WAYNESBURG, Pa. – It was an offensive slugfest for much of the afternoon in Geneva's football game at Waynesburg on Saturday afternoon, but it was the Yellow Jackets who survived the offensive outburst better, pulling out a 37-30 win over the Golden Tornadoes.  Geneva dropped to 0-3, while Waynesburg improved to 2-1.

The points came quickly early on.  Sophomore quarterback Brutus Ogilvie (Salem, Ohio/United) hit junior Hilton McClain Jr. (Belle Glade, Fla./Royal Palm Beach) for a 66-yard touchdown pass less than a minute into the game.  It was a sign of things to come.

Waynesburg answered right back with a 66-yard touchdown pass of its own two minutes later.  Three minutes later, Geneva scored again on an 11-yard touchdown run by junior Kazier Brandt (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver Falls). 

It didn't take long for Waynesburg to respond again, though.  Just over a minute later, Waynesburg's Justin Flack raced 49-yards for a score to pull even, and less than six minutes into the game, the score was tied 14-14.

Two Geneva penalties forced the Golden Tornadoes to settle for a 42-yard field goal from freshman Ryan Reitler (Connellsville, Pa./Greensburg Catholic Central) on their next possession.  Waynesburg answered back on the second play of the second quarter with its third touchdown in three possessions to take its first lead of the game, 21-17.

Geneva would answer again, with Ogilvie scoring on a 14-yard touchdown run, but it took Waynesburg only 20 seconds to respond when Cameron Hunter raced 63-yards for another Yellow Jacket touchdown.  The Golden Tornadoes looked ready to take back the lead late in the second quarter, but a Geneva fumble inside the Waynesburg 20-yard line ended a promising drive, sending the teams into the halftime break with Waynesburg leading 28-24.

Geneva's defensive struggle continued early in the third quarter.  On Waynesburg's first play from scrimmage, Flack raced 75 yards for a touchdown to push the Yellow Jacket lead to 35-24.

Geneva would pull within one score when Brandt scored again, this time from two yards away, bringing the Golden Tornadoes within 35-30 entering the fourth quarter.

Sophomore Brandon Graham (Monaca, Pa./Central Valley) came up with Geneva's first big defensive play early in the fourth quarter, picking off a Waynesburg pass, but the Golden Tornado offense couldn't replicate its first-half success, punting the ball away.  Freshman Kiefer Mandagelo (Conneaut, Ohio/Conneaut) came up with another interception on Waynesburg's next possession, but the Geneva drive stalled.  A special team mistake cost Geneva on the ensuing punt when Waynesburg blocked the punt, resulting in a safety and giving the Yellow Jackets a seven-point lead with just over six minutes remaining.

Geneva's defense did come up with two more defensive stops late, but the Golden Tornado offense could never get back on track.  The first possession ended in a fumble, and Geneva's last possession with just over a minute remaining failed to result in a first down, and Waynesburg kneeled on the ball to close out the 37-30 victory.

Geneva finished the game with 288 yards rushing, but it was the rare time when the Golden Tornadoes were outgained on the ground, with Waynesburg finishing with 334 yards rushing.  The Yellow Jackets held a slight 453-426 edge in total yardage.  Sophomore Josh Syster (Clymer, Pa./Purchaseline) finished with a career-high 113 yards to lead the Golden Tornado offense, while Ogilvie rushed for 56 yards and threw for 138 yards.

"With seven starters missing, I saw great effort today," said Head Coach Geno DeMarco.  "But you cannot win football games by giving up big plays and turning the ball over, and we did both of those things today."

Geneva will look to pick up its first win of the season next Saturday when the Golden Tornadoes return home to take on Case Western Reserve at 7:00 p.m.

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).