Sep 5, 2022 2 min read

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Waynesburg University football team opened a new chapter in its history, as first-year head coach Dr. Cornelius Coleman led his team south to his hometown to face Gallaudet. After having kickoff delayed by two hours by a massive power outage in the metro area, the Yellow Jackets lit up the scoreboard at Hotchkiss Field in a 52-14 win.

Saturday’s final outcome snapped Waynesburg’s six-game losing streak in season openers. Though Waynesburg never trailed on the afternoon, the host Bison (0-1) stayed right with the visitors throughout the first half. A 10-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Tyler Raines to sophomore wide receiver Ke’AnDre Hollis with eight seconds remaining in the first quarter put the Yellow Jackets ahead 13-3. Junior kicker Ricco Sastoque connected on his second of seven extra point attempts on the day.

Sastoque tallied the only points of the second quarter by capping a seven-play, 41-yard drive with a 23-yard field goal that made the score 17-7 with 11:21 left to play in the half. The Jacket defense made that score hold up until halftime.

The third quarter had a similar start to the first, as the two competitors traded touchdowns. Senior running back Justin Flack took a Raines pass and turned it into a 34-yard touchdown play that closed out a brief four-play, 59-yard scoring drive. Another Sastoque PAT ran Waynesburg’s advantage to 24-7.

Gallaudet tallied its final points of the game to make the score 24-14 with 6:16 showing on the third-quarter clock. That touchdown preceded a dominant final 21:16 of play for the Jackets in which Waynesburg scored the final 28 points of the victory.

Led by Flack and fellow senior Nick Hall, the Jacket racked up 249 yards on the ground. Hall ripped off a game-high 110 yards on 12 carries. Flack went for 85 yards on just eight carries.