13th-Ranked W&J rolls past Thiel with ease in PAC opener

Tagged under: News, Pennsylvania Colleges

John Robbins | September 13, 2021

Pregame before Washington & Jefferson and Thiel College at Thiel College’s Alumni Stadium

In the PAC opener for both these teams, the thirteenth in division three Washington & Jefferson (W&J) Presidents raced out to an early lead and never let go, leading to a 64-12 victory over the Thiel College Tomcats. W&J did not need long to score in the beginning of the game. After Thiel fumbled and lost the opening kickoff, the Presidents’ junior quarterback Justin Heacock (New Concord, Ohio/John Glenn) found senior wide receiver Payton Skalos (Cranberry Township, PA/Seneca Valley) for a 22 yard touchdown on their opening play.

W&J would get the ball back and would score on the ground when junior running back Joey Koroly (Washington, PA/Trinity) would run 8 yards into the end zone. The Presidents’ defense would also have a turn to score points. Junior defensive lineman Alex Keith (Hartville, Ohio/Lake) forced a fumble that was recovered by senior defensive lineman Elijah Goosby (Rochester, PA/Rochester) and returned it to the endzone to extend the lead to 21-0. W&J’s defense would score again when senior defensive lineman Keith Knowell (Mckeesport, PA/Mckeesport) caused a Thiel safety, putting the Presidents up 30-0.

They extended their lead further on the ensuing free kick when sophomore running back and kick returner Justin Huss (Derry, PA/Derry) returned it for a touchdown, leaving the score 37-0 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, W&J decided to put in sophomore quarterback Colton Jones (Louisville, Ohio/Louisville) and he would score on his first drive in the game. He would find senior wide receiver Cameron O’Brien (Irwin, PA/Norwin) for a 9 yard touchdown pass.

The Presidents would use the ground game again when senior running back EJ Thompson (La Plata, MD/Thomas Stone) would further extend their lead to 50-0. W&J would score one more time before halftime when Koroly would score his second touchdown of the game and put the score at 57-0 going into halftime. The Presidents’ scoring train slowed during the third quarter. However, W & J’s defense would score for a third time on the day when sophomore linebacker Justin Johns would return an interception 32 yards to the endzone to put President’s lead at 64-0 at the end of the third quarter.

Thiel would eventually find the end zone in the fourth quarter. Freshman quarterback Owen Trumbull (Bear Lake, PA/Eisenhower) would score his first collegiate touchdown when he rushed into the endzone. The two-point conversion would fail, putting the score at 64-6. The final score of the game would come from the Tomcats after a W&J fumble on the kickoff would set them up inside the President’s five yard line. Freshman running back Deon Logan (Richmond, VA/James River) would score a 4 yard touchdown to make the final score 64-12. Thiel will travel to Waynesburg University next Saturday for a 1PM kickoff. W&J host Bethany College next week for a 6PM kickoff on Saturday.

Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews