BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College football team appeared to let out some frustration on Saturday night against the visiting Waynesburg University after some heart-breaking losses in recent weeks.  On a night in which the Geneva athletic department inducted a tremendous Hall of Fame class, the Golden Tornadoes played like hall of famers in running all over the Yellow Jackets to the tune of 476 yards rushing in a 49-3 victory.  Geneva improved to 3-5 overall, 3-4 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Waynesburg fell to 1-7, 1-6 in the PAC.

Geneva went right down the field on the opening possession of the game, driving 85 yards in just five plays.  Junior Gino Mavero (Beaver, Pa./Beaver) and senior Amos Luptak (Sewickley, Pa./Quaker Valley) each had runs of over 30 yards on the drive, and Mavero finished the drive off with a 17-yard touchdown run just minutes into the game.  It was a sign of things to come.

After a Waynesburg punt, Geneva again drove 85 yards for another score, this one capped off by a 33-yard touchdown run by sophomore Tyler Lippiatt (Salem, Ohio/United).

Waynesburg managed its only points of the game on the subsequent drive courtesy of a 33-yard field goal.  It would be one of the few times the Yellow Jackets made it across midfield on the night.

Early in the second quarter, junior Nicolas Ottaviani (Beaver Falls, Pa./Riverside) picked off a Trevor Miller pass, another sign of things to come for the Golden Tornadoes.  On Geneva's next play from scrimmage, Lippiatt rumbled 37 yards for another touchdown, and the rout was on.

Later in the second quarter, sophomore Damian Lomeli (Tampa, Fla./Gaither) stepped in front of Miller pass and returned the interception 21 yards for a touchdown, give Geneva a 28-3 lead.  Before the end of the half, junior Derrick Sneed (Macon, Ga./Rutland) added a diving interception for the Golden Tornadoes, sending Geneva into the break with a big halftime lead.

Early in the third quarter it was sophomore James Clark's (Fairfax, Va./Wakefield) turn to join the party, with the defensive back picking off a Miller pass and returning it 37 yards down the sideline for another Geneva touchdown.

Midway through third quarter, after a long run by Luptak set Geneva up deep in Waynesburg territory, the quarterback hit senior Peyton Schell (Sharpsville, Pa./Sharpsville) for an 11-yard touchdown pass, increasing Geneva's lead to 42-7 and ending the night for most of the Golden Tornado starters.

Clark added his second interception of the game later in the third quarter, and three plays later freshman Desmond Lewis (Fort Worth, Texas/Saginaw) broke through the Waynesburg defense and sprinted 68 yards for the final touchdown of the game.

The 476 yards rushing were the most since Geneva ran for 482 yards against Carnegie Mellon in 2017.  In that game the Golden Tornadoes rushed 71 times, while Geneva accumulated 476 yards tonight on just 56 carries, and average of 8.5 yards per carry.  Lippiatt led the way 142 yards and two touchdowns.  The Golden Tornadoes finished with 522 yards of total offense.

Defensively, Ottaviani finished with 10 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss (TFLs), and one interception.  Freshman Gabe Trexler (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus) added eight tackles, including a sack and two TFLs.  The defense held Waynesburg to just 147 yards of offense, picked off five passes and made seven tackles behind the line of scrimmage in a dominating performance.

Geneva will look to make it two straight victories when the Golden Tornadoes host Thiel next Saturday at 1:00 p.m. for Senior Day.

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 145 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. Geneva has one of the top 100 undergraduate engineering programs in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report. 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. Geneva was founded and is governed by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) and is a founding member of both the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and IACE (International Association for Christian Education).