BETHANY, W.Va. (Nov. 7) – Despite jumping out to an early 14-0 lead and scoring 38 points, the Saint Vincent football team fell 42-38 to Bethany in a high-scoring Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup on Saturday afternoon at Bethany Field.
The Bearcats (4-4, 2-4 PAC) led by as many as 17 points in the first half, but the Bison (4-5, 2-4 PAC) outscored Saint Vincent 28-14 in the second half, including 14 unanswered points over the final 13 minutes, to complete the comeback victory.
Saint Vincent quarterback Jake Phillips completed 15 of 28 passes for 204 yards and four touchdowns without throwing an interception. Chris Downs was his top target, hauling in six receptions for 80 yards and two touchdowns, while Tristan Doy added three catches for 43 yards and a score.
Drahcir Jones led the Bearcats' rushing attack, totaling 110 yards on 18 carries, averaging 6.1 yards per attempt. Jones also caught a 31-yard touchdown pass, finishing with 141 all-purpose yards.
Defensively, Nathan Parker led Saint Vincent with a game-high 14 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and half a sack. Keegan O'Brien and Robbie Labuda each added 10 tackles, while O'Brien also forced and recovered a fumble.
O'Brien made his presence felt on special teams as well, returning six kickoffs for 199 yards, highlighted by an 82-yard kickoff return touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
The Bearcats wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, as Phillips connected with Downs for a 15-yard touchdown pass just 17 seconds into the contest, giving Saint Vincent an early 7-0 advantage.
Following a Bethany fumble on its ensuing possession, the Bearcats took advantage of the short field. Phillips found Jones for a 31-yard touchdown pass, extending the Saint Vincent lead to 14-0 with 12:04 remaining in the opening quarter.
Bethany responded with a 12-play, 79-yard scoring drive, capped off by a 22-yard touchdown pass from Brett Phillips to Mykel Davis, cutting the Bearcats' lead to 14-7.
Saint Vincent answered with an 11-play, 61-yard drive of its own, ending with a 24-yard field goal from Jarrett Garn to give the Bearcats a 17-7 advantage heading into the second quarter.
After both teams were held scoreless for much of the second quarter, Saint Vincent extended its lead late in the half. Phillips connected with Doy for a 33-yard touchdown pass, capping off a five-play, 65-yard drive and giving the Bearcats their largest lead of the afternoon at 24-7 with 1:54 remaining before halftime.
The Bison responded just before the break, as Brett Phillips scored on a one-yard touchdown run with three seconds remaining, cutting Saint Vincent's lead to 24-14 heading into the locker room.
Bethany carried that momentum into the second half, opening the third quarter with a 12-play, 72-yard scoring drive. Brett Phillips found Davis for an eight-yard touchdown pass, trimming the Bearcats' advantage to 24-21 with 9:51 remaining in the quarter.
Saint Vincent responded late in the third, as Jake Phillips connected with Downs for their second touchdown of the afternoon, this time from 19 yards out, extending the Bearcats' lead to 31-21 with 2:18 remaining.
The Bison once again answered, as Jaquon Reynolds scored on a seven-yard touchdown run on the final play of the third quarter, cutting Saint Vincent's lead to 31-28 heading into the final 15 minutes.
On the ensuing kickoff, O'Brien provided one of the biggest plays of the afternoon for Saint Vincent, racing 82 yards for a touchdown to extend the Bearcats' advantage to 38-28 just 13 seconds into the fourth quarter.
Bethany refused to go away, responding with a seven-play, 70-yard touchdown drive, capped off by an eight-yard scoring run from Reynolds to make it a 38-35 game with 12:58 remaining.
After the Bearcats were unable to add to their lead, the Bison put together a 12-play, 98-yard scoring drive. Brett Phillips capped off the possession with a 14-yard touchdown run, giving Bethany its first lead of the afternoon at 42-38 with 4:36 remaining.
Saint Vincent was unable to answer in the closing minutes, as the Bison held on to complete the comeback victory.
Bethany finished the afternoon with 497 yards of total offense, including 275 through the air and 222 on the ground. Saint Vincent totaled 297 yards, with 204 passing yards and 93 net rushing yards.
For the Bison, Brett Phillips completed 25 of 41 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 65 yards and two additional scores. Reynolds added 97 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries, while Davis caught seven passes for 87 yards and two scores.
Along with Parker, O'Brien and Labuda, Jonathan Puddie recorded seven tackles for the Bearcats, while Devon Dean-Coles added six. Nile Thomas finished with five tackles, including a team-high 2.5 tackles for loss.
Garn was perfect in the kicking game for Saint Vincent, connecting on his lone field goal attempt and all five extra-point tries. He also averaged 46.2 yards on four punts, including a long of 67 yards.
The loss drops Saint Vincent to 4-4 overall and 2-4 in PAC play, while Bethany improves to 4-5 overall and 2-4 in conference action.
Saint Vincent returns to action next Saturday, November 14 as they travel to take on Hiram in their 2026 season finale. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Ohio next Saturday.
