LATROBE, Pa. (Nov. 13) – In its 2021 season finale at Chuck Noll Field, Saint Vincent sent its seniors off in style, defeating Presidents' Athletic Conference foe Bethany College, 52-7.
The Bearcat offense amassed a school-record 31 first downs and gained 517 yards, while SVC's defense limited Bethany (1-9, 1-8 PAC) to just 165 yards – including -22 rushing yards - and picked off three Bison interceptions, with two returned for touchdowns.
Julian Howard ran 19 times for a career-high 117 yards and two touchdowns, while Brady Walker completed 23 of 34 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns. Kaelib McELroy made six catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns, while Phil Harding made seven grabs for 107 yards and a touchdown in the final game of his career.
Ahmad Shaw intercepted two passes, including a 40-yard pick-six in the third quarter, while Derius May tallied SVC's third interception of the afternoon, returning it for a 36-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
The Bison wasted little time in taking a lead, as Dom Salinetro connected with De'Vaughn McWhorter for a 66-yard touchdown on the game's fifth play from scrimmage.
The Bearcats quickly shrugged off the early deficit, as they embarked on a methodical drive on the ensuing possession, capped off with Howard's first touchdown of the afternoon, an 18-yard scamper that tied the game at 7-all with 8:54 left in the opening quarter.
Saint Vincent would take the lead for good in the closing seconds of the first quarter, with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Walker to McElroy capping off a 10-play, 58-yard drive. The Bearcats used a healthy mix of the run and the pass on the scoring trip, which included the first career reception for right guard Nate Bettwy, who gathered in a deflected pass for six yards on the third play of the possession.
The teams traded punts and turnovers over the opening stages of the second quarter, before the Bearcats took advantage of a short field to add onto its lead. Taking over on the Bison side of the 50 following a punt, SVC needed just four plays to find the end zone, with Walker hooking up with Harding for a 20-yard scoring strike to push SVC's lead to 21-7 with 2:55 left in the half.
The Saint Vincent defense would then force a turnover on downs at the Bearcat 40-yard line, getting the offense the ball back with 51 seconds left. Walker opened the trip with a 7-yard pass to Jeremy Wodarek, before a 5-yard Howard run set up first down at the Bison 48. Walker then hooked up with Harding for 33 yards to set up first down on the Bison 15, before McElroy hauled in an impressive catch in the corner of the end zone with 9 seconds left in the half to push SVC's advantage to 28-7 at the break.
Saint Vincent kept the momentum following halftime, as Ja'Tier Berkley returned the opening kick 50 yards to the Bethany 34. After Walker completed an 8-yard pass to Harding and a 13-yarder to Jeffrey Downs II, Howard scored his second touchdown of the day on a 21-yard run to make it 35-7 with 12:13 to go in the quarter.
The Bearcat defense then got in on the act, as on the first play of Bethany's ensuing drive, Shaw stepped in front of a Salinetro pass and returned it 40 yards for his first career pick-six, pushing SVC's lead out to 42-7.
After the SVC defense held Bethany to a combined 5 yards over its next two possessions, the Bearcat offense would end the quarter driving, with Howard rushing four times for 19 yards and Devin Gleason completing two passes for 16 yards, to set up first-and-goal at the Bethany 12 to end the frame. The Bearcats were unable to find the end zone, but Adam Koscielicki salvaged the drive with a 26-yard field goal on the second play of the fourth quarter to push the lead to 45-7.
Each of Bethany's next two possessions ended with interceptions, with Shaw picking off his second pass of the game two plays after Koscielicki's field goal, before May intercepted a Salinetro attempt at the Bethany 36 and raced into the end zone for his first career touchdown with 12:10 left in regulation to end the day's scoring.
Along with his pass defense prowess, Shaw led the Bearcats with 5 tackles, including 4 solos. Playing in their final career games, Cam Norris and Andrew Deaton each had three stops, with Norris recording 1.5 sacks and Deaton 0.5. Norris ended his career with 13.0 sacks, tied with Izaak Gray (2016-19) for second all-time in program history.
Walker closed out the season with 2,240 passing yards and 20 touchdowns, which both rank second in program history.
With three interceptions on the day, Saint Vincent finishes the 2021 campaign with 18, tied with the 2011 squad for the most in a single season.
Prior to the game, the team's seniors were recognized in an on-field Senior Day ceremony. The group included Harding, Norris, Deaton, Wodarek, Gleason, Andre Dixon, Joel Robinson, Jermel Ward, Joseph Valdez, Keith Kalp and Jack Poling.
The Bearcats end the season with five victories, the most in a single season since the 2016 squad also won five games, and the second-most in the modern era of Saint Vincent football (2007 – present), trailing only the 6-win 2011 team.
Saint Vincent ends season on high note
/seasons/2021/boxscores/20211113_n3ju.xml
2021
Bethany
7
St. Vincent
52
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethany (1-9) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| St. Vincent (5-5) | 14 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 52 |
Nov 13, 2021