BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College football team has become known for its running ability in recent years, but it was the passing game that got the Golden Tornadoes off to a strong start on Saturday afternoon in Geneva's Homecoming matchup against Allegheny.  The running attack then took over in the second half as the Golden Tornadoes defeated the Gators, 35-21, in the first matchup between these two schools since 1979.  The victory gets Geneva into the win column at 1-4 overall, 1-2 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Allegheny dropped to 2-4, 1-3 in the PAC.

It was Allegheny that actually scored first when Jack Johnson hit Declan O'Brien for a 61-yard touchdown pass on 3rd and 11 on the first possession of the game.

Both teams had empty possessions on their next three drives before the Golden Tornado offense got on the board, courtesy junior wide receiver Hilton McClain Jr. (Belle Glade, Fla./Royal Palm Beach).  Sophomore quarterback Brutus Ogilvie (Salem, Ohio/United) hit McClain in stride behind the Gator defense resulting in a 38-yard touchdown pass, evening the score at 7-7 late in the first quarter.

Allegheny had a chance to retake the lead early in the second quarter, but the Gators missed a 30-yard field goal wide left.  Two plays later, the Ogilvie-to-McClain combination struck again, this time on a 71-yard touchdown pass over the top, giving the Golden Tornadoes their first lead of the game, 14-7.

After a Geneva defensive stop, the Golden Tornadoes put together another scoring drive, this one a methodical one courtesy Geneva's running attack.  The Golden Tornadoes marched 78 yards in 11 plays, and Ogilvie capped off the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run, sending Geneva into the break with a 21-7 lead.

Geneva received the opening kickoff of the second half and marched down to the 35-yardline of Allegheny before the drive stalled.  The Golden Tornadoes decided to punt, and junior punter Eduardo Santiago (Erie, Pa./Erie First Christian Academy) pinned the Gators at their own one-yard line with a great punt.  However, Tre Worship took a handoff on Allegheny's first play and burst through the middle of the line and went 99-yards for a touchdown, pulling the Gators within one score.

The Golden Tornado offense couldn't get much going in the third quarter, though the Geneva defense held the Gators scoreless on their next two drives.  Geneva eventually got its offense rolling again, helped by another Santiago punt that pinned Allegheny at its own one-yard line again.  The defense held, and after the punt, the Golden Tornadoes got the ball back inside Allegheny territory and sophomore Josh Syster (Clymer, Pa./Purchaseline) capped off the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run.

The Geneva special teams unit came up with another big play on the ensuing kickoff.  Freshman kicker Ryan Reitler (Connellsville, Pa./Greensburg Catholic Central) hit a high, short pooch kick that hit the ground and bounced off an Allegheny player and into the arms of freshman Logan Kent (Johnstown, Pa./Conemaugh Valley), giving the Golden Tornadoes another short field.  Fittingly, it was Kent who finished off that drive four players later on a 22-yard touchdown run to push the Geneva lead to 35-14.

Allegheny struck quickly on its next drive, though, and after a Geneva punt, the Gators appeared ready to pull within a score before junior Damian Lomeli (Tampa, Fla./Gaither) stepped in front of a Johnson pass in the endzone and came up with a key interception with five minutes remaining.

The Geneva offense then took it from there, churning out the remaining 5:38 on the clock with a ten-play drive that ended inside the Allegheny 10-yardline, with Ogilivie taking a knee on the final play of the game, sealing the victory 35-21.

The offense put together its best day of the season.  The Golden Tornadoes finished with 487 yards of total offense, 338 on the ground and  149 yards through the air, all to McClain who finished with a career-best five receptions, 149 yards and two touchdowns.  Ogilvie had one of his best days as a Golden Tornado as well, throwing for 149 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 135 yards and one score.  Kent added a career-high 100 yards and a touchdown, while Syster finished with 87 yards and a score.

Defensively, sophomore Gabe Trexler (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus) made his return from an early-season injury and led the team with 13 tackles.  Sophomore Ray Richard (Riviera Beach, Fla./Treasure Coast) also had a big day, finishing with seven tackles, a blocked punt, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup.  Lomeli picked off his team-best fourth interception, while sophomore Cameron Smith (New Castle, Pa./Laurel) also picked off a pass.

Geneva will be back in action next Saturday when the Golden Tornadoes travel to Saint Vincent for a 1:00 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).