a season-high crowd of 5,104 when sophomore wide receiver Ethan Dowdy (Powhatan) scored on a seven-yard touchdown run at 6:40 of the first quarter. Senior placekicker Elijah Swett (Matthews, NC) added the first of his four PAT kicks for the early 7-0 advantage. It capped a six-play, 70-yard drive that included a 19-yard run by Hicks who covered 31 yards on three attempts.
AU tied it at 7-7 with a five-yard scoring run by Shyheim Watlington with 46-seconds left in the opening quarter. Mikhail Iakovlev added the first of his three PAT kicks, and it was 7-7 after 15 minutes of action.
The Cougars added their second touchdown late in the second quarter with only 44-seconds remaining in the half as Louie De lulio connected with Shawn Watlington on an 18-yard scoring play and a 14-7 lead.
The Tigers answered right back with a quick six-play, 87-yard possession that ended with a 50-yard "Hail Mary" touchdown pass from Sido to Manning Lasso, who outjumped several defenders and came down with the ball in the end zone on the final play of the half. Key to the drive were a pair of completions from Sido to Dowdy for 13 and 18 yards, respectively. The PAT kick was no good, however, and the visitors led 14-13 at halftime.
H-SC's defense forced a three-and-out on AU's first possession of the third quarter, and Dowdy returned the punt 65 yards to set-up the first score of the second half, a two-yard touchdown run by Hicks on a direct snap at 9:57, giving the Garnet & Grey the lead for good at 20-14. Following another three-and-out by the Cougars, Dowdy added a 16-yard punt return, and the Tigers promptly went 62 yards on seven plays with Sido scoring on a 15-yard touchdown run at 5:00. A 38-yard pass from Sido to senior tight end Sutton Lasso (Raleigh, NC), along with a 12-yard connection from Sido to Dowdy, aided the drive and it was a 27-14 advantage after three quarters.
AU closed to within 27-21 early in the fourth quarter when Trevor Testerman scored on a two-yard touchdown run at 14:06.
H-SC, however, would add two more touchdowns in the final quarter to secure the triumph. Sido found Manning Lasso for an 18-yard scoring play with 7:36 left to play to finish a six-play, 55-yard drive … and Hicks added the two-point conversion run before later scoring on a one-yard touchdown run at 1:23 to complete an 11-play, 65-yard drive. The first scoring drive included an 11-yard pass from Sido to Sutton Lasso, while Manning Lasso had three catches for 42 yards, including the TD. The final scoring drive included 16 yards rushing on three attempts by freshman running back Kaelan Ferris (McLean), as well as a 22-yard pass from Sido to Sutton Lasso toward providing for the final margin of victory.
Sido passed for his game-high 266 yards (17-28-0) and two touchdowns with no interceptions for H-SC, adding 18 yards rushing and one touchdown. He has not thrown an interception in three-straight games. Hicks rushed for his game-high 115 yards on 22 attempts (5.2) and two touchdowns, adding one reception for 12 yards. Manning Lasso had his game-high and career-high 121 yards receiving on six receptions and two touchdowns, while older brother Sutton Lasso had 71 yards receiving on three receptions. Dowdy had 53 yards receiving on four receptions, adding the rushing touchdown, along with 81 yards on two punt returns and 43 yards on three kick returns—totaling 184 all-purpose yards. Swett was 4-5 on PAT kicks, but missed a 33-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter, and averaged 59.0 yards on five kickoffs—four that were fair-caught. Sophomore punter Camden Richardson (Midlothian) averaged a career-best 49.0 yards on two punts, including a career-long 56-yard punt.
Clarke finished with his game-high 12 tackles for the Tigers, who only allowed four yards on 10 plays in the fourth quarter, after limiting AU to 70 yards on 15 plays in the third quarter—just 74 yards of total offense allowed on 25 plays after halftime. Freshman defensive end Jordan Williams (Washington, DC) had a career-high nine tackles along with a QB hurry, while sophomore cornerback Cam Jackson (Alexandria) and junior free safety Markevus Graves-Franklin (Lynchburg) each had eight tackles, a career-high for Jackson who also had 0.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup. Senior linebacker and team captain Brendan Wallace (Virginia Beach) added seven tackles, including 2.0 for loss, while freshman strong safety Mitch Ladamus (Fort Mill, SC) contributed six tackles.
De lulio passed for 146 yards (11-22-0) and one touchdown with no interceptions for AU. Sean Leach had 60 yards rushing on 13 attempts, while Shyheim Watlington and Testerman added the rushing touchdowns, as well. Shawn Watlington had 56 yards receiving on three receptions and one touchdown. Tre' Maxwell had 11 tackles and one QB hurry for the Cougars.
H-SC will play on the road next week at ODAC member Bridgewater College on Saturday, November 2, at 2 p.m. in Bridgewater. Please note the later start time against the Eagles (5-2, 3-1), who are currently alone in third place in the conference standings—the Tigers are tied for fourth in the standings after today.