MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta College began the
Tom Hinkle era with a 34-24 victory over Westminster College Thursday (Sept. 3) evening in the season opener for both schools. The Pioneers led 6-3 at halftime and built a 17-point lead in the third quarter.
"I was proud of the way our guys responded in the second half," Hinkle said. "We were moving the ball on them early but couldn't capitalize on those chances. Our defense played really well and set the tone."
Marietta used a balance attack on offense to overcome some miscues in the kicking game. Quarterback
Joe Tenta (Palm Bay, Fla./Heritage) completed 15-of-27 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground,
Benny Lewis (Jacksonville, Fla./Baker County) gamed 122 yards on 16 carries, while
Zion Jackson-Wilborn (Whitehall, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) carried the ball 14 times for 101 yards. Each scored one touchdown.
"I felt we were the more physical team. It was really hot out there and we were able to wear them down," Hinkle said. "We won the rushing war by a landslide, and anytime you are able to do that you have a good chance to win."
The Pioneers were able to move the ball in the first half but misfired on three field goals and one extra point and led just 6-3 at halftime. Mitchell Tingley gave Westminster the early lead with a 32-yard field goal in the first quarter.
Marietta blocked Tingley's second field goal attempt, this one from 40 yards with 1:43 left in the second quarter. The Pioneers used the momentum from their defense and went on a seven play, 77-yard scoring drive. Tenta connected with
Antwon Johnson (Monaca, Pa./Central Valley) on a 12-yard touchdown pass. A celebration penalty forced Marietta to kick the extra point from 15 yards deeper, and the kick was no good.
The Pioneers took control of the game in the third quarter. After winning the coin toss and deferring to the second half, Marietta took the third quarter kickoff and marched down the field. Lewis and Jackson-Wilborn did most of the damage on the ground, but Johnson capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown run.
Nathaniel Demuth (New Philadelphia, Ohio/New Philadelphia) converted the extra point for a 13-3 lead.
Westminster was forced to punt on the ensuing possession, and Marietta went on an 80-yard drive for another score. Tenta hit Lewis for 26 yards and then connected with
Dalton Miller (Grove City, Ohio/Bishop Ready) on a 40-yard touchdown. Demuth's extra point made it 20-3.
A 34-yard kickoff return from Imari Watson set the Titans up at midfield. Four plays later, Sean O'Shea ran the ball in from three yards out for the touchdown cutting the Pioner lead to 20-10.
The teams traded touchdowns throughout the fourth quarter. Jackson-Wilbord scored on a five-yard run for a 27-10 lead. The Titans answered with a 40-yard touchdown pass from Quentin Goode to Micah Brown.
Lewis notched his first touchdown of the season scoring on a three-yard run with 3:48 left in the game. Westminster made it 34-24 when Goode scampered for a 17-yard touchdown with just over a minute on the clock. The Pioneers managed to run the clock out for the win.
Goode completed 14-of-27 passes for 215 yards and one touchdown. O'Shea was 4-for-7 for 59 yards. The Titans struggled on the ground gaining just 24 total yards on 29 carries.
Taison Starr (Barnesville, Ohio/Barnesville) led the Pioneer defense with 12 tackles, including 2.0 tackles for a loss.
Ethan Crock (Caldwell, Ohio/Caldwell) recorded 3.0 sacks.
Leo Grandizio (Garrettsville, Ohio/Garfield) and
Zaiden Huck (Beverly, Ohio/Fort Frye) each had seven tackles.
"Next week will be a big challenge for us," Hinkle concluded. "This is a game that we have had circled on the schedule. They put it to us last year, but we are a different team and we will be ready to go."
Marietta hosts Ohio Northern University on Saturday (Sept. 12) at 2:00 p.m.
Fans can follow all the Pioneer teams all year long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on X and Instagram.
