WAYNESBURG, Pa. – The Geneva College football team used a big fourth quarter to come from behind and win at Waynesburg on Saturday afternoon, 43-29, earning the Golden Tornadoes their third straight victory. The Golden Tornadoes outscored the Yellow Jackets 29-3 in the final quarter. The Golden Tornadoes have now evened their record on the season at 4-4.
The Golden Tornadoes received the opening kickoff, and Geneva moved the ball down to the Waynesburg 42-yardline where the Golden Tornadoes faced fourth-and-one. Geneva handed the ball off to junior Josh Syster, and not only did Syster get the first down, he raced all 42 yards for a touchdown, giving the Golden Tornadoes an early lead.
Waynesburg answered right back with its first drive, though, marching 75 yards on 12 plays, with Justin Flack scoring from the one-yardline to even the score at 7-7.
Geneva punted on its next possession, and on Waynesburg's first play from scrimmage, Samuel Barber hit Dakota Romantino for an 83-yard touchdown pass, giving the Yellow Jackets the lead.
Geneva's next possession also resulted in a punt, and Waynesburg added to its lead when Barber hit Isaac Trout for a 19-yard touchdown pass to increase the Yellow Jackets lead to 20-7 midway through the second quarter.
The Golden Tornado offense got a key score late in the first half, though, with Syster rumbling 18 yards for a touchdown to pull Geneva within 20-14 heading into the halftime break.
Waynesburg received the opening kickoff of the second half, and it was the passing game that again was key for the Yellow Jackets, with Barber hitting Trout for a 26-yard touchdown pass to increase the Waynesburg lead to 26-14. The Yellow Jackets' two-point conversion failed.
Neither team could find the endzone for the remainder of the third quarter. Geneva caught a bad break towards the end of the quarter when, on fourth-and-six at the Waynesburg nine yardline, junior Brutus Ogilvie spotted senior Jared Ozias wide open in the endzone, but as Ozias planted his foot to stop, he slipped on the wet turf and the pass sailed over his hands while he was on the ground.
However, Geneva's defense forced a three-and-out on the following Waynesburg possession, and that gave the Golden Tornadoes a short field to navigate. Four plays into the fourth quarter, freshman Jordan Wilmore burst through the line for an 11-yard touchdown run, pulling Geneva within 26-21.
The Geneva defense forced another three-and-out on Waynesburg's next possession, and a botched Yellow Jacket punt attempt gave the Golden Tornadoes the ball at the Waynesburg 25 yardline. Sophomore David Reid III eventually plunged in from one yard away to give Geneva its first lead since the opening minutes. Sophomore Logan Kent converted the two-point conversion attempt to give the Golden Tornadoes a 29-26 advantage.
The Geneva defense forced a third straight three-and-out, and another botched punt attempt by Waynesburg again gave the Golden Tornadoes great field position, this time at the Waynesburg 26 yardline. Kent would score three plays later on a 10-yard touchdown run to increase the Geneva lead to 36-26.
Waynesburg got its offense working again, moving the ball the down the field before the Geneva defense stiffened and forced a short field goal, pulling the Yellow Jackets within one score, 36-29, with 3:44 remaining.
Waynesburg attempted an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff, which junior Cameron Smith recovered. Five plays later, Reid ran over two Yellow Jackets on his way to a 22-yard touchdown run to give Geneva a commanding 43-29 lead with just over one minute remaining. Smith sealed the win with an interception.
Geneva got a very balanced rushing attack to lead the way to victory. Syster ran for 98 yards on just 13 carries, including two touchdowns. Ogilvie had success with the quarterback keeper, finishing with 78 yards on the ground. Kent added 68 yards and touchdown, Reid 41 yards and two touchdowns, and Wilmore scored his first career touchdown, finishing with 21 yards. As a team Geneva rushed for 308 yards on a 5.9 yards per carry average. Waynesburg did almost all its damage offensively through the air, finishing with 332 yards passing.
Defensively, senior Derrick Sneed and sophomore Luke Blasko led the team with six tackles apiece. Freshmen Caiden Holtzman and Ryan Lowe also had strong days for the Geneva defense, finishing with five tackles apiece, including 2.5 tackles-for-loss for Lowe.
Geneva will now turn its attention to next Saturday when the Golden Tornadoes will host W&J at 1:00 p.m. for Senior Day, their final home regular season game of the year. Geneva will be looking for its first four-game winning streak since 2009.
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).
