HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. -- Junior running back Melik Frost (Hardeeville, SC) rushed for a game-high 125 yards and three touchdowns to lead Hampden-Sydney College to a 28-21 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) football victory past Guilford (NC) College on Saturday afternoon on Fulton Field at Lewis C. Everett Stadium. Junior quarterback Andrew Puccinelli (Glen Allen) passed for 173 yards and one touchdown off the bench, including the game-winning 21-yard scoring pass to sophomore wide receiver Austin Fernandez (Warrenton) with 1:46 remaining for the host Tigers against the visiting Quakers.
Puccinelli entered the contest early in the second quarter, following an injury to fifth-year quarterback and second-year team captain Tanner Bernard (Lynchburg), while junior linebacker Dorian Green (Martinsville) had a game-high 14 tackles, including 3.5 sacks, along with a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry. H-SC has won four-straight and five of its last six games and is now 5-3 overall, 4-1 in the ODAC, while the visiting Quakers are 1-7 overall, 0-5 in the ODAC.
GC took an early 7-0 advantage when Bailey Baker connected with Kyle Lovett on a 44-yard touchdown pass at 9:32 of the opening quarter. Cameron Haiduven added the PAT for the 7-0 lead.
H-SC responded on its second possession in front of a large Homecoming crowd estimated at 6,146, driving 68 yards on 10 plays with Frost scoring the first of his three touchdowns on a three-yard run at 5:42. Freshman placekicker Elijah Swett (Matthews, NC) added the first of his four PATs to tie the contest at 7-7. Frost had five rushes on the drive for 30 yards, including a 17-yard run, while Bernard had completions of 11, nine and 14 yards, respectively, to senior tight end David Byler (Virginia Beach), junior wide receiver Braeden Bowling (Cary, NC) and freshman wide receiver Mason Cunningham (Arlington).
The Tigers took a 14-7 lead late in the first half when Frost found the end zone again from one-yard out, and Swett added the PAT at 1:29. It was an eight-play, 38-yard drive that included four rushes by Frost for 18 yards, along with 12-yard pass from Puccinelli to Bowling on third-and-seven. Puccinelli had entered the contest early in the second quarter when Bernard was hit on an incomplete pass attempt and left with an injury—it remained 14-7 at halftime.
The Quakers tied it at 14-14 with a five-yard touchdown pass from Bailey to Eric Mays at 8:06, the PAT again by Haiduven.
H-SC answered back again with an 11-play, 55-yard drive that culminated in another Frost touchdown run—this time from 11 yards out. The PAT by Swett made it a 21-14 margin at 2:59. The possession featured six rushes by Frost totaling 22 yards, while Puccinelli connected with Byler on a crucial 14-yard pass play on fourth-and-three to keep the drive alive as the Garnet & Grey led 21-14 after three quarters.
GC, however, rallied back and tied it at 21-21 late in the contest with 3:15 left on the fourth-quarter clock. Bailey and Mays teamed for a 17-yard touchdown pass, and Haiduven added his third PAT.
The Tigers refused to go down for the second consecutive week and promptly marched 60 yards on just four plays, getting a 21-yard touchdown pass from Puccinelli to Fernandez with just 1:46 remaining. Swett added the PAT to provide for the final 28-21 margin of victory—Puccinelli also had completions of 25 yards to Fernandez and 12 yards to Byler ahead of the game-winning touchdown.
The final 96-seconds was not without some excitement, however … GC got a 48-yard return on the ensuing kickoff before turning the ball over on downs at the H-SC 28, but the Tigers gave it right back on a fumble that the Quakers recovered at the home 33. The visitors converted a fourth down play for first-and-goal at the three with 10-seconds on the clock, but sophomore safety Seamus DeVol (Silver Spring, MD) made a diving interception in the end zone with three-seconds remaining to secure the Homecoming Weekend triumph.
Puccinelli passed for 173 yards (17-21) and one touchdown with no interceptions for H-SC, while Bernard passed for 83 yards (13-16) with no interceptions. Frost rushed for a game-high 125 yards on 30 attempts and three touchdowns for the Tigers. Fernandez had 85 yards receiving on seven receptions and one touchdown, Bowling added 61 yards on eight catches, Cunningham had 58 yards on seven catches and Byler finished with 52 yards on six catches.
Green finished with a game-high and career-high 14 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss—via sacks—one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry to lead H-SC on defense. Junior safety Will Pickren (Mount Pleasant, SC) had 12 tackles and one pass breakup, junior safety James-Ryan Salvi (Troutville) added nine tackles and two pass breakups, and junior linebacker Jaylin Jones (Rustburg) finished with six tackles, including one tackle for loss—a sack—as the Garnet & Grey totaled nine sacks on the day. Freshman defensive lineman Jacob McKinney (Springfield) had five tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss—via sacks—while sophomore defensive end Brendan Wallace (Virginia Beach) and freshman safety Jaylan Long (Martinsville) each had sacks, as well.
Bailey passed for a game-high 323 yards (25-43) and three touchdowns with one interception for GC. Cory Casilac had 70 yards rushing on 10 attempts. Mays had a game-high 166 yards receiving on 13 receptions and two touchdowns, while Lovett added 112 yards receiving on five catches and one touchdown. Joey Strong Jr. and Monterias Howard each finished with 10 tackles for the Quakers.
H-SC now leads the overall series against GC, 47-23. The Tigers have won 21 of the last 23 games played against the Quakers since 23rd-year head coach Marty Favret took over prior to the 2000 season. Coach Favret is now 145-84 at the helm of the Tigers as the all-time winningest football coach at the College.
H-SC will play on the road at ODAC member Shenandoah University on Saturday, November 5, at 1 p.m. in Winchester.
Hampden-Sydney Earns Homecoming Win Past Guilford (NC) 28-21
/seasons/2022/boxscores/20221029_z9oz.xml
2022
Guilford
21
Hampden-Sydney
28
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guilford (1-7) | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Hampden-Sydney (5-3) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
Oct 29, 2022