BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College football team dominated the line of scrimmage in racking up 448 rushing yards in a commanding 45-20 victory over the visiting Bethany Bison on Saturday night inside Reeves Stadium. The performance only added to the joy of the day as the athletic department celebrated the induction of 13 new members to its Hall of Fame prior to the game. The win is the second straight for the Golden Tornadoes, improving their record to 3-4 on the season.
Geneva's only hiccup of the game offensively was a fumble on its first possession, but junior defensive back Dave Hines quickly remedied that with an interception three plays later.
Bethany had no answer for junior running back Josh Syster, who made a welcome return to the lineup after missing the past two weeks with an injury. He busted through the line for 57 yards on Geneva's second possession, and three players later sophomore Logan Kent scored for 11 yards out to put the Golden Tornadoes ahead 7-0.
Geneva's defense forced a Bethany three-and-out on its next possession, and early in the next drive a 42-yard pass from junior Brutus Ogilvie to senior Hilton McClain Jr. set up the Golden Tornadoes deep inside Bethany territory. Three plays later, Ogilvie kept the ball around the end and ran 14 yards for another Geneva touchdown.
The Geneva defense again forced another three-and-out on Bethany's next possession, and a short punt gave the Golden Tornadoes the ball near midfield. Four plays later, Syster rumbled 31 yards down to the one yardline, and junior Darin Myers snuck it in to extend the Geneva lead to 21-0 with still a minute left in the first quarter. At that point Syster already had 131 yards rushing.
The offense slowed down in the second quarter, and Bethany got on the board midway through the period on a short rush. Late in the quarter, sophomore Luke Blasko recovered a fumble deep in Bethany territory, setting up a 23-yard field goal by sophomore Ryan Reitler at the halftime buzzer.
The Golden Tornado defense came up with another stop on Bethany's opening drive of the second half, and Geneva quickly took advantage. This time Syster got to enjoy the fruits of his labor and made his first visit to the endzone, rushing 26 yards for a touchdown to extend the Geneva lead to 31-7.
At that point the outcome was decided. Each team scored two touchdowns over the final quarter and half, with Geneva getting the opportunity to get a lot of reserves some playing time. The Golden Tornadoes got a 14-yard touchdown run from Kent and another one-yard sneak from Myers for their two final touchdowns, completing the scoring in the 45-20 victory.
In total, Geneva rushed 66 times for 448 yards, an average of 6.8 yards per carry. It was the most rushing yards in a game for the Golden Tornadoes since they ran for 476 yards against Waynesburg two years ago. Syster rushed for a career-high 225 yards on 24 carries, a 9.4 yards per carry average. Kent finished with 128 yards on just ten carries for an even more impressive 12.8 yards per carry average.
The defense held Bethany to 273 yards of total offense, though a lot of that total came later in the game when the outcome had already been decided. Blasko led the defense with nine tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery. Senior Derrick Sneed, junior Gabe Trexler and sophomore Dom Allegretto each added seven tackles, with Trexler leading the team with 3.0 tackles-for-loss.
Geneva will attempt to extend its winning streak to three games next Saturday when the Golden Tornadoes travel to Waynesburg for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff.
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).
