Football takes down Bethany 48-28

By

Sara Clegg - The Yellow Jacket

The Waynesburg Yellow Jackets beat their second longest tenured rival, the Bethany Bison, 48-28 on Saturday.

“I’m super proud of the team and how they were able to bounce back”, head coach Cornelius Coleman said. “Our coaches are doing a great job at making sure our players are ready and the players are executing.”

Senior quarterback Tommy Burke III made his first start for the Yellow Jackets since week two against Dickinson College. Burke made the most of this opportunity, going 10-for-15 with 167 passing yards and two passing touchdowns.

“I saw what I expected,” Coleman said about Burke’s performance. “He’s been in situations like this before and he got it done.”

Another stat sheet standout was junior running back Carson Shriver, who ran for 228 yards and a touchdown.  

“Other than coaches and teammates, not many people get to see how much hard work these kids put in, and I’m glad that Carson got to show off how hard he’s been working,” Coleman said.

Coleman told The Yellow Jacket that he was shocked to see that Shriver had racked up 228 yards and called him afterwards to tell him how proud he was.

The first quarter was quiet as both teams swapped drives that stalled out, but the scoring would ramp up soon.  Bethany kicker Caden Langley started the scoring with a 31-yard field goal, making it 3-0 early in the second quarter.  The Bison didn’t hold the score for long, as senior receiver Isaac Trout took the following kickoff for 91 yards and a touchdown, giving Waynesburg a 7-3 lead, a lead that they held until the final whistle.

Caden Langley drills a field goal from 31 yards, giving Bethany the first three points of the game.
Isaac Trout responds on the ensuing kickoff, with a 91-yard return for a TD.

Waynesburg scored another touchdown late in the second quarter, a 2-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Mutwali Stewart, making it 14-3. Bethany ended the first half with a 37-yard field goal as time expired, shortening the Waynesburg lead to 11. 

Mutwali Stewart runs it in from two yards out, extending Waynesburg’s lead to 14-3.
Langley connects again, this time from 37 yards, to make it 14-6 at the half.

The Yellow Jackets received the ball to open the second half, scoring on three straight drives on three huge plays.  Sophomore wide receiver Elija Jackson took a rare handoff for a 34-yard touchdown to make it 21-6.  On the next drive, Shriver scored his lone touchdown of the day, scooting for a 64-yard touchdown to make it 28-6. 

Elija Jackson takes the handoff on the end-around and scores a 34-yard touchdown.
Shriver rambles 64 yards for the score, extending Waynesburg’s lead to 28-6.

“Coach Phil [Hamilton] and the offensive line were giving me opportunities, and I knew I needed to execute and run hard,” Shriver said. “We came into the game knowing we could dominate the line, and that’s exactly what they did.”

Then, Burke found junior receiver Tyler Richmond for a 42-yard touchdown score, giving the Yellow Jackets a 35-6 lead.  Bethany’s sophomore receiver, Mykel Davis, scored the team’s first touchdown of the day on a 9-yard score near the three-minute mark of the third quarter to make it 35-13. 

A little flea-flick trickery ends in a Tyler Richmond touchdown.
Bethany gets on the board for the first time in the second half with this Mykel Davis touchdown.

Waynesburg scored twice more in the fourth quarter. Stewart ran in his second touchdown of the day, and receiver Isaiah Fields scored on a 19-yard catch, making it 48-13. Bethany scored two touchdowns on the Yellow Jackets backups before the game ended, making the final score 48-28.

Stewart takes the direct snap and runs it in for his second touchdown.
Burke connects with Fields for the 19-yard touchdown.
Bethany puts up its first of two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
Bethany puts up a score in the final minutes.

Waynesburg improved to 3-6 overall and 3-4 in conference play heading into the final game of the regular season, which kicks off at 1 p.m. this Saturday against Saint Vincent College for Senior Day.