GREENVILLE — Thiel dropped its Presidents' Athletic Conference opener against Waynesburg on Saturday in front of 1,940 fans at Alumni Stadium, committing six turnovers in the 34-6 loss.
The Yellow Jackets (1-1, 1-0 PAC) led 10-0 at the half before pulling away with a 24-point third quarter that included a field goal, two offensive touchdowns and a defensive score.
Waynesburg took a 7-0 lead with 2:58 remaining in the first quarter on a 5-yard run by Dominic Moore. The touchdown run capped a 14 play, 75-yard drive. Less than five minutes later, the Yellow Jackets upped their lead to 10-0 with Kyle Kyper's 33-yard field goal.
Things fell apart for the Tomcats in the third quarter as they turned the ball over on six straight possessions. The turnovers included two fumbles and four interceptions, including one interception returned for a touchdown by Waynesburg's Sean Hunt.
Thiel got on the board with 4:07 left in the game when
Jared Soell (Oakmont, Pa./Riverview) connected on an 8-yard touchdown pass to
Zane Garza (Conneaut, Ohio, Conneaut). The score completed a 45-yard drive that included 13 yards rushing by
Justin Wazelle (Burghill, Ohio, John F. Kennedy).
Wazelle led the Tomcats on the ground with 34 yards on nine attempts.
Kyle Turkalj (Greensburg, Pa., Hemfield) was the top receiving target, hauling in three passes for 33 yards.
Defensively,
Ryan Dawes (Transfer, Pa., Reynolds) had a great game for the Tomcats with two sacks and three tackles for loss. As a team, Thiel tallied 13 tackles for a loss, including three by
Bobby Shew (Mogadore, Ohio, Mogadore) and 2.5 by
Ethan Ludwig (East Liverpool, Ohio, East Liverpool).
Bryan Villegas (Spring Hill, Fla., Springstead) had an interception and broke up another pass.
The four interceptions by Waynesburg came from two different players. Hunt picked off two passes, as did Matt Czulewicz.
The game was full of penalties with the two teams combing for 21 penalties totaling 279 yards.
Thiel will return to action Saturday, Sept. 25, with an away game against conference opponent Saint Vincent.
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