HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. -- Freshman quarterback Wendell Thompson (Charlotte, NC) passed for a game-high and career-high 133 yards and one touchdown in his first college game, and senior tight end Sutton Lasso (Raleigh, NC) had a game-high 70 yards receiving and the touchdown reception, but Hampden-Sydney College dropped a hard-fought 27-6 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) football decision at home to archrival and nationally-ranked No. 22 Randolph-Macon College on Saturday afternoon on Fulton Field at Lewis C. Everett Stadium. It was the 129th edition of "The Game" … the Oldest Small School Rivalry in the South. Sophomore running back Terry Hicks (Clayton, NC) added 88 yards rushing for the host Tigers (5-5, 3-4), who scored on the opening possession of the game and led 6-0 at halftime against the visiting Yellow Jackets (9-1, 7-0). RMC was led by Kwesi Clarke with a game-high 96 yards rushing and two touchdowns for its 11th-straight win in the rivalry.
"The Game" was played before a season-high crowd of 10,828, the largest crowd for the contest on the Hill since 2018 (11,111). H-SC took the first possession of the game and promptly drove 75 yards on 12 plays, culminating with a nine-yard touchdown pass from Thompson to Sutton Lasso at 9:26. The Tigers went for two, but the conversion rush attempt by redshirt-freshman tight end transfer (from RMC) Kam Mahoney (Bristow) was just short, leaving the Garnet & Grey with an early 6-0 advantage. Thompson, making his first collegiate appearance and start at the College, accounted for 43 yards—completing 4-4 passes for 33 yards—adding 10 yards on the ground, and Hicks contributed 32 yards rushing on the drive.
H-SC's defense stood tall and forced a three-and-out on the Yellow Jackets' first possession, and the Tigers took over on their own 13-yard line for its second possession. The hosts were driving again, moving 52 yards on 10 plays, before Thompson lost the ball on a fumble at the RMC 35-yard line with 3:19 left in the first quarter—he had completed a 24-yard pass to Sutton Lasso, while Hicks had run for 26 yards, including a 12-yard run, with the opening quarter ending with a 6-0 margin.
RMC would eventually turn the ball over on downs early in the second quarter when senior linebacker and team captain Brendan Wallace (Virginia Beach) and classmate and linebacker Walker Marsh (Raleigh, NC) combined for the tackle on fourth down. The two teams alternated three-and-outs with another by the home team, as well, before junior strong safety Markevus Graves-Franklin (Lynchburg) made an interception on Macon's ensuing possession with 4:29 left in the quarter. H-SC was able to get a couple of first downs, one aided by a penalty, the other on a two-yard run by senior running back JT Diehl (Warrenton) on fourth-and-one, as the Tigers ran out the clock—leading 6-0 after 30 minutes.
The Yellow Jackets scored quickly to begin the third quarter as Clarke had a 23-yard touchdown run at 12:27, and Kyle Ihle added the first of his three PAT kicks for a 7-6 lead. Dante Casciola added a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jason Moore at 3:16, but Ihle missed the PAT kick and it was 13-6.
H-SC turned the ball over on an interception in the end zone on its first possession of the quarter, a 60-yard drive that included a 19-yard run by Hicks and a 19-yard reception by Hicks. The Tigers had a three-and-out on its other possession that carried into the fourth quarter with the margin still at seven points.
RMC scored again early in the final stanza when Clarke added a 17-yard touchdown run at 12:44 for a 20-6 advantage. The Garnet & Grey took their next possession and drove 69 yards on 11 plays, but turned it over on downs at the Yellow Jackets' six-yard line after having first-and-goal at the two. The drive was aided by a 29-yard completion from Thompson to Sutton Lasso.
H-SC's defense forced another three-and-out as freshman defensive end Jordan Williams (Washington, DC) and freshman linebacker Frank Brewer (Charlotte, NC) came up with a big stop on third down. The Tigers took possession again with 5:06 remaining and drove across midfield before turning it over on downs again at 2:19.
The visitors added a final touchdown with 57-seconds left to play when Mitchell Johnson found his way into the end zone on a two-yard run to provide for the final margin.
Thompson passed for his game-high and career-high 133 yards (13-24-1) with one interception thrown for H-SC, but did have to leave the game late after a horse collar tackle that resulted in a penalty, as well. Hicks rushed for his 88 yards on 19 attempts, adding 34 yards receiving on three receptions. Sutton Lasso had his game-high 70 yards receiving on five receptions and one touchdown. Redshirt-freshman wide receiver Manning Lasso (Raleigh, NC) had 38 yards receiving on three receptions, while senior wide receiver Austin Fernandez (Warrenton) had 16 yards receiving on three receptions.
Graves-Franklin finished with a game-high 12 tackles, including 2.5 for loss, and the one interception for Tigers. Brewer had 10 tackles, including 0.5 for loss, while Wallace added nine tackles and Marsh contributed eight tackles.
Casciola passed for 101 yards (10-14-1) and one touchdown with one interception thrown for RMC, adding 92 yards rushing on 12 attempts. Clarke had his game-high 96 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 16 attempts, while Johnson had 31 yards rushing and one touchdown on six attempts. Cullen Martin had 50 yards receiving on two receptions, while Moore had 21 yards receiving on three receptions and one touchdown. Tony Skinner had 11 tackles, including 3.0 for loss, with one sack for the Yellow Jackets.
It was also Senior Day for 21 Tigers playing their final game on the Hill. They include Jordan Akerson … Joe Ambrosi … Dylan Apple … Jonah Brown … Logan Cohn … Pat Coronado … Trey Craft … Seamus DeVol … JT Diehl … Austin Fernandez … Dylan Huggins … Kyle Lafayette … Sutton Lasso … Walker Marsh … Gabe Menjivar … Joseph Pierre … Jack Shryock … Shane Smith … Elijah Swett … Will Thomas … Brendan Wallace.
H-SC first-year head coach Vince Luvara completed his initial season with five wins, which is tied for third among the 29 head coaches in the 130-year history of the program for wins during their first season as the Tigers' head coach.
Hampden-Sydney Falls To No. 22 Randolph-Macon 27-6 In "The Game"
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20241116_zxj4.xml
2024
Randolph-Macon
27
Hampden-Sydney
6
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randolph-Macon (9-1) | 0 | 0 | 13 | 14 | 27 |
| Hampden-Sydney (5-5) | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Nov 16, 2024