BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Thiel Tomcats lost a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) game to the Geneva Golden Tornadoes on the road Saturday night, 21-6.
The Tomcats got the ball to start the game. They found some success in the passing game, but a holding penalty derailed the drive.
On the ensuing drive, Geneva started the drive in Thiel's half after a short punt. Geneva put together a good drive on the ground, but a fumbled pitch was recovered by
Tim Hill (Claymont, Del./Howard) to give the Tomcats the ball right back.
On the next Thiel drive, they were able to pick up two third downs, which got the Tomcats to their own 41 yard-line. On a second-and-seven play,
Daniel Rennie (Cape Coral, Fla./Oasis) unleashed a pass to
Jason Stone (Chester, Pa./Chester) for a 59-yard touchdown, the first offensive touchdown for the Tomcats this season. The extra-point attempt was then blocked.
On Geneva's next offensive possession, they were able to answer with a nine-play, 74 yard drive to take a 7-6 lead early in the second quarter.
A Thiel fumble on the ensuing drive set Geneva up inside the Thiel 20 yard-line. The Golden Tornadoes capitalized on that fumble, giving the hosts a 14-6 lead.
The rest of the first half was a defensive battle, with neither team able to put points on the board.
Geneva opened the second half with a 10-play, 52-yard drive that ended with a
Jaellen Rose (Midlothian, Va./James River) blocked field goal attempt.
The Tomcat defense was able to force a couple of Golden Tornadoes three-and-outs to give the offense a chance to tie the game.
With 8:03 remaining in the fourth quarter, Rennie had a pass intercepted by Ariel Pierre that was returned for a touchdown that sealed the win for the Golden Tornadoes.
Offensively, Thiel was led by Rennie who went 21-for-31 with 223 yards passing and one touchdown, his first as a Tomcat.
Jason Stone (Chester, Pa./Chester) caught five passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. Stone is the first Tomcat wide receiver to record 100 receiving yards in a game since Jake Reddick did against Allegheny in 2021.
Ryan Acosta (El Paso, Texas/Americas) caught six passes for 35 yards, while
Deon Logan (Richmond, Va./James River) caught four passes for 33 yards. Logan also had 38 yards rushing on nine attempts.
Defensively, Rose recorded 12 tackles and blocked a field goal.
Tim Hill (Claymont, Del./Howard) recorded 10 tackles and a fumble recovery.
Thomas Howard (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill) recorded six tackles, including two tackles for a loss, and one sack.
For Geneva, Caleb Romano went 4-for-5 for 46 yards and a touchdown. Landon Smith rushed for 106 yards on 16 carries, while David Reid rushed for 78 yards on 20 carries.
Seth Tyson caught two passes for 23 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively for the Golden Tornadoes, Cameron Smith recorded eight tackles. Pierre recorded one tackle and a pick-six.
The Tomcats will return to Alumni Stadium on Saturday when they welcome the Westminster Titans for the homecoming game. The conference game is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.
