Hampden-Sydney College

BOX SCORE

BRIDGEWATER, Va. -- Junior quarterback Connor Creech (Winston-Salem, NC) passed for game-highs and career-highs of 291 yards and four touchdowns, including a game-high and career-high 141 yards receiving and two touchdowns to sophomore wide receiver Max Nitti (Appomattox), to lead (RV)Hampden-Sydney College to a 54-0 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) football road win and shutout at Bridgewater College on Saturday afternoon in Bridgewater. Senior running back Terry Hicks (Clayton, NC) added a game-high 135 yards rushing and one touchdown, while senior wide receiver Manning Lasso (Raleigh, NC) added 101 yards receiving and one touchdown, as well, as the visiting Tigers led 37-0 at halftime and won their eighth consecutive game. The Garnet & Grey improved to 8-1 overall, 6-0 in the ODAC, while BC dropped to 3-6 overall, 3-3 in the ODAC. H-SC will host archrival Randolph-Macon College (7-2, 5-1) for the ODAC Championship in the 131st edition of "The Game" next Saturday, November 14, at 1 p.m. on Fulton Field at Lewis C. Everett Stadium.

"Really proud of how the guys came out and played this week," said third-year head coach Vince Luvara. "They executed well in all three phases of the football game. We had a bunch of guys step up and make big plays."

H-SC, ranked 31st in the NCAA NPI Rankings and receiving votes in both the AFCA D3 Coaches Poll and the D3football.com Top 25, took its second possession of the game and drove 80 yards on 10 plays with Creech making a shovel pass to senior tight end Kam Mahoney (Bristow) on the right side for an 11-yard touchdown at 7:49 of the first quarter. The two-point conversion pass attempt, however, failed and it was an early 6-0 advantage. Key to the drive was a 44-yard completion to Nitti.

The Tigers needed just three plays to go 80 yards on their next possession with Creech finding Nitti wide open to the left side of the field for a 43-yard touchdown pass at 4:17. Sophomore placekick Hank Webb (Salisbury, NC) added the first of his six PAT kicks for a 13-0 margin after the opening 15 minutes. The possession also included completions of 24 yards to Lasso and 13 yards to Nitti.

H-SC got the ball back after an interception by junior linebacker Frank Brewer (Charlotte, NC) that he returned 20 yards to midfield and eight plays later, Creech and Nitti connected again for a score, this time on a three-yard touchdown pass at 12:35 of the second quarter. The PAT kick by Webb made it 20-0 on a drive that included a 29-yard completion to Lasso.

BC missed a 42-yard field goal attempt before the Garnet & Grey scored again as freshman running back Xavier Howard-Morris (Raleigh, NC) added a two-yard touchdown run at 3:28 to finish a nine-play, 75-yard possession. Webb's PAT kick increased the margin to 27-0 after a possession that included a 42-yard run by Hicks and a 13-yard completion to Mahoney.

H-SC forced another punt and added its fifth touchdown of the first half when Creech found Lasso in the back of the end zone for a 15-yard scoring pass at 1:37 as Lasso made an outstanding catch against a defender. The PAT kick by Webb had the visitors ahead 34-0, completing a quick three-play, 37-yard drive that included a 12-yard completion to Nitti and a 10-yard run by Hicks, and the Tigers weren't done yet … adding more points when Webb was successful on a 25-yard field goal with only seven seconds remaining in the quarter that completed a quick six-play, 33-yard drive after yet another punt and completions of 18 yards to Nitti and 17 yards to Lasso toward the 37-0 halftime lead.

H-SC gained another defensive turnover in the third quarter on an interception by junior cornerback Parks Cromwell (Charlotte, NC), and promptly went 64 yards on six plays with Hicks scoring on a 35-yard touchdown run up the middle at 6:48 of the third quarter. The PAT kick by Webb made it 44-0 after three quarters.

The Tigers missed a 35-yard field goal attempt early in the fourth quarter, but the defense forced a turnover on downs when sophomore linebacker Dekari Riley (Richmond) made his first collegiate sack that led to a 31-yard field goal by Webb at 9:36 for a 47-0 advantage. Junior quarterback Wendell Thompson (Charlotte, NC) had a 12-yard run on the drive. The Garnet & Grey gained yet another turnover when sophomore cornerback Andrew Clifford (Jacksonville, FL) made his first collegiate interception that he returned 23 yards to the BC two-yard line. Thompson scored on a one-yard touchdown run on fourth and goal with 6:24 remaining, and the PAT kick by Webb provided for the final 54-0 margin of victory. It was the first shutout of the season and second in three seasons under Coach Luvara.

H-SC had 553 yards of total offense, including 229 rushing and 324 passing, as Creech (20-26-0) passed for his game-highs and career-highs of 291 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions, his second-straight game with four TDs passing. Junior quarterback Tanner Ballou (Oak Ridge, NC) passed for 38 yards (3-3-0), and Thompson added his rushing TD. Hicks had his game-high 135 yards rushing on 19 attempts and one touchdown, exiting after his third-quarter TD, and now totals 1,396 yards rushing to lead the ODAC and Division III. Senior running back Casey Clark (Sykesville, MD) added 60 yards rushing on six attempts, and Howard-Morris finished with 17 yards rushing on eight attempts and one touchdown. Nitti had his game-highs and career-highs of eight receptions, 141 yards receiving and two touchdowns, adding a 46-yard kickoff return, as well. Lasso had six receptions for 101 yards receiving and one touchdown, and Mahoney added four receptions for 36 yards receiving and one touchdown.

The Tigers offense operates behind the starting offensive line unit, affectionately known as 'The Rock' and consisting of junior left tackle Thomas Wilson (Charlotte, NC), junior left guard Cash Topinka (Charlotte, NC), sophomore center Braden McIntire (Louisa), junior right guard Bill Ball (Yorktown) and junior tackle Jacob Pressinger (Spotsylvania), along with senior tight end Kam Mahoney (Bristow) and junior tight end Connor Shelton (Charlotte, NC).

Brewer and sophomore defensive end Braden Lyons (Virginia Beach) each had five tackles for the Tigers, including three solo and the interception by Brewer, and two solo, 2.5 for loss, two sacks and a QB hurry by Lyons. Sophomore safety Will Bostwick (Bluffton, SC), sophomore defensive lineman Nadir Abdussalaam (Appomattox) and freshman defensive lineman Matthew Wright (Canton, GA) each had three tackles, including 1.0 for loss by Abdussalaam and 0.5 for loss by Wright. Cromwell finished with two tackles, one solo, the interception and one pass breakup, while Clifford also added his interception. The Garnet & Grey defense had 10 tackles for loss with six sacks totaling 60 yards, along with the three interceptions.

BC had just 158 yards of total offense, including 27 rushing and 131 passing by Parker Burke (11-23-2) with two of the three interceptions thrown. Oscar Whitely had a game-high 16 tackles, nine solo, 0.5 for loss and 0.5 sacks for the Eagles.

Looking ahead to next week's "The Game", H-SC continue to lead the all-time series against RMC, 60-59-11; however, the Yellow Jackets have won 12-straight and 14 of the last 15 games played between the two storied programs in a contest that is considered the Oldest Small School Rivalry in the South. The Tigers' last win in the series was in 2013, a 28-26 road win in Ashland, and the Garnet & Grey's last home win was in 2010, a 31-28 victory at Everett Stadium with attendance listed at 12,113.