WASHINGTON, PA. (Sept. 19, 2009) – Washington & Jefferson proved to be a formidable foe for the Thiel College football squad Saturday night, as the Presidents overpowered the Tomcats, 56-16, at Cameron Stadium.

W&J outgained Thiel 537 yards to 231 and earned 27 first downs to Thiel's 10 in front of 2,444 in what was the Presidents' Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

The Tomcats kept it competitive in the contest's early going, twice pulling to within eight points on a pair of second quarter touchdowns. However, the Presidents shifted into high gear in the second half, outscoring Thiel 35-3 over the game's final two quarters, including a 21-point fourth frame.

Down, 14-0, Thiel scored its first points on a 48-yard toss to Brendan Taylor (Girard, Pa./Girard) (Girard, Pa./Girard) from quarterback Willie Bova (Port Allegany, Pa./Port Allegany) (Port Allegany, Pa./Port Allegany) with 8:56 to go in the first half. The ensuing extra point attempt failed.

Sophomore running back Ross Gargano (Sharon, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) (Sharon, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) broke new ground for the 2009 Tomcats later in the period when he scored Thiel's first rushing touchdown of the season on a two-yard run that made the score 21-13.

Kicker John Madeline (Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard) (Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard) closed out the Thiel scoring in the third quarter with a 44-yard field goal.

Linebacker Ryan Dawes (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) turned in his second-consecutive strong outing on the defensive side of the ball, making a team-leading 7.5 tackles.

Senior Sam Swartzfager (Shippenville, Pa./Keystone) (Shippenville, Pa./Keystone) also had a solid night, making six stops including two for a loss.

Thiel returns to action next Saturday when it visits Geneva for a 7 p.m. contest.