The Waynesburg Yellow Jackets have evened their record out at 2-2 following the 45-15 win over Thiel this past Saturday. 

The Yellow Jackets sit 2-0 in Presidents’ Athletic Conference play, good enough to be tied with Geneva for first place in the conference.

The test for Waynesburg this weekend comes in the form of the Allegheny Gators, who come into the matchup looking to spoil Waynesburg’s Homecoming. 

“Our term we have been using over the last few weeks is play like you’re desperate,” head coach Cornelius Coleman said. “We’re just trying to find a way to keep the momentum on our side and play to the best of our abilities.”

Allegheny fought hard in a 28-16 loss against Geneva last week, falling to 1-3 overall and 1-1 in the conference. 

That win came in a game against Thiel, where sophomore running back Dominic Berarducci shined running for 157 yards and two touchdowns.

Berarducci has rushed for 330 yards and four touchdowns so far this season, leading the PAC in rushing yards.

“We have to play well as a unit and be able to reset the line of scrimmage,” Coleman said. 

The running back in second place in rushing yards this season is Waynesburg senior running back Zayne Cawley, who has run for 302 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Berarducci has played 4 games this season, and Cawley, who didn’t play last week, has only played 3.

“We were in a situation to give Zayne [Cawley] some rest,” Coleman said. “Anytime you’re carrying the ball over 40 times, you’re gonna have some bumps and bruises. So, we just wanted to get him fresh.”

Coleman didn’t comment on whether Cawley will play versus Allegheny.

In the absence of Cawley at Thiel, junior running back Carson Shriver rushed for 161 yards and 3 touchdowns. Shriver now has 239 rushing yards on the year, putting him fourth in the PAC.

“Carson [Shriver] is a more than capable back and we knew we wouldn’t skip a beat,” Coleman said.

With Cawley’s status up in the air, Coleman trusts guys like Shriver and Mutwali Stewart to carry the weight in the run game.

“I’m grateful my coaching staff has enough trust in me to carry the ball and help our team get wins,” Shriver said. 

The Waynesburg running game won’t have it easy this weekend with Seton Hill transfer,linebacker Coltin Colucci roaming the field.

“He made eyes open between coaches and athletes in the PAC last season,” Coleman said. 

Last season, he was used as an outside linebacker in the Allegheny defense. Colucci was also used to rush the passer as an edge rusher last year. Now, Colucci is being used as an inside linebacker, disrupting the middle.

Junior defensive tackle, Huriel Calice, is another Gator that could halt the Yellow Jacket rushing attack. 

“He’s a guy that stands out”, Coleman said. 

Calice transferred to Allegheny in 2024, spending the season swapping between defensive tackle and defensive end. He has only amassed two sacks in his career, but some abilities do not show up on the stat sheet. 

The cornerback duo of Elisah Banks and David Williams have combined for 15 passes defended this season. Banks leads the PAC with eight and Williams is tied for second with seven. 

Those two will try and make it hard on sophomore quarterback Luke Hudson, who is listed as the starter on the two-deeps as Waynesburg plays Allegheny at 1 p.m. at John F. Wiley Stadium.