W&L Football Glides Past Catholic, 42-13
LEXINGTON, Va. – Washington and Lee jumped out to a 21-0 first quarter lead and never looked back in claiming a 49-13 win over Catholic in ODAC football action on Friday evening at Wilson Field.
The win gives W&L its second-straight 8-win season (8-1, 5-0) and sets up a conference title tilt at Hampden-Sydney next Saturday for the ODAC crown.
The Generals took the opening kickoff and marched 65 yards in five plays to assume a 7-0 lead on a 17-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Charlie Westfal (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan) just 1:42 into the game. Westfal then found sophomore tight end Alex Evans (Ashburn, Va./Broad Run) with a 25-yard scoring strike to end a 92-yard drive with 8:24 left in the opening quarter for a 14-0 lead.
Sophomore quarterback Nick Lombardo (Duluth, Ga./Peachtree Ridge) capped a 12-play, 80-yard drive with a 3-yard plunge with 1:06 left in the first quarter for a 21-0 lead. Catholic got on the board with an 11-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Greg Cordivari (Downingtown, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) to sophomore running back Mike Pitsenberger (Bethesda, Md./Walter Johnson) with 4:04 left in the first quarter, but the Generals got the 21-point lead (28-7) right back on an 82-yard kickoff return for a score by junior running back Brett Murray (Lookout Mountain, Tenn./Baylor School) with 3:50 to play in the half.
Westfal then gave W&L a 35-7 lead at the break when he drove the Generals 63 yards in 1:34 as he found Evans with a 3-yard touchdown pass as time expired in the first half.
Junior running backs Luke Heinsohn (Charlottesville, Va./Covenant) and Sasha Vandalov (Vienna, Va./James Madison) both found the end zone with second-half touchdown runs as W&L built a 49-7 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
The Generals racked up 552 yards of total offense, including 439 yards on the ground, led by Westfal, who rushed 12 times for 75 yards and a touchdown and completed 7-of-8 passes for 100 yards and two more scores (1 INT). Lombardo rushed 12 times for a team-best 79 yards and a touchdown, and Vandalov had 71 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Murray tallied 185 all-purpose yards and Heinsohn finished with 50 yards and a touchdown on 11 rushes. Evans snared four passes for 53 yards and two touchdowns. Senior linebacker Rob Look (Dallas, Texas/Hillcrest) paced the defense with 10 tackles.
Cordivari completed 26-of-44 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns, while Pitsenberger rushed 10 times for 74 yards and caught four passes for 21 yards and one touchdown. Sophomore wide receiver Andrew Ouellette (Salisbury, Mass./Central Catholic) hauled in six balls for 107 yards and one score as well. Sophomore linebacker Conor Stueckler (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown) led the CUA defense with 16 tackles, while senior defensive back James Fucillo (Winthrop, Mass./Winthrop) notched 13 tackles.
The Generals will look for their second-straight ODAC title and first 9-win season since going 9-0 in 1961 when they take on Hampden-Sydney next week. Game time is slated for 1:00 pm at Everett Stadium.
-- GENERALS --
