LATROBE, Pa. – The Geneva College defense came up huge all day long, particularly in the final minute when senior Cameron Smith intercepted a pass in the Geneva endzone to stymie a potential winning Saint Vincent touchdown, and the Golden Tornadoes pulled out a 16-13 victory at Saint Vincent on Saturday afternoon.  Geneva improved to 2-3 on the season with the win.
 
The game started off with some fireworks.  The Bearcats received the opening kickoff and used a fake reverse for a big return, running the ball all the way inside Geneva's 20-yard line.  Four plays later, Saint Vincent scored to give the Bearcats a quick 7-0 lead.  It would be the only time Saint Vincent would find the endzone in the game.
 
On the following kickoff, sophomore Liam Gibson put together a big return of his own, giving the Golden Tornadoes the ball inside Saint Vincent territory.  On third down, sophomore Caleb Romano hit senior Keaton Baker for a 39-yard pass down to the Saint Vincent one-yard line.  Junior David Reid plunged in on the next play to pull Geneva even, 7-7, less than five minutes into the game.
 
Fumbles, which were a challenge for Geneva all day long, were an issue over the next several minutes.  A Golden Tornado fumble on Geneva's next drive ended a promising drive deep in Saint Vincent territory.  On Geneva's next drive, another fumble gave the Bearcats possession deep in Golden Tornado territory.  The Geneva defense stiffened, though, and held Saint Vincent to a field goal.
 
The offense put together a good drive on the ensuing possession.  The Golden Tornadoes marched 72 yards on 15 plays, all on the ground, and Reid again dove in from one yard away to give Geneva its first lead of the game.  The extra point was blocked though, keeping the margin at 13-10. 
 
Saint Vincent answered Geneva's long drive with its best drive of the game, using up the rest of the time before the half, and the Bearcats converted a short field goal to send the game into the break with the score tied at 13-13.
 
Geneva received the opening kickoff of the second half and put together another long drive.  However, the drive stalled inside the Saint Vincent five-yard line, and a short field goal attempt was blocked, keeping the game knotted at 13-13.
 
Geneva's defense quickly got the ball back, though, and the Golden Tornado offense again set off on another long drive.  Once again, the drive stalled deep in Saint Vincent territory, but this time freshman Evan Baker knocked one through the goal posts from 30 yards away to give the Golden Tornadoes a 16-13 advantage.
 
Both teams had multiple empty possessions in the fourth quarter before the Bearcats got the ball back at their own 15-yard line with three minutes left in the game.  Saint Vincent, aided by a couple questionable personal foul penalties, marched down to the Geneva 20-yard line with about a minute remaining.  However, Smith stepped in front of a Luke Levendosky pass and intercepted the ball, and Geneva was able to hold on for the 16-13 victory.
 
Geneva finished the game with 265 yards of total offense, 227 coming on the ground. Reid led the team with 78 yards rushing, along with both Geneva touchdowns.  Romano finished with a career-high 64 yards on the ground, while sophomore Landon Smith added 56 rushing yards.
 
The Golden Tornado defense gave up just 189 yards on 58 Saint Vincent plays, an average of just 3.3 yards per play.  Freshmen Noah Hutcherson finished with a career-high 11 stops, while junior Nicholas Ciriello also added 11 tackles.  Smith finished with six tackles and the game-saving interception.
 
Geneva heads back out onto the road next Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff at Washington & Jefferson.


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).