Hampden-Sydney College earned the conference's automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA Division III Playoffs.
The Quakers came out with a pair of first quarter touchdowns to go up 14-0 on the Wasps. Matt Pawlowski hit C.J. Hobbs with a 21-yard pass to get things started and found Chad Christopher for a 49-yard catch-and-run for the second score of the game.
Emory & Henry got on the board at the 11:02 mark of the second quarter when sophomore corner Tre'von Lightfoot (Big Island, Va.) returned a fumble 71 yards to pay dirt for a 6-0 lead. After forcing Guilford to turn the ball over on downs on the next possession, the Wasps struck 33 yards in two plays as freshman running back Chris Thompson (Blue Ridge, Va.) rumbled in from 28 yards out to make the score 14-13.
Guilford responded with a 5:38 clock draining drive, capped off by a one-yard plunge by Josh Schow. The Quakers added a 43-yard field goal by Tyler Hunt as the clock expired for a 24-13 lead at the intermission.
Emory & Henry came out in the second half and went 80 yards in 10 plays to close the gap to 24-21. Senior running back Kasey Jones (Jacksonville, Fla.) had a two-yard touchdown run while freshman quarterback Kevin Saxton (Monroe, N.C.) found senior wideout Josh Smith (Radford, Va.) for the two-point conversion.
After Guilford scored a touchdown to extend its lead to 10 points (31-21) on a three-yard pass by Pawlowski to Austen Thompson with 8:21 to go in the third quarter. The Wasps closed the gap to 31-28 on a nine-yard pass from Saxton to Smith.
The Quakers finished the game with a trio of fourth-quarter touchdowns, taking advantage of a pair of turnovers by the Wasps and good field position to seal the victory.
Emory & Henry gained 327 yards of offense led by Saxton 203 passing yards on 18-for-37 for a touchdown. Freshman running back Isaiah Rodgers (Canton, Ga.) had 47 yards on the ground while Thompson went for 32 yards and a score. Senior wideout Lucas Kirby (Covington, Va.) caught five passes for 62 yards while Smith finished the game with four receptions for 27 yards and a score.
Defensively for the Wasps, senior safety Roth Healey (Easton, Pa.) had a game-high 18 tackles, forcing a fumble and breaking up a pass. Senior linebacker Paul Forney (Newton, N.C.) had 14 tackles including one for a loss while junior linebacker Rennel Marshall (Rustburg, Va.) had 10 tackles, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry.
The Quakers were led by Pawlowski, who threw for five touchdowns and 389 yards on 38-for-48 passing. He found Thomas 10 times on the afternoon for three touchdowns and 71 yards. Hobbs caught eight passes for 108 yards and a score as well. Pawlowski finished the game with 43 yards on the ground despite being sacked four times to lead the Guilford rushing attack.
GC's defensive unit was led by Satiir Stevenson, who had nine tackles while Hunter Hoots added seven tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery. Jaylan Martin made six stops and picked off a pass while Jordan Farmer tallied two sacks and forced a fumble on the afternoon.
Saxton finished the year with 2,707 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and 238 completions. All three marks are among the top five in season marks for a season and the best-ever for a freshman. Smith's 69 catches were good for the number two spot in a season as he notched 648 yards and six touchdowns. Kirby had 56 receptions this fall to finish his career with 135, placing him fifth in the program record book. Healey's 10 takeaways this year put him in a tie for third all-time.
Emory & Henry will now await the announcement of the 2014 All-ODAC Teams which will be announced on Tuesday, November 25.
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-photo courtesy of Dave Grace