W&J improved to 4-1 this season. It was the Presidents' third-straight win over the Titans and their 10th road win in program's last 13 trips to Lawrence County. Westminster fell to 3-1 this season.
Westminster, trailing 14-0 after a quarter, rallied with scores in the second and third quarters.
Freshman wide receiver/defensive back Brite Cannon (Parkland, Fla., Monarch) blocked a Devyn Wyandt punt and returned it 35 yards for a score with 9:29 to go in the second. It was Cannon's second special teams score in as many weeks following his 42-yard punt return for a touchdown in last Saturday's 58-6 win at Thiel. Graduate student running back Ryan Gomes (Tampa, Fla., Walter L. Sickles) tied the score at 14-14 with a 33-yard touchdown run with just over a minute left in the third. It was his longest run this season.
Kobe DeRosa scored on a 1-yard plunge to give W&J a 21-14 lead with just under 12 minutes left in regulation. The score capped a nine-play, 82-yard drive that ran over four minutes off the clock. W&J finished with close to 33 minutes total time of possession Saturday, including nearly 12 minutes in the fourth quarter.
Junior quarterback Ty McGowan (Moon Township, Pa., Moon) completed 14-of-27 passes for 106 yards. Freshman quarterback Sean O'Shea (Cranberry Township, Pa., Seneca Valley) completed 3-of-4 passes for 13 yards and rushed 10 times for 43 yards. Gomes had 73 yards and a score on 10 carries. He also caught two passes for seven yards. Senior wide receiver Ty Eilam (Sharon, Pa., Sharon) hauled in six catches on seven targets for 52 yards while classmate Jalen Washington (Orlando, Fla., Dr. Phillips) had three catches for 24 yards.
Junior linebacker Dylan Sleva (Moon Township, Pa., Moon) registered 10 tackles (5 solo) and 2.5 tackles for loss. He has recorded 10 tackles in three of Westminster's four games this year. Senior defensive back Corte Williams (Sharon, Pa., Sharon) posted a career-high nine stops (5 solo) with a tackle for loss while senior defensive back Kevin Wright (West Palm Beach, Fla., Seminole Ridge) added seven tackles (6 solo). Senior defensive back Brice Butler (Farrell, Pa., Farrell) and freshman linebacker Ricky Cooper (Port St. Lucie, Fla., Port St. Lucie) finished with six tackles each. Junior defensive lineman Mason Manos (Neshannock, Pa., Neshannock) had four tackles (3 solo) and a sack while senior defensive tackle Jean Garry Joseph (North Miami, Fla., Ebenezer Christian) totaled three tackles (2 solo) and 2.5 tackles for loss.
Freshman defensive back Lamont Austin (Sharon, Pa., Sharon) made a pair of tackles, had one tackle for loss and intercepted W&J's Jacob Pugh in the third quarter. It was Austin's first career interception.
Pugh finished 26-of-40 for 248 yards and a pair of touchdowns for W&J. Jacob Macosko had 96 yards on 16 carries and caught eight passes for 119 yards. Zach Cernuto opened the scoring with a six-yard touchdown grab midway through the first quarter. He finished with eight receptions for 40 yards. John Peduzzi gave W&J at 14-0 lead with just over a minute left in the opening quarter after scoring on a leaping 33-yard touchdown snag. He caught three passes for 57 yards. DeRosa ran for 19 yards on seven carries.
Justin Johns paced the Presidents' defensive effort with 16 tackles (10 solo) and a half-sack. Zachai Simmons added eight tackles (5 solo) and 2.0 tackles for loss while Dawson Dietz finished with five tackles (3 solo) and 1.5 sacks.
Westminster returns to the road next week, traveling to Bethany College. Kickoff from Don Ault Field at Bison Stadium is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
Westminster falls at home to W&J, 21-14
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20241005_vgnl.xml
2024
Washington and Jefferson
21
Westminster (Pa.)
14
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 17 Washington and Jefferson (4-1) | 14 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Westminster (Pa.) (3-1) | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
Oct 05, 2024