Story and photo courtesy of Thomas More Athletics
CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. - Junior running back Adam Rauch had 181 rushing yards to lead the Thomas More College football team to a 54-18 win over Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) rival today on Homecoming at The Bank of Kentucky Field in Crestview Hills, Kentucky.
With the win, the Saints improve to 2-3 overall and 2-2 in the PAC. The win also marks the Saints' fifth consecutive win over the Presidents, which is the first time a team has been W&J five straight times since Carnegie Mellon University defeated them 12 times from 1972-1983. With the loss, the Presidents fall to 4-2 overall and 3-1 in the PAC.
Thomas More never trailed in the game as it led 3-0 after one quarter 27-0 at halftime and 33-10 after three quarters.
The Saints took a 3-0 when junior place kicker Tim Gormly, Jr. (Cincinnati, Ohio/McNicholas) made a 26-yard field goal with 7:25 to play in the opening quarter.
Thomas More extended the lead to 10-0 with 11:42 to play in the second quarter when senior wide receiver Tony Bell (Cincinnati, Ohio/Northwest) scored on a 17-yard pass from freshman quarterback Jensen Gebhardt (Kings Mills, Ohio/Kings) and Gormly added the point-after-attempt. The Saints increased the lead to 17-0 with 7:45 to play in the first half when Rauch scored on a one-yard run and Gormly added the PAT. Gormly made a 21-yard field goal to increase the lead to 20-0 with 6:23 to play in the second quarter. The Saints took a 27-0 lead into halftime when Rauch scored on a 95-yard run and Gormly added the PAT with 1:31 to play in the second quarter.
W&J cut the lead to 27-7 with 10:35 to play in the third quarter when Dion Wiegand scored on a four-yard pass from Matt Bliss. The Presidents cut the lead to 27-10 when Eric Eberle made a 40-yard field goal with 1:47 to play in the third quarter. Thomas More answered when Rauch scored on an 81-yard run and Gormly missed the PAT to extend the lead to 33-10 with 1:28 to play in the third quarter.
The Saints increased the lead to 40-10 with 14:53 to play in the fourth quarter when sophomore wide receiver Al Upshaw (Cincinnati, Ohio/Gamble Montessori) scored on a 36-yard pass from Gebhardt and Gormly added the PAT. With 13:35 to play in the game, the Thomas More extended the lead to 47-10 when sophomore running back Landon Savoy (Radcliff, Ky./John Hardin) scored on a 55-yard swing pass from Gebhardt and Gormly added the PAT. Thomas More increased the lead to 54-10 with 4:08 when freshman running back Scootie Middleton (New Albany, Ind./New Albany) scored on a five-yard run and freshman place kicker Trevor Black (Louisville, Ky./Christian Academy) added the PAT. W&J 's Jeff Davis scored on a four-yard run and the President's converted the two-point conversion with 1:48 to play in the game for the final score of 54-18.
Rauch finished the game with nine carries for 181 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Saints' offense. Gebhardt was 11-of-24 passing for 237 yards and three touchdowns, while Savoy had 11 carries for 92 yards and had two catches for 52 yards and a touchdown. Middleton had 10 carries for 59 yards and a touchdown and senior wide receiver Mercier Doucette (Florence, Ky./Boone County) had two catches for 49 yards.
The Saints' defense was led by senior linebacker Nick Gramke (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder), who had 12 tackles (six solo, six assisted), including two tackles for a loss and a forced fumble. Senior defensive lineman Jay Volker (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) had 11 tackles (eight solo, three assisted), including a sack and five tackles for a loss and had a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, while freshman defensive back Kyle Fuller (Taylor Mill, Ky./Holy Cross) had eight tackles (four solo, four assisted) with a fumble recovery and two interceptions.
Thomas More returns to action next Saturday (October 13) when it hosts Thiel College at 1:30 p.m. at The Bank of Kentucky Field.