NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The Westminster College football team lost its season finale Saturday as the Titans fell to visiting Waynesburg, 21-9, in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) action at Burry Stadium.
The Titans finish the season with a 2-8 record and a 1-5 mark in the PAC, while the Yellow Jackets wrap up the year with a 6-4 record and a 5-1 second-place finish in the league.
The score was tied 7-7 for most of the game until Waynesburg scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to seal the win.
The two teams were close in the total yardage as Waynesburg outgained Westminster, 275-257, but conflicted with their methods. Waynesburg rushed 52 times for 258 yards and passed just seven times for 17 yards, while Westminster was held to negative nine yards on 19 attempts while passing 38 times for 266 yards.
Westminster freshman quarterback Kevin Franz (Finleyville, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) completed 25 of 37 passes for 266 yards. However, Franz threw a season-high four interceptions and was sacked a season-high five times in the game.
Franz became just the fourth quarterback in school history to throw for more than 2,000 yards in a season as he finished the year with 2,090 yards. Franz also set the school record for completions per game in a season with 20.8 (208 completions in 10 games) as he surpassed James Graham who completed 218 passes in 11 contests (19.8 per game) in 1999.
Freshman Chad Rosatelli (Clinton, Pa./Hopewell) caught a career-high six passes for 12 yards to lead Westminster in receptions, while four other Titan receivers amassed at least 33 receiving yards apiece, including junior Brett Ziegler (Somerset, Pa./Somerset) with four catches for 81 yards and junior Jason Discello (New Kensington, Pa./Valley) with three catches for 68 yards.
The Titans captured a 7-0 lead with 10:42 remaining in the second quarter on a 1-yard run by freshman running back Jason Nagy (Uniontown, Ohio/Green), culminating a seven-play 58-yard drive.
Waynesburg answered on its next possession with the first of two Ryan Abels touchdowns. His first was from 4 yards out tying the game 7-7 with 4:55 left in the first half. Abels finished the game with 222 yards 27 carries, which is the second-most single-game yardage of his career and sixth-most by a Waynesburg player alltime.
Westminster looked to answer quickly on its next possession as Franz threw to Discello for a 52-yard pass play to the Yellow Jacket 17 yard line, but the opportunity was terminated on the very next play by the first of two interceptions in the game by Waynesburg defensive back Jacques Newberry.
The Titans also came up fruitless in their next trip inside the opponent's 20-yard line midway through the third quarter with the game still tied 7-7. Westminster had first-and-goal at the 5 yard line, but after a penalty and a pass completion of negative four yards, the Titan botched the snap on a 31-yard field goal try.
Waynesburg's go-ahead touchdown came on running back Danny Reeds' 1-yard plunge with 8:52 left in the fourth quarter, eight plays after Newberry intercepted Franz at the Waynesburg 26 yard line and return the pick to midfield.
Abels then broke free for a 50-yard touchdown at the 5:25 mark after Westminster went three plays and out on its ensuring drive after the Reed touchdown and punted to the Jacket 42 yard line.
The Titans scored on a safety in the waning seconds of the game when Waynesburg botched a snap on a punt attempt and sophomore Jake Wilczynski (Harbor Creek, Pa./Harbor Creek) tackled Jacket punter Nate Finiello in the end zone.
Sophomore linebacker Jordan Blinn (Industry, Pa./Western Beaver) led the Titan defense with 14 tackles followed by Wilczynski with eight. Brendon Steele led the Yellow Jacket defense with 13 stops, a sack, and an interception.
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.
