LATROBE, PA-Geneva fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter at St. Vincent Saturday afternoon and battled back to tie the game twice in the second half (20-20 and 27-27) but fell short of the win, falling 34-27 on Chuck Noll Field.
After St. Vincent took their final lead at 34-27, the Golden Tornadoes mounted a final drive under the direction of quarterback Aaron Channing (Horsham. PA/Hatboro-Horsham), playing after starter freshman Javid Ellis (Port St. Lucie, FL/Saint Lucie West Centennial) was forced to leave the game.
With 5:40 left, Geneva took over at its own 36-yard line. Channing converted one fourth down in the drive and looked to have scrambled for another first down on 3rd and 18, but the play was called back on a holding penalty. Geneva never recovered.
The difficult loss overshadowed new offensive weapons in Geneva’s lineup. Ellis passed for 190 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 108 yards and a third touchdown. His two touchdown passes came in the second quarter – four yards to Colton Booher (Jefferson Hills, PA/Thomas Jefferson) and 44 yards to Devin Kelosky (Ellwood City, PA/Riverside. Ellis scored his rushing touchdown in the third quarter on a 27-yard run that tied the game at 20-20.
The final Geneva score came at 7:09 of the fourth quarter and tied the score at 27-27. Channing passed to Nick Cook (Walnutport, PA/Northampton) from 18 yards. Cook finished with seven catches for 109 yards and caught a 50-yard pass from Ellis to ignite the offense in the second quarter. It was the third straight game that Cook, who played quarterback last year, had a reception of 50 yards or more.
Channing finished with 98 yards passing, completing nine of 13 passes, as the Golden Tornadoes outgained the Bearcats 423-392.
Defensively, Geneva was led by freshman Brent Mulneix (Beaver Falls, PA/Riverside) with eight tackles, including one for a loss.
Geneva, now 2-7 and 1-6 in the PAC, finishes its season next Saturday, at arch-rival Westminster at 1 p.m.
Geneva College invites students to step forward and leap ahead with an academically excellent, Christ-centered and affordable education. Offering nearly 40 undergraduate majors, Adult Degree Programs with fully online and campus-based options, and high-demand advanced graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. U.S. News & World Report ranks Geneva as a Top 10 Best Value with one of the Top 100 engineering programs in the nation. Adhering to the inerrancy of Scripture, a Geneva education is grounded in God’s word as well as in a core curriculum designed to prepare students vocationally to think, write and communicate well in today’s world.
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