Hayden Leads No. 9 Thomas More To a 41-6 Win Over Geneva in PAC Opener
(CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky.) - Sophomore running back Domonique Hayden (Lexington, Ky./Lexington Christian Academy) scored four touchdowns to lead the ninth-ranked Thomas More College football team to a, 41-6, win over Geneva College today (Saturday, September 17, 2011) in both teams' Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) opener at The Bank of Kentucky Field in Crestview Hills, Kentucky.
With the win, the Saints improve to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the PAC and with the loss, the Golden Tornadoes fall to 0-3 overall and 0-1 in the PAC.
The Saints never trailed in the game as they led 7-0 after one quarter, 28-0 at halftime and 35-0 after three quarters.
Thomas More took a 7-0 lead at the 7:49 mark of the first quarter when senior running back Kendall Owens (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) returned a punt 73 yards for a touchdown and senior place kicker Aaron Walter (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) added the point-after-attempt.
The Saints increased the lead to 14-0 when Hayden scored on a 15-yard run and Walter added the PAT with 9:46 to play in the second quarter.
Hayden scored on a seven-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Rob Kues (Fort Thomas, Ky./Newport Central Catholic) and Walter added the PAT to extend the Saints' lead to 21-0 with 7:27 to play in the second quarter.
Thomas More took a 28-0 lead into halftime when Hayden scored on a four-yard run and Walter added the PAT with 3:14 to play in the first half.
In the third quarter, the Saints increased the lead to 35-0 when Hayden scored on a 21-yard and Walter added the PAT with 12:40 to play in the quarter.
Thomas More increased the lead to 41-0 when freshman running back Landon Savoy (Radcliff, Ky./John Hardin) scored on a 23-yard run and Walter's PAT failed with 13:00 to play in the game.
Geneva got on the board with 1:19 to play in the game when Jordan Curry scored on a one-yard run and the PAT failed for the final score of 41-6.
Offensively, Hayden finished the day with nine carries for 65 yards and three touchdowns and had six catches for 85 yards and one touchdown. Kues was 20-of-27 passing for 242 yards and one touchdown. Owens had seven catches for 75 yards and had three rushes for five yards, while Savoy had eight carries for 44 yards and one touchdown.
Defensively, the Saints were led by sophomore defensive back Jake Fishburn (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder), who had eight tackles, including one sack and had on forced fumble. Junior linebacker Nick Gramke (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) had seven tackles, including one for a loss of one yard and had a fumble recovery, while freshman linebacker Nik Brown (Independence, Ky./Simon Kenton) had five tackles and on forced fumble.
The Saints hit the road for the first time in 2011 next Saturday (September 24) when they travel to Washington, Pennsylvania to play PAC rival Washington & Jefferson College. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Cameron Stadium.
