GREENVILLE, Pa. – Fans at the Geneva football game at Thiel on Saturday afternoon were treated to a plethora of offensive fireworks, but the Golden Tornado offense did enough to leave town with a 51-38 victory over the Tomcats.  Geneva improved to 3-3 overall, 3-1 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC).  The strong start to conference play equals Geneva's best start since joining the PAC in 2011.

The Golden Tornadoes got off to a tremendous start in the opening minutes of the game.  Geneva marched down the field on the first drive of the game, with a 30-yard pass from junior Caleb Romano to senior Keaton Baker picking up almost half the yardage on the drive, and Romano plunged in from one yard away to get Geneva on the board just over three minutes into the contest.

On Thiel's first play from scrimmage, Tomcat quarterback Keller Herzberger threw a backwards pass that hit the ground, and sophomore Noah Hutcherson scooped up the live ball and returned it 21 yards for a touchdown, giving the Golden Tornadoes a 14-0 lead less than four minutes into the game.

Geneva's defense held strong early, and the Golden Tornadoes had a chance to widen their lead later in the quarter, but an interception and a turnover on downs, both times deep in Thiel territory, kept Geneva off the board.

Sophomore kicker Evan Baker added to the Golden Tornado lead early in the second quarter with a 28-yard field goal, and after a quick three-and-out from Thiel's offense, Geneva's offense drove down the field and capped off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run by freshman Christian Martin to extend the Golden Tornado lead to 24-0.

Thiel got its offense on track on the following drive, scoring on a 28-yard touchdown pass late in the quarter to cut into Geneva's lead, 24-6, heading into the break.

The Tomcats carried that offensive momentum into the second half, and Herzberger added another passing touchdown on the opening drive of the third quarter to pull Thiel within 24-13.

The Geneva offense continued its successful day on its first drive on the third quarter, with Romano finding Baker for a 47-yard touchdown pass to match Thiel's early touchdown.

The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth offensive display, with the two teams trading touchdowns over the final 15 minutes.  Geneva got scores on a 33-yard touchdown run from Romano, an 11-yard touchdown pass from Romano to sophomore Dayne Johnke, and a 59-yard touchdown pass from Romano to senior Luke Crumbacher.  In total the teams combined for 45 points in the final quarter.

The Geneva defense didn't have many answers for the Thiel passing game in the second half, but freshman Demarean Frazier and senior Reed Gordon did pick off Herzberger passes in the second half to stop Tomcat drives.

Romano again had a standout performance, completing 32-of-51 passes for 402 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 46 yards on just four carries and two more scores on the ground.  Senior Seth Tyson finished with a team-high eight catches for 121 yards.  Baker caught seven passes for 117 yards and a touchdown, while Crumbacher also reached 100 yards receiving, finishing with 110 yards and a score.  Johnke joined the receiving party as well with a career high seven catches for 43 yards and a touchdown.  As a team the Golden Tornadoes totaled 495 yards of offense.

Herzberger had a standout day as well, setting the Thiel record for passing yards in a game with 447, while throwing for five touchdowns.  Gordon led the defense with nine tackles, along with the interception, while senior Nicholas Ciriello and junior Coltin Hill each posted eight stops, with Hill totaling a team-high 3.5 tackles-for-loss.

Geneva will stay on the road next week as the Golden Tornadoes travel to Waynesburg for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff.