BETHANY, W.Va. - The Westminster College football team won a consecutive conference game for the first time since 2003 as the Titans defeated Bethany, 31-28, on the road Saturday in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) action.
The Titans improve to 3-4 on the season and 2-2 in the PAC, while the Bison fall to 2-4 overall and 1-3 in the league.
Westminster senior tailback Nick McKolosky (Johnstown, Pa./Westmont Hilltop) posted his 11th career 100-yard rushing game as he carried 27 times for 107 yards and a 6-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that gave Westminster a 31-14 lead.
Titan sophomore quarterback Shawn Lehocky (Conway, Pa./Freedom), who platooned at the quarterback position his entire career but made his first career start vs. Bethany on Saturday, nearly rushed for 100 yards for a second straight game. Lehocky rushed 16 times for 98 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that gave Westminster a 17-0 lead.
Lehocky threw for 47 yards on 5-12 passing with an interception and a 7-yard touchdown pass to Chad Rosatelli (Clinton, Pa./Hopewell) in the third quarter that gave the Titans a 24-6 advantage.
Senior quarterback Kevin Franz (Finleyville, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) was 5-9 passing for 61 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown to sophomore Justin Morgano (Pittsburgh, Pa./Brentwood) that gave Westminster a 7-0 lead on its third possession of the game.
Bethany outgained Westminster 321-312 in total yards; however, most of those yards came from Bethany running back Eric Walker late in the game. Westminster limited Bethany to just 15 yards rushing with 3:00 left in the third quarter, before Walker finished the game with 136 yards on 20 attempts, including three touchdowns. Two of Walker's touchdowns were from 3 and 28 yards in the fourth quarter that made the game close.
Westminster's 108 passing yards vs. Bethany Saturday were the fewest since 60 passing yards in a loss at Carnegie Mellon in the second game of the 2006 season.
Morgano, with 64 yards, and Rosatelli, with 14 yards, led the Titans with three receptions apiece. Bethany double-teamed Westminster senior receiver Jon Gubish (Pittsburgh, Pa./Northgate) for most of the game, limiting Gubish, the NCAA's 11th-leading receiver with 8.5 receptions per game entering the game, to just one catch for six yards.
Bethany quarterback Chad Smith completed 26 of 48 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown. Smith completed a 9-yard touchdown to Derodric Brown to cut Westminster's lead to 17-6 before halftime. Jonathan Foster was Bethany's leading receiver with six catches for 60 yards.
Westminster junior inside linebacker Cory Meeker (Glen Dale, W.Va./John Marshall) led the Titans with a career-high 11 tackles, including a half sack and 1.5 for a loss. The Titans also intercepted two of Smith's passes, including senior Mario Camerota (Cheswick, Pa./Springdale) with a 34-yarder that was the third of the season for him and the sixth of his career. Camerota also posted nine tackles in the game. Freshman safety Joe Ross (York, Pa../Red Lion) also posted his first career interception.
The Titans return home to host Washington & Jefferson on Saturday, Oct. 24, for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.
About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College is a top tier liberal arts college and a national leader in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News Guide to America's Best Colleges. Westminster ranked third among liberal arts colleges in social mobility, according to the Washington Monthly College Guide, and is one of the most affordable national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 371 Colleges" and "Best in the Northeast" by The Princeton Review, and is named to the President's Honor Roll for excellence in service learning.
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.
