Bethany Registers 20-0 Win Over Visiting Thiel
10/15/2011 5:05:00 PM
BETHANY, W. Va. – Bethany registered a 20-0 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) victory over the visiting Tomcats Saturday afternoon. Despite the loss, the Tomcat faithful cheered the efforts of Tim Taylor (Girard, Pa./Erie Cathedral Prep) and his record-setting performance at Bison Stadium.
Taylor secured his place in the Tomcat football annals with Saturday's gritty defensive performance, registering a school-record 7.0 tackles for loss as well as a record-setting 4.5 sacks. He finished with 10 total stops and added a forced fumble.
Taylor passed Kevin Strouse's four-sack effort against the Bison on Sept. 23, 2005 and a foursome of Tomcats to secure four tackles for loss in a game (most recently Will Haase on Sept. 27, 2008).
Bethany (3-3, 2-3) finished with a 264-258 edge in total offensive yards while Thiel (0-6, 0-4) held a commanding 171-93 advantage in rushing. The Tomcat ground attack was led by De'Von Drish (Bratenahl, Ohio/Ginn Academy) and his 30-carry, 131-yard performance.
Andrew Smith (Williamsfield, Ohio/Pymatuning Valley) finished 11-of-22 passing for 87 yards and one interception. Smith also ran for 34 yards on eight carries.
Nate Blazevich (Munhall, Pa./Steel Valley) tallied three catches for 32 yards to pace the Tomcat receiving corps. Devin Wasylink (Leechburg, Pa./Leechburg) and Kyle Turkalj (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) also recorded three catches.
The Tomcat defensive unit totaled 5.0 sacks and 11.0 tackles for loss on the afternoon. Ethan Ludwig (East Liverpool, Ohio/East Liverpool) finished with nine stops while Julian McLean (Clairton, Pa./Clairton) and Kris Tursky (Linesville, Pa./Linesville Conneaut Summit) added nine tackles and six tackles, respectively.
Matt Grimard completed 21-of-28 passes for 171 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Bison. Nico Irizarry rolled up 117 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries while Ed Holmes hauled in eight catches for 74 yards and a score.
Kyle Arringon paced the Bison defensively finishing with a game-high 14 tackles. Kasib Taalib-Din and Demetrius Wellington each added nine stops while Wyssmy Despagne secured an interception.
After exchanging punts on the first two drives of the opening period, the Tomcats took over at the Bethany 49 and put together a 12-play, 33-yard drive that would drain close to six minutes off of the clock; the drive would eventually stall at the Bison nine-yard line. Thiel finished the first period with a 9:26-5:34 edge in time of possession.
Bethany, maintaining possession of the ball after a scoreless opening first quarter, wasted little time breaking the 0-0 deadlock as Grimard hooked up with Gage Lotozo for a three-yard touchdown pass just 1:47 into the second to take a 7-0 lead.
A Thiel fumble at their own 32-yard line on the ensuing Bethany kickoff led to a seven-play scoring drive that was capped by a Grimard-to-Holmes eight-yard touchdown with 9:29 to go in the half, giving the Bison a 14-0 advantage.
Bethany notched their third and final score of the day on their next offensive possession, as Grimard piloted the Bison offense 80 yards in eight plays and closed out the half with a one-yard Irizarry scoring run with 39 seconds to play and a 20-0 lead.
The Bison closed out the second half with a 20:31-9:29 edge in time of possession and converted on three-of-six third-down attempts.
The Tomcats return to action on Saturday, Oct. 22 as they host PAC rival Westminster College at Alumni Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.
