GREENVILLE, Pa. (Oct. 24, 2009) – No. 15 Thomas More's Cordario Collier ran 18 yards for a touchdown with 2:27 remaining in regulation to set the, 28-14, final score against a determined Thiel College team at Alumni Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Playing through a knee injury, Saints' quarterback Trevor Stellman helped his team overcome three first-half turnovers and a generous-but-opportunistic Tomcat defense by throwing for 182 yards and two scores.

Collier led Thomas More with 189 yards and two scores on the ground, in addition to 109 yard and a TD receiving.

As usual, Thiel quarterback Willie Bova (Port Allegany, Pa./Port Allegany) (Port Allegany, Pa./Port Allegany) put on a show, completing 20-of-36 tosses for 227 yards. Bova's 12th completion of the game was his 400th in a Tomcat uniform and a new Thiel career record.

Four of those completions were to freshman Tyler Dejong (Columbiana, Ohio/Columbiana), who compiled a game-high 110 receiving yards.

As the stats indicate, after winning the coin toss and electing to receive, Thiel went to the air early and often.

The first offensive play was a 39-yard Bova screen to Dejong, giving Thiel a first down at the Thomas More 32. From there, the Cats' couldn't convert as the drive ended with an 11-yard sack to give Thomas More the ball on their own 35 yard line.

The Saints' offense didn't take long to kick into high-gear.

Collier went 52 yards on a catch-and-run on third and nine to open the scoring. Dustin Zink added the extra point to make the score, 7-0, with 11:48 to go in the first quarter.

Later in the period, Thomas More had a promising drive end when Thiel's Jason Joens (Spring Hill, Fla./Nature Coast) (Spring Hill, Fla./Nature Coast Tech.) forced a Collier fumble at the Tomcats' 34 yard line. Safety Bryan Villegas (Spring Hill, Fla./Springstead) (Spring Hill, Fla./Springstead) jumped on the loose ball at the 33 to thwart another Thomas More scoring opportunity.

Thiel was forced to punt three plays later from their own 29, but – in another fortuitous turn of events – Thomas More's Kendall Owens muffed the punt, with Joe Grech (Warren, Ohio/Howland) (Warren, Ohio/Howland) recovering on the 47 yard line.

The Tomcats, once again, were unable to capitalize on the Saints' miscue.

After a scoreless second stanza, Thomas More drove 62 yards to widen their lead to, 14-0, on the opening drive of the second half. 

Thiel came charging back in the very next series. After nickel-and-diming the Saint defense for 24 yards, a 52-yard Bova-to-Dejong hookup gave Thiel a first and goal from the one.

Sophomore Ross Gargano (Sharon, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) (Sharon, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) capped the seven-play, 77-yard drive, with a two yard dive for his fifth touchdown of the season. Sophomore John Madeline (Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard) (Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard) drove the extra point through the uprights to make the score, 14-7.

Minutes into the fourth quarter, the Saints regained their offensive footing, driving 84 yards in seven plays to push their lead back to 14.

Thiel would rally once again. Dan Hess (Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area) (Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area) powered the ball in from the two, to cap a 13-play drive that spanned 63 yards. Madeline's boot pulled Thiel to within seven for a third time.

The Saints responded on the ensuing drive, as Collier scampered to pay dirt, ending Thiel's upset bid.

Thiel was paced defensively by Sam Swartzfager (Shippenville, Pa./Keystone) (Shippenville, Pa./Keystone), who made 10 tackles (seven solo). Junior William Haase (Latrobe, Pa./Derry Area) (Latrobe, Pa./Derry Area) showed signs of returning to his record-setting 2008 form by racking up 2.5 tackles for a loss.

As close as the score was, the game's team statistics suggest a dominant effort on the part of Thomas More. The Saints held a huge edge in first downs (23-to-14) and total offense (519-to-248), but possessed the ball only 35 seconds longer than the Tomcats.

Thiel (2-5; 1-3 PAC) welcomes Saint Vincent on Oct. 31 for a 1:30 p.m. bout.