WAYNESBURG, Pa. - The Westminster College football team's season came to an end Saturday as the Titans lost at Waynesburg, 54-13, in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) action.
The Titans finish the season with a 2-4 league record and a 5-5 overall mark for their first non-losing season since 2004 and the team's 51st non-losing season in the last 56 years. Waynesburg, which was nationally-ranked in the Top 25 for three straight weeks before losing to Geneva last week, finishes its regular season with an 8-2 record and a 5-1 mark for second place in the PAC.
Westminster scored its first touchdown during its second drive of the game on a 24-yard touchdown reception by sophomore Chad Rosatelli (Clinton, Pa./Hopewell) from sophomore quarterback Kevin Franz (Finleyville, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) to tie the game, 7-7. On their first drive, the Titans fumbled on their own 11-yard line before yielding the first of four straight Waynesburg touchdown drives.
The Titans did not score again until senior wide receiver Brett Ziegler (Somerset, Pa./Somerset) caught an 11-yard pass from Franz in the second quarter to cut Waynesburg's lead to 28-13.
Ziegler caught five passes for 39 yards to become Westminster's all-time career receptions leader with 142 catches, surpassing the old record of 140 held by Matt Dvorsak (1995-99).
Senior punter Dusty Rhodes (Niles, Ohio/Niles McKinley) also established a new school record in the game as he finished the season with a school-record season punting average of 39.6 yards, breaking Jon McCartney's mark of 37.9 in 2001. Rhodes entered the game with a 40.2 average ranked 21st in the nation.
Franz completed 14 of 25 passes for 134 yards and two scores. Sophomore tailback Nick McKolosky (Johnstown, Pa./Westmont Hilltop) led the Titan ground game with 21 carries for 76 yards, falling 22 yards shy of 1,000 for the season.
Waynesburg freshman running back Robert Heller, the nation's leading rusher, rushed 40 times for a school-record 312 yards and five touchdowns of 11, 2, 21, 3 and 2 yards. He came the school's first-ever 2,000-yard rusher for a season.
Waynesburg out-gained the Titans, 537-188, including 370-35 on the ground. The Titans converted just 2 of 15 third downs after entering the game leading the PAC with a 45.6 third-down conversion percentage.
Westminster junior free safety Jake Wilczynski (Harbor Creek, Pa./Harbor Creek) led the Titans with a career-high 13 tackles. Brenden Steele led the Yellow Jackets with 11 stops, while Mike Czerwien, the nation's leading sacker with 2.2 per game, made eight tackles including four sacks.
About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College is ranked 15th among liberal arts colleges, according to the Washington Monthly 2007 Annual College Guide. Westminster is a national leader 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 366 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 undergraduate and graduate students benefit from individualized attention from dedicated faculty while choosing from 41 majors and nearly 100 organizations on the New Wilmington, Pa., campus.
