NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – Coming off an opening-week road loss, Westminster College football team bounced back in a big way against Bethany College Saturday afternoon.

Ryan Gomes ground out 183 yards rushing and tallied 2 touchdowns, and the Titans tallied 42 unanswered points en route to a 42-3 win at Harold Burry Stadium/Memorial Field.

"We were a really motivated group," admitted senior standout Gomes (Tampa, Fla./Walter L. Sickles HIgh). "We started off oh-and-one last week and that left a sour taste in our mouths, so we were just trying to get rollin'"

Westminster (1-1) was defeated at nationally-ranked Delaware Valley (22-8), owing to 4 turnovers caused by the Del-Val defense.

But in Saturday's matinee between the Presidents' Athletic Conference opponents (though the game did not count as a conference contest) Gomes garnered a 59-yard scoring sprint with 6:35 remaining in the first frame, and the Titans took control from that juncture. 

Senior signal-caller Cole Konieczka (Coraopolis, Pa./Moon Area High) connected for the first of his 2 TD tosses – a 9 yarder to sophomore speedster Jalen Washington (Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips) – before Gomes got his second TD on a 7-yard sprint.

Sophomore Brice Butler (Farrell, Pa./Farrell HIgh) brought back a Marquice Robinson pass 30 yards for a Pick-Six, and coupled with the fourth consecutive conversion kick by Josh Byers (Pittsburgh, Pa./Canon-McMillan High), the Titans took a 28-3 margin at intermission.

In the third quarter Tylon Eilam (Sharon, Pa./Sharon High) collaborated with Konieczka on a 21-yard TD toss, before Konieczka culminated the scoring with a 1-yard plunge 75 seconds into the final frame.

Bethany (1-1) commenced the campaign with a home-field win over Hiram (26-16); however, the BIson were limited to John McArdle's 35-yard field goal at the 9:23 mark of the opening quarter.

Konieczka connected on 12 of 28 pass attempts for 139 yards and the 2 TDs. HIs top targets were Washington (5 catches, 53 yards) and Eilam (4-49). 

"The O-line was getting a good push, and were making easy for me to make my reads," Gomes said in praise of senior tackle Gabriel Cleveland (Cumming, Ga./South Forsyth), as well as seniors Devin Little (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver Falls High) and Ryan Felter (Pittsburgh, Pa./Avonworth High), sophomore Dylan Llewellyn (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional High), and first-year Dante Compagni (Monogahela, Pa./Ringgold High).

WIth Konieczka orchestrating the offense Westminster went for 373 total yards (231 rushing, 142 passing), while converting 6 of 11 third-down opportunities.

The dominating defense – led by a trio of Titans' seniors in end Brayden Thimons (Natrona Heights, Pa./Highlands High), Nicholas Treloar (New Castle, Pa./New Castle High), and Bryce Thomas (Saint Marys, Ga./Camden County High), as well as Butler, yielded just 154 total yards (116 rushing, 38 passing). Thomas and Treloar evenly divided 10 tackles and Thimons was credited with a quarterback sack.

The Bison actually consumed the clock for 35:12 as compared with Westminster's 24:48 time of possession; however Bethany converted just 3 of 17 third-down opportunities and was coerced into 8 punts.

Titans' taskmaster Scott Benzal and Westminster will welcome PAC newcomer Allegheny College – which has rejoined the circuit following a lengthy hiatus  – Saturday, Sept. 17 for a 7 p.m. kickoff.