WAYNESBURG, Pa. -- Quarterback Jacob Pugh (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) totaled four touchdowns and Troy Volpatti (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) and Raymond Holmes (Verona, Pa./Serra Catholic) both eclipsed the 100-yard mark on the ground as the Washington & Jefferson football team rolled to a 56-0 victory over Waynesburg in a Presidents' Athletic Conference game at John F. Wiley Stadium in Greene County.
W&J finishes the regular season at 8-2 overall and 6-2 in conference play. Waynesburg, losers of its final three games, finish at 4-6 overall and 3-5 in the PAC.
The W&J victory was the ninth straight in the head-to-head series, which is played as part of PAC Rivalry Week. W&J now leads the all-time series by a 46-4 margin.
The Presidents have recorded shutout victories in three straight matchups with the Yellow Jackets. W&J won by scores of 66-0 in the spring of 2021 and raced to a 55-0 victory last fall. Waynesburg has not scored against W&J since the Nov. 16, 2019 meeting, which is a span of 1,092 days.
W&J found great success on the ground, as they rushed for 328 yards on 42 carries. The Presidents averaged 7.8 yards per carry and scored four times on the ground as they bullied the Yellow Jackets. Volpatti toted the rock nine times and racked up 139 yards (15.4 yards per carry) and a touchdown. Holmes finished with 104 yards and a score on 16 carries. Pugh and Drew Schiano (Painesville, Ohio/Perry) also scored a rushing touchdown each.
The 328 yards rushing is the most in a single-game for W&J since they finished with 358 yards on the ground in the 2018 regular season finale at Waynesburg. That 2018 meeting with Waynesburg also marked the last time W&J had two players rush for 100+ yards in the same game.
Pugh turned in another efficient performance, as he completed 15-of-18 pass attempts for 184 yards. Pugh tossed for three touchdowns in the victory. He hit Jacob Macosko (Venetia, Pa. / Peters Township) for an 11-yard touchdown pass with 3:08 to play in the first quarter. Macosko's first collegiate touchdown reception made it 21-0 in favor of the Presidents. Early in the second quarter, Pugh hit John Peduzzi (Hilton Head, S.C./Hilton Head Christian Academy) for an 30-yard touchdown connection.
W&J tacked on two more touchdowns prior to halftime - a 59-yard touchdown run by Volpatti at the 2:59 mark and a three-yard touchdown pass from Pugh to Zach Cernuto (Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland) with just 19 seconds showing on the clock. The pair of touchdowns stretched W&J's lead to 42-0 at halftime.
Schiano played a hand in both second half touchdowns. He rushed 12 yards for a score with 3:54 to go in the third quarter. Schiano later found Karson Kline (Clearfield, Pa. / Clearfield) for a 62-yard touchdown pass with 14:15 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The 574 yards of total offense was a season high for W&J, who was 5-for-9 on third down and converted all five of its red zone chances.
W&J's defense, which pitched its third straight shutout against Waynesburg, turned in another strong showing. The Presidents limited Waynesburg to 6-for-18 on third down and 0-for-3 on fourth down plays. Waynesburg reached the red zone four times but failed to score. W&J finished with 11 tackles for loss, forced a fumble, recorded two sacks and forced Waynesburg into an interception.
Keaton Hall (Dover, Ohio/Dover) finished with a career-high 10 tackles to lead W&J. Dawson Dietz (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) recorded nine tackles to push his season total to 72. Dietz had two tackles for loss, as he extends his PAC-leading total to 21. Justin Johns (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional), the PAC's leading tackler entering the day, added nine more tackles to his stat sheet. Tyler Sabo (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell) grabbed his team-leading fourth interception in the victory.
Deven Wyandt (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) made six of six point after touchdown attempts in the win.
With its regular season now finished, W&J awaits an announcement of its postseason fate.
W&J runs wild in rout of Waynesburg, 56-0
/seasons/2022/boxscores/20221112_s6mm.xml
2022
Washington and Jefferson
56
Waynesburg
0
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington and Jefferson (8-2) | 21 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 56 |
| Waynesburg (4-6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Nov 12, 2022