LORETTO, Pa. - The Bethany College football team defeated Saint Francis (Pa.) University by a final score of 51-7 in a Presidents' Athletic Conference game on DeGol Field.
Bethany (3-5) crossed paths with Saint Francis (0-6) for the first time in 30 years when the then Red Flash was in just its fourth season at the Division I level. This year's meeting between the two teams, however, was in favor of the Bison as the Green and White held the Red Wolves to just 196 yards of offense: Bethany's second-best mark of the year. This is the second time the Bison have scored 50 points or more in a game this season, and it came against a squad that is just four years removed from an appearance in the FCS Tournament.
Bethany Leaders
- Freshman running back Jackson Ragland (Fairburn, Ga./Westlake) ran for 103 yards on only five carries and scored his first two touchdowns of his career on carries of 59 and 32 yards
- Sophomore running back Jaquon Reynolds (Pittsburgh, Pa./Gateway) followed right behind as he gained 102 yards on the ground and scored one touchdown
- Junior wide receiver Mykel Davis (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Park) had four receptions for 124 yards including one 43-yard touchdown catch
- Junior All-PAC quarterback Brett Phillips (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Park) threw for 184 yards with one touchdown while also running one in himself
- The Bison offensive line, led by senior Elijah Morgan-Washington (Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic), senior Shonathan Desena (Chambersburg, Pa.), junior Chris Feuchtwanger (Woodbridge, Va./Charles J. Colgan), sophomore Marcos Diaz Jr. (New Castle, Pa.), and freshman Jaylen Blackwell (Miami, Fla./Mater Academy Charter), allowed the Bethany offense to run for 281 yards on just 42 plays from scrimmage
- Junior defensive back Blaike Adams (Parsons, W.Va./Tucker County) and sophomore defensive back August O'Neal (Clinton, Md./Surrattsville) each recorded their second picks of the season in part of Bethany's five takeaways
- Graduate linebacker Ahkeem Mitchell (Fort Pierce, Fla./Vero Beach) had a team-high 13 tackles in just his second game wearing the Green and White
- Senior Academic All-PAC linebacker Cam Bailey (Huntington, W.Va./Spring Valley) added eight tackles for the Bethany defense
- Senior Academic All-PAC linebacker Charlie DiSaia (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Park) and sophomore defensive back Nickolas Rispa (Homestead, Fla./South Dade) each tallied five tackles against the Red Wolves
- Freshman defensive end Jaden Wroten (Huntington, W.Va./Cabell-Midland) made four tackles while also recording a safety and a two-point conversion reception
- Sophomore defensive back Demetrius Kinchens (Miami, Fla./William H. Turner Tech) returned a fumble 45 yards for a Bison score while sophomore running back Julian Burrell (Manassas, Va./Osbourn) and freshman linebacker Aji Griggs (Fairburn, Ga./Langston Hughes) also had one fumble recovery each
- Freshman kicker Luis Fuentes (Amarillo, Texas/Palo Duro) had a big day after going 5-for-5 on PATs, making two field goals in the first quarter, and kicking for 460 yards on nine kickoffs
Saint Francis Leaders
- Sophomore quarterback Ashton Walk led the Red Wolves with eight completions for 100 yards and a touchdown pass
- Freshman wide receiver Cole DeLattre had four receptions for 78 yards with one touchdown
- Junior defensive back Grayden Lewis had a game-high 15 tackles which included six solo tackles
First Quarter (Bethany 13-0)
- 13:18 - Phillips connected with Davis for a 43-yard strike on the game's opening drive (Fuentes kick good)
- 10:48 - Fuentes was good from 20 yards to extend the early Bison lead
- 5:54 - Fuentes capped off a 78-yard drive with a 21-yard field goal
Second Quarter (Bethany 20-0)
- 12:49 - A botched backward pass for the Red Wolves was recovered by Kinchens and taken 45 yards to the house (Fuentes kick good)
Third Quarter (Bethany 29-7)
- 9:40 - Reynolds rumbled in for his first score of the day in Bethany's first possession of the second half (Fuentes kick good)
- 5:20 - With Saint Francis on their own two yard line, Wroten found the backfield and brought down the Red Wolf back for the safety
Fourth Quarter (Bethany 51-7)
- 14:20 - Ragland scored his first touchdown of the day to answer a score by the opposition (Fuentes kick good)
- 7:55 - Phillips scored from two yards on the keeper (Fuentes kick good)
- 4:54 - Ragland broke a 59-yard run which was followed by a low snap on the point-after attempt but was saved by a desperation heave by Adams and a deflected catch by Wroten
The Bison are back in action Saturday, November 7 as they host Senior Day and a Presidents' Athletic Conference game against Saint Vincent (Pa.) College at 2 p.m. on Don Ault Field at Bison Stadium.
