LATROBE, Pa. – The Geneva College football team got off to a fast start on Saturday afternoon at Saint Vincent, and the Golden Tornadoes kept their foot on the gas in an impressive 42-24 win over the Bearcats, giving Geneva its first win of the season.  The Golden Tornadoes improved to 1-2 overall, 1-1 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while the Bearcats fell to 1-1, 0-1 in the PAC.

Geneva took the opening possession of the game and marched right down the field, with senior Amos Luptak (Sewickley, Pa./Quaker Valley) punching it in from one yard out to cap off a 13-play, 81-yard touchdown drive.

A sack by sophomore Kaden Romero (Red Rock, Okla./Putnam City North) stopped Saint Vincent's opening drive, forcing a punt.  Geneva's offense came up empty on a promising drive on its next possession which ended deep in Bearcat territory, but the Golden Tornado defense held strong again, forcing a second Saint Vincent punt.

Geneva again found success on the ground, and this time it was freshman Jaeden Zuzak (Coal Center, Pa./California), making his first appearance of the season, who burst through the Saint Vincent defense for a 31-yard touchdown run, doubling Geneva's lead to 14-0 early in the second quarter.

The defense came up with the next big play for the Golden Tornadoes, with sophomore Damian Lomeli (Tampa, Fla./Gaither) stepping in front of a pass by Saint Vincent quarterback Brady Walker for an interception, which he returned 22 yards for a touchdown, extending Geneva's lead to 21-0.

The Bearcats finally found some success offensively, scoring 10 points in the final eight minutes of the second quarter to pull within 21-10 at the halftime break.

The Geneva defense forced a three-and-out on Saint Vincent's opening possession of the second half, and the offense quickly converted that into more points.  Luptak hit sophomore Blake Peet (Geneva, Ohio/Geneva) on an 18-yard touchdown strike just three minutes into the second half to push the Golden Tornado lead to 28-10.

Senior Dakota Allen (Plant City, Fla./Newsome) came up with a sack on Saint Vincent's next possession to force a second straight three-and-out, and after an empty Geneva possession, the defense again forced the Bearcats to punt without allowing a first down.

The Geneva offense came up with another big play to blow the game open on the ensuing possession, with Zuzak breaking free for a 51-yard touchdown run on the second play of the drive, increasing Geneva's lead to 35-10. 

Saint Vincent scored twice in the fourth quarter after the game was out of reach, sandwiched around a 6-yard touchdown run from senior Drew Cramer (Greenwood, Dela./Greenwood), to close out the scoring, 42-24.

Geneva racked up 342 yards of rushing on its way to 386 yards of total offense.  Zuzak led the way with 134 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries in his collegiate debut.  Luptak added 73 yards rushing and a touchdown, along with the touchdown pass to Schell.  Sophomore Tyler Lippiatt (Salem, Ohio/United) finished with 61 yards, while Cramer contributed 60 yards and a touchdown.

Allen and Romero led the defense with seven tackles apiece, with each adding a sack.  Lomeli had six tackles, a TFL, a pass breakup and the interception return for a touchdown.

Geneva will attempt to make it two straight next Saturday when the Golden Tornadoes head to Bethany for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff.

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).