GREENVILLE, Pa. (Oct. 11, 2008) – Trailing Bethany, 28-7, Thiel College scored its first third-quarter touchdown of the season to close the Bison lead to 14. Then, 43 points and four overtime periods later, Thiel (1-5; 1-2 PAC) walked off the FieldTurf at Alumni Stadium with a, 50-44, win – its first of the season, and one of best of the year so far in the Presidents' Athletic Conference.
To say that Thiel quarterback Willie Bova (Port Allegany, Pa./Port Allegany) (Port Allegany, Pa./Port Allegany) figured heavily into the outcome of the longest game in school history would be a huge understatement.
The junior signal-caller set or tied four Thiel single-game records while throwing for four touchdowns and running for one more. His 30 points tied Dan Hess (Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area) (Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area) for the most in school history, while his 63 attempts, 32 completions, and 374 passing yards all bested Darrell Satterfield records set during the Tomcats' PAC championship run in 2005.
Senior wide receiver Tim Van Horn (Leechburg, Pa./Kiski Area) (Leechburg, Pa./Kiski Area) was on the receiving end of 15 of Bova's completions to tie Brandon Chambers' single-game mark for receptions in a game.
The game was sealed with a Matt Joy (Coraopolis, Pa./Cornell) (Coraopolis, Pa./Cornell) interception of Chad Smith in the fourth overtime to end the game, but it would have never been possible without an inspired Thiel comeback in the fourth quarter.
After scoring their first third-quarter touchdown of the season on an 11-yard Bova pass to Hiro Amano (Tokyo, Japan/Saitama Heisai) (Tokyo, Japan/Saitama Heisai), the Tomcats registered another 14 unanswered points by capping off 89- and 81- yard fourth-quarter drives. The first came on a sturdy hard-nosed carry of seven yards by Jeremiah Wagner (Galeton, Pa./Coudersport) (Galeton, Pa./Coudersport). The second score – a six-yard Bova to Van Horn hookup and accompanying John Madeline (Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard) (Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard) kick – forced the extra frame.
Thiel won the coin toss prior to the overtime, electing to open the period on defense, and subsequently, holding the Bison to a 34-yard Evan Plescia field goal. Madeline booted a 37-yarder on Thiel's possession to knot the game at 31.
Bova hit tight end Dan Mackall (Georgetown, Pa./Southside Beaver) (Georgetown, Pa./Southside Beaver) for a 23-yard touchdown bomb on the Tomcats' second possession, but Bethany's Eric Walker evened the score with a four-yard run to punctuate the Bison's next series.
Walker put Bethany on the board in the game's third overtime with a two-yard run, and a Bova-to-Van Horn strike drew the game a 44-all. Both teams' two-point conversion attempts failed.
Bova personally escorted the ball to the end zone for the game's final score on a 10-yard jaunt to cap a three-play drive.
Bobby Shew (Mogadore, Ohio/Mogadore) (Mogadore, Ohio/Mogadore) and Tom Butera (Hamburg, N.Y./Hamburg) (Hamburg, N.Y./Hamburg) led the Blue and Gold with nine tackles apiece.
Thiel's first touchdown of the day came on a 35-yard pass from running back Brice Mertiff (Tyrone, Pa./Tyrone) (Tyrone, Pa./Tyrone) to Van Horn that only looks pretty in the box score.
After next week's bye, Thiel's next game is scheduled for Oct. 25 at Thomas More.
