GREENSBORO, N.C. – The No. 24 Guilford College Football Team (9-1, 6-1 ODAC) kept its hopes alive with a 41-30 win over visiting Emory & Henry College (6-4, 4-3 ODAC) Saturday afternoon at the Armfield Athletic Center. The Quakers finished the game on a 28-7 scoring run, rallying from a 10-point deficit midway through the third quarter to defeat the Wasps for a third-year in a row.
After a scoreless first quarter, Guilford got on the board thanks to a 40-yard run by De'Eric Bell. The Wasps tied things up, 7-7, with 3:10 to go before the half on a 19-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Kevin Saxton (Monroe, N.C.) to sophomore wideout Nick Webb (Troutville, Va.).
The Quakers took a 13-9 lead into the break after a 20-yard catch by Adam Smith from Matt Pawlowski. The extra-point was blocked and recovered by Wasp junior corner Tre'von Lightfoot (Big Island, Va.), who returned it 98 yards for the defensive two-point conversion.
After punting on its first drive of the second half, the Wasps got the ball back and scored on back-to-back drives for a 23-13 advantage. Redshirt freshman wide receiver Tyree Ward (Statesville, N.C.) capped the first three-play drive with an eight-yard catch while sophomore running back Chris Thompson (Blue Ridge, Va.) rushed in from 20 yards out to complete the second scoring strike.
Guilford closed the gap to three points on Bell's second rushing touchdown of the day with 4:29 to go in the third quarter and took the lead on the final play of the period when Smith caught his second pass from Pawlowski. This time, Smith hauled in a 27-yarder to put the Quakers up, 27-23.
Emory & Henry went back ahead with 11:16 to go in the game on a 10-yard catch by sophomore wide receiver Jesse Van Dyke (Troy, Va.), completing a 10-play, 65-yard drive which ate 3:44 off the clock.
GC took the lead for good on their next possession as Bell hauled in a pass and took it 39 yards to paydirt. After forcing the Wasps to punt, the Quakers added an insurance score as Pawlowski hit Rontavius Miller with an 18-yard pass for the final 41-30 margin.
Pawloswki was 36-for-47 through the air for 411 yards and four touchdowns while Bell finished the day with 219 all-purpose yards, rushing for 96 yards, and three touchdowns. Smith caught 15 passes for 132 yards and two scores while Austen Thompson had nine catches for 83 yards. Hunter Hoots topped the Quakers' defense with nine tackles including a sack for five yards. Karl Roberts had seven stops and a fumble recovery while Jaylan Martin pitched in six tackles and three passes defended.
Emory & Henry was led offensively by Saxton's 20-for-43 performance for 339 yards and three touchdowns as he connected with 10 different receivers on the afternoon. Ward caught three passes for 72 yards and a touchdown while Thompson ran for 74 yards and caught three passes for 20 yards to go along with his touchdown. Sophomore running back Isaiah Rodgers (Canton, Ga.) added 45 rushing yards and 25 receiving yards.
Defensively, Lightfoot had a game-high 12 tackles while senior safety Ryan Byrd (Grottoes, Va.) posted nine stops and junior linebacker Rasheen Williams (Charlotte, N.C.) added seven tackles, including 1.5 for a loss. All three of junior defensive end Jaylen Simmons' (Johnson City, Tenn.) tackles came by the way of a sack as he was responsible for a loss of 21 yards.
Emory & Henry posts its second-straight winning season with a 6-4 record and finishes in a tie for third place in the ODAC. The Wasps will now await the release of the All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference Teams which will be announced following the conclusion of the season.
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-photo courtesy of Dave Grace