EMORY, Va. – The Thomas More University Football Team (5-1) ran for 291 yards on its way to a 41-27 victory against Emory & Henry College (2-2, 1-1 ODAC) Saturday at Fred Selfe Stadium.
The contest served as the centerpiece for E&H's annual Hall of Fame Day as three former student-athletes were inducted into the Emory & Henry Sports Hall of Fame and a long-time supporter received a certificate of appreciation.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Thomas More 41, Emory & Henry 27
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Nicewonder Field at Fred Selfe Stadium
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (2-2, 1-1 ODAC); Thomas More (5-1)
How It Happened
- The Saints took the opening kickoff and went down the field in four plays capped by a 12-yard touchdown catch by Jaeison Jefferson from Justin Post.
- Emory & Henry answered to tie the game at 7-7 on a one-yard plunge by senior running back Tyree Ward (Statesville, N.C.).
- A 33-yard field goal from Cole Mathais and a 27-yard reception by Logan Winkler from Post made it a 17-7 game in favor of Thomas More.
- E&H closed the gap to 17-10 when junior placekicker Matt Seals (Rogersville, Tenn.) hit a 21-yard field goal.
- After Hjavier Pitts ran one in from 63 yards for the Saints, Seals converted another 21-yarder just before the halftime whistle for a 24-13 margin.
- Emory & Henry came out in the second half and cut the deficit to 24-20 on a 30-yard catch by junior wideout Derrick Yates (Abingdon, Va.) from sophomore quarterback Hunter Taylor (Summerville, S.C.).
- The Saints answered back immediately with a 61-yard touchdown catch and run by D'Marco Canty from Post.
- In the fourth quarter, Mathias hit a 47-yard field goal and Pitts added a 35-yard run for a score to push the lead to 41-20.
- The Wasps got the final score of the game, a seven-yard touchdown catch by Yates from Taylor.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Taylor had 272 yards for two touchdowns on 27-for-52 passing and added 69 yards on the ground.
- Ward ran the ball 10 times for 42 yards and a score while senior Sam Wagner (Marion, Va.) added 32 rushing yards.
- Yates caught eight passes for a game-high 91 yards and two scores while senior Jesse Santiago (Yorktown, Va.) added seven catches for 89 yards.
- Senior defensive back Justin Banks (Coeburn, Va.) notched 10 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry. Freshmen Ivan Phillips (Kingsport, Tenn.) and Deonte Geddis (Summerville, S.C.) each had six stops.
Thomas More Individual Leaders
- Pitts notched 204 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Post had 62 yards on the ground.
- Post threw for 180 yards on 10-of-19 passing for three scores, hitting seven different receivers.
- Canty caught the long pass of the day, a 61-yarder for a touchdown while Winkler and Jefferson each had scoring receptions.
A Deeper Look
- Thomas More put up 471 yards of offense on just 58 plays compared to 446 yards by E&H on 95 plays.
- TMU had 291 rushing yards while Emory & Henry got 272 of its yards through the air.
- The Wasps converted on 10-of-21 (47.6%) of their third downs while the Saints only earned first downs on 45.5 percent (5-of-11) of their chances.
- E&H won the battle on time of possession with 35:10, but were flagged eight times for 72 yards.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry will step back into Old Dominion Athletic Conference play next Saturday when it visits Washington and Lee University.
- Kickoff between the Wasps and Generals is set for 1:00 p.m.
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