GREENVILLE, Pa. – Geneva used a big day from senior wide receiver Hilton McClain Jr., along with a strong defensive effort, to earn a 20-9 victory at Thiel on a rainy and cold Saturday afternoon. Sophomore running back David Reid III also had a good day on the ground for the Golden Tornadoes. Geneva improved to 2-4 with the win, while Thiel dropped to 2-5.
Geneva drove its first two possessions inside the Thiel 30-yardline, but negative plays forced both drives to end with a punt.
Thiel got on the board first with a field goal early in the second quarter. On the ensuing possession, a big run from Reid, covering 31 yards, set Geneva up at the Thiel 38-yardline. The Tomcats forced Geneva into a fourth-and-five situation, but junior quarterback Brutus Ogilvie hit McClain on an out route for the first down, and McClain made his defender miss and sprinted up the sideline for a 33-yard touchdown. The Golden Tornadoes would never trail again.
Geneva added to its lead six minutes later, courtesy the same duo. The Golden Tornadoes got great field position on Thiel's side of the field after a short punt, and four plays later Ogilvie scrambled and found McClain behind the Tomcat defense for a 22-yard touchdown. Geneva missed the extra point but took a 13-3 lead into the break.
On Geneva's opening possession of the second half, the Golden Tornadoes put together a bruising drive, with Reid doing most of the heavy lifting on rushes up the middle of the Thiel defense. Geneva drove 60 yards in 17 plays, but the Golden Tornadoes came up empty after a missing a short field goal attempt.
Geneva's defense came up with another stop, though, on Thiel's next possession, and it took the Golden Tornadoes just three plays to strike again from that same connection. Ogilvie found McClain on a crossing route across the middle, and McClain outran the Tomcat defense for a 53-yard touchdown catch, extending the Geneva lead to 20-3 just before the start of the fourth quarter.
Thiel responded with its only touchdown drive on the game. The Tomcats got a long run to set up Thiel inside the Geneva 20-yardline, and four plays later Thiel scored from one yard away. The Tomcats went for two points and failed.
Those points proved to be the last of the game. Sophomore Daniel Guzevich came up with an interception late in the game to seal the victory for the Golden Tornadoes.
McClain finished with four catches for 119 yards and three touchdowns. Reid was huge on the ground, rushing 33 times for 161 yards. Ogilvie was 10-for-16 passing for 159 yards and three touchdowns. As a team, the Golden Tornadoes rushed for 218 yards.
The Geneva defense held Thiel to just 202 yards of total offense. Sophomore Luke Blasko led the team with 11 tackles, while junior Gabe Trexler added eight tackles, including 2.0 TFLs.
The Golden Tornadoes will try to make it two wins in a row next week when they host Bethany at 7:00 p.m. Geneva will celebrate its 2023 Hall of Fame inductees at halftime.
Through purposeful learning in a community reflecting the full spectrum of God's kingdom, a Geneva College experience inspires students to discover a faith-life calling in service to God and neighbor. Offering 195+ traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality and affordability. 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 the International Association for Christian Education (IACE).
