(LATROBE, Pa.) – The 13th-ranked Thomas More College football team remained undefeated in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) platy today (Saturday, October 22, 2016) as it defeated Saint Vincent College, 45-14, at Chuck Noll Field in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
With the win, Thomas More improves to 7-1 overall and 6-0 in the PAC. With the loss, the Bearcats fall to 4-3 overall and 2-3 in the PAC.
Thomas More never trailed the game as it led 10-0 after one quarter, 24-0 at halftime and 31-7 after three quarters.
The Saints took a 7-0 lead with 10:27 to play in the first quarter when senior running back C.T. Tarrant (Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton) scored on a two-yard run and first-year place kicker Cole Mathias (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) added the point-after-attempt. Mathias increased the Saints' lead to 10-0 when he connected on a 25-yard field goal with 22-seconds to play in the opening quarter.
Junior quarterback Brenan Kuntz (Independence, Ky./Simon Kenton) connected on a 12-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Daylin Garland II (Newport, Ky./Newport) and Mathias added the PAT to extend the lead to 17-0 with 10:44 to play second quarter. Thomas More increased the lead to 24-0 at halftime when sophomore running back Luke Zajac (Edgewood, Ky./Dixie Heights) scored on a one-yard run and Mathias made the PAT at the 4:30 mark of the second quarter.
In the third quarter, sophomore running back Hjavier Pitts (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mt. Healthy) scored on a three-yard touchdown run and Mathias added the PAT with 12:02 to play in the quarter and the Saints led 31-0. Saint Vincent cut the lead to 31-7 with 7:52 to play in the third quarter when Cullin Higgins scored on a six-yard run and Sam Elliott added the PAT.
With 13:54 to play in the fourth quarter Kuntz connected on an 86 yard touchdown pass to Pitts and Mathias added the PAT as the Saints increased the lead to 38-7. Thomas More would extend the lead to 45-7 when Zajac scored on an eight-yard run and Mathias added the PAT with 6:58 to play in the game. Saint Vincent closed out the scoring with 4:14 to play in the game when Jhanard Dorsett scored on a 37-yard run and Elliot added the PAT for the Thomas More's final winning score 45-14.
Thomas More out-gained Saint Vincent 501 yards (329 rushing, 172 passing) to 378 yards (198 rushing, 180 passing.
Kuntz finished the game eight-of-19 passing for 172 yards and two touchdowns and had eight rushes for 56 yards. Pitts led the Saints' on the ground as he had 13 carries for 99 yards and one touchdown, while he also had one catch for 86 yards and one touchdown. Tarrant finished the game with 15 carries for 86 yards and one touchdown and Zajac had 15 carries for 86 yards and two touchdowns. Garland had four catches for 62 yards and one touchdown.
Junior linebacker Tre' Tunstill (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) led the Saints' defense with 11, including two tackles for a loss and had one interception. Sophomore defensive back Chase Whitaker (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) had five tackles, including one tackle for a loss and sophomore defensive back Brandon Neal (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota West) had four tackles, including one for a loss and one interception.
Thomas More returns to action next Saturday (October 29) as it hosts Bethany College at 12 p.m. on Senior Day at BB&T Field in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. The Saints will honor their seniors prior to kickoff around 11:30 a.m.