Latrobe, Pa. – The Alma College football team won its opening game of the 2017 season, defeating Saint Vincent College, 40-34, at Chuck Noll Field. The Scots (1-0 overall) never trailed in the game, and withstood several attempts by the Bearcats (0-1) in final quarter to steal the lead.
Senior Dylan Zaborowski (Jackson, Mich./Michigan Center) completed 10 of his 22 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns, including a 71-yard heave to sophomore Chase Hinkle (Concord, Mich./Concord) with 9:40 to play in the game to put the Scots ahead for good. Hinkle ended the day with a game-high 105 yards and two touchdowns on four catches.
Junior Caleb Reinhart (Montrose, Mich./Montrose) rushed for 99 yards and two scores on 22 carries as the Scots posted 173 yards on the ground for the game, but were held to just 17 yards rushing in the second half.
Michael Navarro went 22-for-38 with 235 yards and 2 TDs for Saint Vincent, while Jhanard Dorsett posted a game-high 157 yards rushing with two scores.
Defensively, senior Colton Tyson (Vassar, Mich./Vassar) led the Scots with 13 tackles while the Alma defense forced Navarro into a pair of interceptions.
What Happened
- Alex Yancy gave Alma a 7-0 lead when he caught his first career touchdown pass, a 21-yarder from Dylan Zaborowski.
- Zac Peterson made his first career interception with the Bearcats driving, setting up a 12-play, 47-yard drive that resulted in Yancy's second TD of the day, this time on an 11-yard pass from Mason Ippel, who threw his first career TD pass.
- Saint Vincent scored on two big plays in the first half - a 68-yard run on its first play from scrimmage and on a 48-yard pass early in the second quarter.
- Chase Hinkle broke a 14-14 tie with his first career touchdown catch with five minutes remaining in the second quarter on a five yard pass from Zaborowski.
- After Brandon Harper secured his first carer interception deep in Saint Vincent territory, the Scots opened their lead to 13 points late in the first half with a nine-yard run by Caleb Reinhart.
- Saint Vincent opened the second half with a quick score to pull within seven, but the Scots responded as Reinhart found the end zone with a 1-yard rush on 4th-and-goal for his second score of the day to give Alma a 34-20 advantage.
- The Scots' defense held the Bearcats scoreless on four tries from the one-yard line and took over possession late in the third quarter, but a fumble by Brenden Newvine in the end zone resulted in a Saint Vincent touchdown to cut Alma's lead to seven at 34-27.
- Saint Vincent tied the game at 34-34 with 10:36 left in the fourth quarter after the Scots' defense had forced the Bearcats into a first-and-goal situation from the 20-yard line.
- Hinkle caught his second touchdown pass of the day to put Alma back on top with 9:40 left in the third quarter, hauling in a 71-yard pass from Zaborowski for the score to give Alma a 40-34 lead.
Notables
- Caleb Reinhart posted his second career multi-touchdown game. In his last two appearances, Reinhart has four rushing touchdowns, scoring a pair in the 2016 season finale against Adrian College.
- Alex Yancy caught his first career touchdown pass and tallied his first career multi-touchdown game.
- Chase Hinkle recorded his first career 100-yard receiving game and caught the first two touchdown passes of his career.
- The win was Alma's first ever over Saint Vincent in the second meeting between the two teams. Last season, Saint Vincent defeated the Scots by a 47-24 margin in the season opener at Bahlke Field.
- Alma is now 64-56-3 in season-opening games and 7-14 in road season openers since 1975.
- The win at Saint Vincent marked the first time since 1975 that Alma has won consecutive road season openers. The Scots defeated Finlandia University in Hancock, Mich., to open the 2015 campaign.
What's Next?
Alma will open the home portion of its 2017 schedule on Saturday, Sept. 9, when it hosts Manchester University (IN) at Bahlke Field. The Scots will put their perfect record in home night games (4-0) on the line against a familiar face. Manchester Head Coach Nate Jensen served as the Scots' defensive coordinator from 2012-15 before taking over the Spartans' program, while assistant coaches Scotty Cole (Alma College, 2012) and Riley Fisher (Alma College, 2015) are both products of the Scots' football program.