CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Junior quarterback Justin Heacock(New Concord, Ohio/John Glenn) tossed three first half touchdowns to lead the 11th ranked Washington & Jefferson College football team to an impressive 37-14 victory over Case Western Reserve University Saturday night in a Presidents' Athletic Conference game at DiSanto Field.
Joey Koroly (Washington, Pa./Trinity) accounted for a 167 yards of total offense and three total touchdowns in the victory. Koroly rushed 25 times for 114 yards and two scores. The junior running back added four catches for 53 yards and a receiving score.
After a scoreless first quarter, CWRU found the end zone on the second play of the second. Antonio Orsini plunged in from one-yard out on a third and goal situation. The point after gave the host Spartans a 7-0 lead. That would be the lone lead of the game for CWRU.
W&J answered quickly, as the Red and Black spanned 72 yards on just five plays in only 1:52 of game clock. Heacock hit senior wide receiver Payton Skalos (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley) for 13 yards to open the drive before Koroly rushed 32 yards on the next play to put the ball at the CWRU 26-yard line. A few plays later, Heacock found Skalos on third down for a 19-yard touchdown pass. Sophomore kicker Sean Disbrow (Sykesville, Md./Liberty tacked on the extra point to even the score at the 12:57 mark of the second quarter.
After W&J forced CWRU into a three-and-out on the ensuing possession, the Presidents marched 71 yards on nine plays to take the lead. Heacock connected with Koroly for a 35-yard touchdown pass on a 2nd-and-15 play. Disbrow nailed the point after touchdown to give W&J a 14-7 edge with 7:52 remaining before halftime.
CWRU appeared poised to enter halftime with the score tied at 14-14 after an eight-play, 57-yard scoring drive. Spartans QB Drew Saxton connected with Lucas DeCaro for a touchdown with just 49 seconds before the break. However, a strong 38-yard kickoff return by Justin Huss (Derry, Pa./Derry) set up W&J at its own 45-yard line. That proved critical as W&J moved the ball 55 yards on five plays and found the end zone in just 38 seconds.
Heacock completed a back-to-back passes for eight yards before hitting Josh Burns (Coraopolis, Pa./Moon) for 15 yards down to the CWRU 24. On the very next play, Heacock scrambled for 17 yards down to the CWRU seven-yard line with just eight seconds remaining in the half. Heacock found Skalos on the next play for a seven-yard touchdown pass. Disbrow's PAT gave W&J a 21-14 edge at halftime.
The second half belonged to the Red and Black, as they scored all 16 points over the final 30 minutes of play. A 34-yard field goal by Disbrow made it a two possession game and extended the W&J lead to 24-14 with 6:43 left in the third quarter.
Koroly finished off a 12-play, 75-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter. The PAT was blocked but W&J had strengthened its lead to 30-14. CWRU moved the ball to the W&J 25-yard line on the next possession. However, CWRU turned the ball over on downs after failing to complete a 4th and 12. Koroly concluded the scoring by breaking free for a 17-yard touchdown run with just 1:56 to play.
W&J held several statistical advantages over CWRU: first downs (26-15), rushing yards (178-67) and total yards (382-262). Neither team committed a turnover in the game. Both teams found success on third down, as W&J converted 7-of-15 attempts while CWRU was 6-of-16. W&J scored on all five trips into the red zone.
Heacock completed 20-of-33 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns. Skalos hauled in five receptions for 65 yards and two scores. Defensively, junior defensive back Drew Ehrlich (Annapolis, Md./The Gilman School) finished with a team-high seven tackles while senior linebacker Sean Doran (New Castle, Pa./Neshannock) tallied six tackles and a quarterback hurry.
W&J (4-0, 3-0 PAC) travels to Beaver Falls to face Geneva College on Saturday, Oct. 2. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. The Presidents and GT's met earlier this calendar year on April 1, which resulted in a 20-6 victory for the Presidents.
Notes: The win was the first by W&J at Case Western Reserve since Sept. 19, 1981. The home team had won the previous four matchups since the teams resumed playing in 2014. The teams did not play 2016 and 2017 due to the PAC's unbalanced schedule. Saturday's game was the 200th for W&J head coach Mike Sirianni.
No. 11 W&J records impressive road win at CWRU, 37-14
/seasons/2021/boxscores/20210925_hb86.xml
2021
Washington and Jefferson
37
Case Western Reserve
14
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington and Jefferson (4-0) | 0 | 21 | 3 | 13 | 37 |
| Case Western Reserve (2-2) | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
Sep 25, 2021