PHOTO GALLERY

The Bearcat football team took an early 27-0 lead, but the Geneva Golden Tornadoes scored 31 unanswered points to earn a 31-27 victory  on a rainy night in Beaver Falls.  

Turnovers on both sides of the ball played a key role, as the rain made the ball difficult to handle. Christian Witchey's punt early in the first quarter was muffed by Geneva, and SVC's Ben Davis recovered the ball at the Geneva 16 yard line.
 
Four plays later, Mike Stasko barreled into the end zone for a score, and Sam Elliott added the point after to put SVC in front, 7-0.
 
On Geneva's next drive, the Bearcats forced a fumble, and Jeremy Wodarek scooped up the ball and ran 53 yards for a touchdown, as the Bearcats doubled their lead to 14 points at the midway point of the first quarter.
 
Geneva drove the ball to the Bearcat 18 on their next drive, but the defense held, forcing a field goal attempt.  The attempt was blocked, and SVC took over at the five-yard line after Davis recovered the blocked kick.

SVC then drove 95 yards in 12 plays.  A 44-yard run by Stasko was the big play, and Stasko finished the drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Michael Navarro. The extra point attempt failed, leaving the score at 20-0.
 
On the second play of the ensuing drive, Geneva fumbled the ball again, and Hauns White recovered for the Bearcats at the Geneva 37.  SVC drove the ball to the three-yard line, and scored on a trick play on first down. Stasko took a pitch from Navarro and threw a pass to Keith Kalp in the end zone.  Elliott's point after made the score 27-0 in favor of the Bearcats with 8:19 remaining in the second quarter.
 
Geneva started its comeback on the next drive, as Daniel Nordaas kicked a 31-yard field goal to cap a 14-play drive, making it a 27-3 game.  The half would end with the 24-point lead for the Bearcats.  
 
Both teams traded punts to open the second half.  On the third possession of the half, SVC was forced to punt again, and Geneva broke through the Bearcat line, blocking Witchey's punt and taking over possession at the 17-yard line.  Four plays later, Luke Lloyd scored on a 3-yard run.  A two-point conversion attempt failed, and the score was 27-9.  
 
The fourth quarter opened with the Bearcats still in front by 18 points and Geneva with the ball after a Bearcat punt.  A 15-play Geneva drive stalled at the Bearcat 13, and Nordaas came on to hit a 30-yard field goal to make the score 27-12 at the 11:37 mark.
 
Three plays later, a Navarro pass was intercepted by Tyler Cann near midfield, and he returned the ball to the SVC 35.  On a 4th-and-3, Frankie Centofanti ran for a 28-yard touchdown for the Golden Tornadoes, to cut the margin to nine points, 27-18.  The extra point attempt failed.
 
Saint Vincent took over with 8:16 left on the clock, and seven plays later, a Navarro pass was again intercepted by Cann, this time at the Geneva 39.
 
It only took the hosts just over a minute to cover 61 yards, with Lloyd carrying the ball the final 7 yards into the end zone.  The extra point attempt was missed again, leaving the score at 27-24 with 3:39 remaining.

The kickoff went out of bounds, and the Bearcats took over at their own 35 yard line.  On a third-and-7 play, Navarro was intercepted for a third time in the quarter by Cann, who made a diving catch at the Bearcat 33.
 
Geneva took over possession with 3:20 remaining, and put together a 6-play scoring drive, with Trewon Marshall taking it into the end zone from 4 yards out to give Geneva their first lead of the day, 31-27 after the extra point.
 
Just 49 seconds remained on the clock, but the Bearcats never had an opportunity to mount a comeback, as the kickoff was fumbled, and Geneva recovered.
 
Stasko led the Bearcat offense with 180 yards rushing on 33 carries, the third highest rushing total for a Bearcat in the modern era.  Navarro was 5-of-15 through the air for 44 yards.  Ariel Martinez and Stasko each had two receptions.  
 
Defensively, Le'ton Quao and Hauns White each had 12 tackles on the night, while Cameron Mack added 10. Jaron Green recorded 7.
 
For Geneva, Marshall carried the ball 30 times for 236 yards.  Lloyd was 3-6 passing for 42 yards.  
 
Saint Vincent is now 0-2, and will host Westminster College on Saturday, September 15 at Chuck Noll Field. Kickoff will be 1PM.