HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. – Washington and Lee fell behind 28-0, before scoring 35 points over the final 23:01 of the game in falling short of Hampden-Sydney, 42-35, in the ODAC football championship on Saturday afternoon at Everett Stadium.
The Generals (8-2, 5-1) trailed 21-0 at halftime following miscues that included an interception that was returned to the W&L 2-yardline and led to a H-SC touchdown, and other interception that occurred in the Tiger end zone that thwarted a W&L scoring opportunity.
Hampden-Sydney (8-1, 5-0) upped its lead to 28-0 on the opening drive of the second half when it marched 55 yards in six plays as senior quarterback Travis Lane hit senior wide receiver Kyle Vance with a 15-yard scoring strike with 12:24 left in the third quarter.
The Generals got on the board with 8:01 left in the third quarter as senior quarterback Charlie Westfal (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan) capped a 10-play, 77-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. W&L made it a 28-14 game when junior running back Brett Murray (Lookout Mountain, Tenn./Baylor) found paydirt from 4 yards out with 2:32 to play in the third period. However, the Tigers struck again with a 23-yard scoring pass from Lane to senior wide receiver Sean Cavanaugh just 13 seconds into the fourth quarter for a 35-14 lead.
W&L continued its rally on the next possession, covering 75 yards in just five plays, as sophomore tight end Alex Evans (Ashburn, Va./Broad Run) scored on a 36-yard touchdown pass from Westfal to make it 35-21 with 12:51 to play. H-SC retaliated just 1:42 later on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Lane to Vance, but the Generals sliced it to 42-28 with 9:07 left on a 31-yard touchdown pass from Westfal to senior wide receiver Cody Smith (Irvine, Calif./Orange Lutheran).
The Tigers ran 7:42 off the clock on their next possession, but Evans blocked a 28-yard field goal attempt by HSC senior kicker David Prizzia with 3:15 left to keep it a two score game. Westfal then guided the Generals on a 17-play, 86-yard drive that resulted in a four-yard touchdown catch by Evans with 1:18 to play.
Washington and Lee lined up for an onside kick, but the Tigers recovered and ran out the clock to hand the Generals their first ODAC loss in the last 12 games.
Westfal paced the Generals' offense by completing 16-of-34 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions. He also rushed 18 times for 61 yards and one touchdown. Junior running back Luke Heinsohn (Charlottesville, Va./Covenant) gained 113 yards on 16 carries, while Murray totaled 147 all-purpose yards and one touchdown. Evans snared a team-high seven balls for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Senior linebacker Rob Look (Dallas, Texas/Hillcrest) notched 12 tackles to lead the defense.
Lane completed 21-of-33 passes for 331 yards and four touchdowns, while senior running back Kirk Rohle tallied 101 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. Vance caught nine passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns, and Cavanaugh had seven catches for 131 yards and one touchdown. First-year linebacker Josh Doggett recorded a team-high 10 tackles and one interception.
Hampden-Sydney claims the ODAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament, while W&L will now wait to see if it will receive an at-large bid after completing its' regular season.
-- GENERALS --