NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The Westminster College football team lost to Thomas More, 42-14, Saturday afternoon in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) action at Burry Stadium in New Wilmington.
The Titans (1-4, 0-2 PAC) and the Saints (3-2, 2-2 PAC) were tied, 7-7, midway through the first quarter before Thomas More scored five unanswered touchdowns and a field goal by the end of the third quarter. The Saints did not punt during the game as they scored on their first seven possessions and turned the ball over on their final three.
Thomas More rushed for 299 of their 451 total yards and converted an efficient 8 of 11 third-down opportunities. Westminster could only rush for a mere 27 yards and finished with 270 total yards as freshman quarterback Kevin Franz (Finleyville, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) threw for 243 yards on 23-of-37 passing with one touchdown and one interception.
Franz's one touchdown was a 7-yard toss to freshman running back Nick McKolosky (Johnstown, Pa./Westmont Hilltop) capping off a seven-play, 71-yard drive to tie the game with 9:04 remaining in the first quarter.
The scoring drive answered the Saints' opening touchdown march that culminated with Trevor Stellman throwing a 23-yard pass to Chase Weber.
The next six Thomas More drives ended in points including John Hennessey catching an 8-yard pass from Stellman in the first quarter; Monty Collier running in scores from 5 and 1 yards in the first and second quarters, respectively; Weber catching an 8-yard touchdown pass from Stellman in the second quarter; Collier adding another 1-yard touchdown in the third quarter; and David Sheeley completed the scoring for the Saints with a 23-yard field goal with 5:04 remaining in the third quarter.
Collier finished with 16 carries for 142 yards and three touchdowns. Stellman was 12-of-16 passing for 140 yards and three touchdowns. Collier led the Saints with three catches for 29 yards, while Weber's only two catches for the game were for touchdowns giving him a team-high 31 receiving yards.
Franz tacked on a 3-yard touchdown run with 13:02 left in the fourth quarter. He was also the Titans' leading rusher with six attempts for 27 yards. McKolosky was stuffed on his 10 carries with just 11 net yards (30 gained, 19 lost), while his longest run was for 10 yards.
Junior wide receiver Brett Zeigler (Somerset, Pa./Somerset) hauled in a game-high eight receptions for 44 yards.
Sophomore linebacker Jordan Blinn (Industry, Pa./Western Beaver) led the beleaguered Titan defense with nine tackles and a forced fumble. Freshman linebacker Brad Meehan (Aliquippa, Pa./Center) and freshman defensive back Tyler Kelley (Poland, Ohio/Poland Seminary) had eight stops apiece. Sophomore safety Jake Wilczynski (Harbor Creek, Pa./Harbor Creek) had an interception, his third in the last two games.
Thirty-one different Thomas More players posted tackles as the Saints rotated players in the second half on defense. The PAC's leading tackler Mark Carlisle, who averaged 11.2 stops per game entering the game, led the Saints with just six tackles.
Westminster travels to Washington & Jefferson Saturday, Oct. 14, for a 2 p.m. kickoff.
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College is ranked among national leaders in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News Guide to America's Best Colleges, and is one of the most affordable national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 361 Colleges" and "Best in the Northeast" by The Princeton Review, and was recognized by the Templeton Guide as a "Character Building College."
Nearly 1,600 students benefit from individualized attention from dedicated faculty, while choosing from 41 majors and nearly 100 organizations on the New Wilmington, Pa. campus.
