(WAYNESBURG, Pa.) - The 23rd-ranked Thomas More College football team fell, 14-10, to Waynesburg University today (Saturday, September 22, 2012) in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) game at John F. Wiley Stadium in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania.
With the loss, the Saints fall to 1-2 overall and 1-1 in the PAC. With the win, the Yellow Jackets improve to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the PAC.
Waynesburg led 7-0 after one quarter. The game was tied 7-7 at halftime and Thomas More led 10-7 after three quarters.
The Yellow Jackets took a 7-0 lead at the 8:12 mark of the first quarter when Bertrand Ngampa scored on a two-yard run and Alex Henry added the point-after-attempt.
Thomas More tied the game at 7-7 when sophomore running back Landon Savoy (Radcliff, Ky./John Hardin) scored on a 10-yard run and junior place kicker Tim Gormly, Jr. (Cincinnati, Ohio/McNicholas) added the PAT with 10:30 to play in the second quarter.
In the third quarter the Saints took a 10-7 lead on a Gormly 21-yard field goal with 7:33 to play in the quarter.
Waynesburg scored the eventual game-winning touchdown with 6:44 to play in the fourth quarter when Willie Leavell blocked a Thomas More punt and returned it 18-yards for a touchdown and Henry added the PAT to make the score 14-7.
Senior defensive back Zach Autenrieb (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) led the defense as he had five solo tackles and two interceptions, which he returned for a total of 62 yards. The two interceptions gives him 27 career interceptions and he is two shy of the NCAA Division III record of 29.
Senior linebacker Elijah Anglim (Cincinnati, Ohio/Anderson) led the team in tackles with seven, while junior defensive lineman Chris Bowman (Camp Springs, Ky./Bishop Brossart) added six and senior defensive lineman Jay Volker (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder), senior defensive back Kenny Veal (Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton) and sophomore defensive lineman Erick Butler (Eminence, Ky./Henry County) all finished with five tackles.
The offense was led by junior running back Adam Rauch (Yorkville, Ind./East Central), who had 20 carries for 81 yards and Savoy, who finished with 14 carries for 55 yards and one touchdown. Sophomore quarterback Luke Magness (Pleasureville, Ky./Henry County) was eight-of-27 passing for 62 yards, while senior wide receiver Tony Bell (Cincinnati, Ohio/Northwest) had two catches for 18 yards and senior wide receiver Mercier Doucette (Florence, Ky./Boone County) had two catches and 17 yards.
Thomas More returns to action next Saturday (September 29) when it travels to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania to play Geneva College. The PAC game will kickoff at 1 p.m.
