WOOSTER, Ohio – The Geneva College football team's offense came out firing in its season-opener at Wooster on Saturday evening, but the Golden Tornadoes couldn't find a way to slow down the Wooster offense enough, and their comeback attempt came up just short in a back-and-forth affair, 42-35.

Wooster received the opening kickoff and marched down the field, converting a fourth-and-5 inside Geneva territory on its way to a game-opening touchdown pass by Wooster quarterback Mateo Renteria. 

Geneva's offense went three-and-out on its first possession, and after a punt, Wooster looked like it was headed for more points before the defense stiffened, holding the Scots just short on another fourth-down attempt inside Geneva territory.

The Golden Tornadoes got their offense rolling on the following possession.  Senior Amos Luptak (Sewickley, Pa./Quaker Valley) opened the drive with a 14-yard run, and ten players later, on the first play of the second quarter, Luptak hit senior Peyton Schell (Sharpsville, Pa./Sharpsville) for a 17-yard touchdown pass to even the score at 7-7.

Wooster answered right back, driving 78-yards in just six plays to take the lead back, and after sophomore Tyler Lippiatt (Salem, Ohio/United) was stopped just short on a fourth-down attempt out near midfield, Wooster took over possession and scored on a 42-yard touchdown pass from Renteria to Bryant Douglas to double the Wooster lead, 21-7.

The Geneva offense had an answer again, though, marching 74 yards in 15 plays, which included a fourth-down conversion inside the Wooster redzone to keep the drive alive.  Junior Gino Mavero (Beaver, Pa./Beaver) punched it in from seven yards out to pull Geneva to within 21-14 heading into the halftime break.

Both teams came up empty on their first possession of the second half, but on Geneva's second drive, a Luptak fumble was returned 46 yards for a touchdown by Kobe Nadu to push the Wooster lead back to 14 points, 28-14. 

Disaster appeared to strike again on the ensuing kickoff when sophomore Hilton McClain Jr. (Belle Glade, Fla./Royal Palm Beach) fumbled the ball giving Wooster the ball back at the Geneva 20-yardline, and the Scots looked ready to break the game open.  But on the next play sophomore Dave Hines (Clinton, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) stepped in front of a Renteria pass and intercepted the ball at the Geneva 5-yard line, giving the offense another chance.  That made three turnovers in three straight plays.

On the second play of Geneva's ensuing drive, Luptak hit Schell for a 40-yard pass, and the Golden Tornado offense was on the move again.  Luptak ran it in from three yards out to cap off the 11-play, 95-yard drive, pulling Geneva to within 28-21.

The Geneva defense came up with a three-and-out on Wooster's next possession, but after the Golden Tornadoes drove into Wooster territory, a Luptak fumble ended a promising drive.  The Geneva defense had a chance to come up with a big stop on the following Scots' drive, but on a fourth-and-3 at the Geneva 29-yard line, Renteria hit EJ Humphries for a back-breaking 29-yard touchdown pass just moments into the fourth quarter.

The Geneva offense once again had a response, though, putting together a massive 17-play, 87-yard drive, capped off by another touchdown from Mavero, this one a 13-yard run with 8:48 remaining, to bring Geneva back to within one score again, 35-28.

The Geneva defense looked to be in good shape to come up with a stop on the next possession, but Wooster converted a third-and-9 early in the drive, and on the following play, Troy Baughman rushed 56 yards for another huge touchdown, pushing the Scots lead to 42-28.

McClain came up with a big play on the following kickoff, returning the kickoff 97 yards for an apparent touchdown, but the refs called McClain for taunting as he neared the endzone, negating the touchdown and forcing the offense to punch it in.  That's exactly what the Golden Tornadoes did, but it wasn't easy.  Geneva took possession at the Wooster 20-yard line, but the Golden Tornadoes netted zero yards on their first three plays.  But on fourth-and-10, Luptak hit sophomore Kazier Brandt (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver Falls) for a 20-yard touchdown pass, pulling Geneva back to within seven, 42-35, with 5:11 remaining.

The defense came up big on Wooster's next possession, forcing a three-and-out, giving Geneva the ball back at their own 41-yardline with 3:57 remaining.  The Golden Tornadoes drove down to the Wooster 31-yardline, but a Luptak pass fell incomplete on fourth-and-6 with less than a minute remaining, and Wooster took a knee to finish off the high-scoring affair, 42-35.

The Geneva offense finished the game with 375 yards of total offense, outgaining Wooster, who finished with 348 yards, but three Geneva turnovers proved key in the outcome of the game.  The Golden Tornadoes rushed for 265 yards, with Lippiatt leading the way with 89 yards on 22 carries.  Luptak added 77 yards on the ground, along with a touchdown, while Mavero finished with 57 yards and two touchdowns.  Luptak also did damage through the air, finishing 6-for-14 for 110 yards and two touchdowns.  Schell led the way with four catches for 77 yards and a touchdown.

The Geneva defense largely stymied the Wooster running game, which finished with just 71 yards, 56 of which came on one play.  Wooster did most of their damage through the air, though, finishing with 277 passing yards.  Junior Nicolas Ottaviani (Beaver Falls, Pa./Riverside) and sophomore newcomer Kaden Romero (Red Rock, Okla./Putnam City North) each finished with seven tackles, while senior Dakota Allen (Plant City, Fla./Newsome) and freshman Brandon Graham (Monaca, Pa./Central Valley) each added six tackles apiece.

Geneva returns home next week to begin Presidents' Athletic Conference play when the Golden Tornadoes host Carnegie Mellon on Saturday, September 11, with a 7:30 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).