CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. - The Westminster College football team lost, 49-6, to the 20th-ranked Thomas More College in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) game on Saturday.
Thomas More (3-1, 2-0 PAC) never trailed in the game as it led 14-0 after one quarter, 21-6 at halftime and 35-6 after three quarters.
The Saints took an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter when Domonique Hayden scored on a 52-yard run and junior place kicker Tommy Budke added the extra point with 12:54 on the clock. Thomas More added to its lead on its third drive when Hyden scored on a two-yard run and Budke added the point-after-touchdown, giving the Saints a 14-0 lead with 2:50 to play in the first.
Westminster (0-4, 0-2 PAC) cut the lead to 14-6 as Justin Dahl (Cochranton, PA / Maplewood) made a 33-yard field goal with 9:10 to play in the second quarter and a 27-yard field goal on the Titans' ensuing drive later in the quarter. Dahl is now second in the PAC with four made field goals for the season.
Thomas More extended its lead to 21-6 later in the second quarter when Ryan Winkler scored on a seven yard touchdown pass from Jensen Gebhardt and Budke added the PAT with 4:45 remaining before halftime.
Hayden picked up where he left off in the first half as he scored on a 70-yard touchdown run on the Saints' first play of the second half. A Budke PAT gave Thomas More a 28-6 lead with 12:58 to play. Two drives later, the Saints extended their lead to 35-6 as Hayden scored on a 45-yard run and Budke added the extra point with 1:58 remaining in the third.
The Saints added another touchdown with a 40-yard fumble return by Tyler Ellis and a five-yard run by Gabe Rice.
Thomas More out-gained the Titans in total yards, 623-263, including a 537-136 advantage on the ground. Hayden finished the game with game-highs of 336 yards rushing and four touchdowns. Freshman Jametrius Bentley (Lake Worth, FL / Park Vista Community) led the Titans with 60 yards on the ground, while classmate Khurazze Williams (Lakeworth, FL / Santaluces Community) had game-highs of six catches and 57 receiving yards. Westminster freshman quarterback Paul Columbo (Boca Raton, FL / West Boca Raton Community) went 17-for 32 for 127 yards through the air.
Senior Corey Neill (Aliquippa, PA / Central Valley) led the Titan defense with a game-high 11 tackles, while classmate Jared Heck (Pittsburgh, PA / North Hills) added nine with a forced fumble and an interception. Westminster Rich Ellebie (Farrell, PA / Kennedy Christian) and sophomore Wayne Seamans (New Castle, PA / Union Area) registered seven tackles each. Seamans and freshman CJ Armstrong (Lake Worth, FL / Park Vista) also had an interception for the Titans. Armstrong also added a sack on the day.
Westminster will next travel to Carnegie Mellon on Saturday, Oct. 4, for a 1 p.m. matchup.
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 Best Colleges guide. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 379 Colleges" 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. Visit www.westminster.edu/advantage to view "Advantage: Westminster" A Strategic Plan 2010-2020.
