BETHANY, W.Va. – Looking for its longest winning streak since 2009, the Geneva College football team made the trip to Bethany on Saturday afternoon having won three straight games.  The game started poorly for the Golden Tornadoes, falling down 17 points in the first quarter, and the deficit proved too much to overcome as Geneva's comeback attempt fell just short, 27-24.  Bethany improved to 2-4, 1-4 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Geneva fell to 3-3, 3-2 in the PAC.

Things could not have started much worse for the Golden Tornadoes.  Bethany received the opening kickoff, and a good return gave the Bison the ball near midfield.  It took Bethany just two plays to score, putting Geneva in an early hole.  Just three plays into Geneva's opening possession, a Golden Tornado fumble gave Bethany the ball back deep in Geneva territory.  Geneva's defense did manage to hold Bethany to field goal, making it a 10-0 deficit.

Geneva's offense went three-and-out on its next possession, and the Bison followed with a 60-yard drive for another touchdown, making it 17-0 before the end of the first quarter.  To make matters worse, sophomore quarterback Amos Luptak (Sewickley, Pa./Quaker Valley) had to leave the game due to an injury, putting the Golden Tornadoes without their starting quarterback and starting running back, senior Justin Loughrie (Wellsburg, W.Va./Brooke), who didn't make the trip due to injury.

Despite all of that, the Golden Tornadoes didn't fold.  Freshman O'Neal Cotton (Oklahoma City, Okla./Putnam City West) made the play that seemed to turn things around for Geneva, intercepting a Bethany pass near the endzone and returning it 54 yards into Bison territory.  Three players later, freshman Isaac Gibbs (Oldsmar, Fla./East Lake) broke loose for a 39-yard touchdown run, cutting Bethany's lead to 17-6 after a failed extra point attempt.

Geneva's defense held again, and the offense under the direction of freshman quarterback Boston Tafelski (Brookesville, Fla./Homeschool) marched 60 yards on 10 plays, finished off by a 31-yard touchdown pass to senior Nick Monteleone (East Palestine, Ohio/East Palestine), bringing Geneva to within 17-13.  Another Geneva interception, this one by sophomore Ryan Signorella (Brackenridge, Pa./Highlands), prevented any more points as Bethany took its 17-13 lead into the half.

Geneva got the opening possession of the third quarter, and the offense marched inside Bethany territory before a Bethany interception stopped the promising drive.  Bethany drove down the field, and facing a 3^rd and 22, hit a 32-yard touchdown pass to boost the Bison lead back to 24-13.

Geneva responded yet again on their next drive, though, as Tafelski hit Monteleone for a 47-yard pass, although Geneva had to settle for a 31-yard field goal from sophomore Daniel Nordaas (Largo, Fla./Keswick Christian) to make the score 24-16 heading into the fourth quarter.  However, two plays into the fourth quarter, Bethany countered with its own field goal, increasing its lead back to 27-16.

On Geneva's next offensive possession, the Golden Tornadoes marched 56 yards on 14 plays, capped off by a 6-yard touchdown run by Monteleone, and when Tafelski converted the two-point conversion, the deficit was down to 27-24 with seven minutes remaining.

The defense forced a Bethany punt on the ensuing possession, but Geneva's offense could not come up with the final points it needed.  The Bison defense forced an incompletion on Geneva's fourth down attempt, and Bethany was able to drain most of the clock.  A last-second desperation heave by Tafelski was intercepted, sealing Bethany's 27-24 victory.

"The first quarter really cost us the game," said Head Coach Geno DeMarco.  "It's hard to spot a team 17 points, especially on the road, and come all the way back.  Despite that, we had some young guys that really stepped up today, and even in a loss, I can see the way these guys are improving.  We've shown the progress we are making the last month, and I'm proud of the way our team battled through a lot of adversity today and gave ourselves a chance to win at the end."

Gibbs did not disappoint in the first extended action of his career, rushing 25 times for 127 yards and a touchdown.  Tafelski, who also saw his first real action of the season, ended up with 60 yards rushing while throwing for 89 yards and a touchdown.  Monteleone finished with 90 yards of total offense and two touchdowns.  Geneva finished the day with 303 yards of total offense, including 214 on the ground.

Bethany finished with 352 yards of total offense, including 154 yards rushing, the first team to find any success against Geneva's PAC-leading run defense.  Sophomore Brady Corklin (Titusville, Pa./Titusville) finished with a career-high eight tackles, while juniors Casey Nau (Louisville, Ohio/Louisville) and Gary Weaver (Tyrone, Pa./Tyrone) each added seven stops.  Senior Tyler Cann (Lehighton, Pa./Lehighton) had two sacks.

The schedule doesn't get any easier for the Golden Tornadoes, but Geneva will get the benefit of returning home next Saturday when it hosts Washington & Jefferson at 7:30 p.m.  It will be Geneva's last home game of the year, with Geneva honoring its 20 seniors before the game.


Geneva College is a Christ-centered academic community that provides a comprehensive education to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor. Offering over 115 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. U.S. News & World Report ranks Geneva as a Top Three Best Value Regional University with one of the top engineering programs in the nation. Adhering to the truth of Scripture, a Geneva education is grounded in God's Word as well as in a core curriculum designed to prepare students vocationally to think, write and communicate well in today's world.