WJPA Sports

WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Wild Things, down a run entering the ninth after leading 7-0, walked off the Y’alls on an RBI single by Cole Fowler with the bases full, winning 9-8 and punching their ticket to the Midwest Conference finals and a date with Evansville.  The Wild Things will be the only Division Champion to play in the conference finals. Games 1 and 2 are in Evansville Tuesday and Wednesday this week at 7:35/6:35 p.m. CDT. Tickets are on sale now for Games 3-5 with Games 4 and 5 if necessary, in the best of five. Game 3 is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Friday, September 18, Game 4 at the same time Saturday, September 19 and Game 5 at 4:05 p.m. Sunday, September 20.

Derek Burk ran for one score and passed for two more touchdowns, leading Washington & Jefferson to a 42-0 home win against Keystone in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The game was ended at halftime as a result on continuing thunderstorms in the area that led to the playing surface being flooded. Burk capped the opening drive with a five-yard run just four minutes into the opening quarter. The sophomore, making his first collegiate start, completed his first five passes and finished 10-of-12 for 167 yards and scoring passes to Joey DeSabato and AJ Alston. Andrew Sharp led the Presidents run game with 93 yards on 14 carries, including a 6-yard touchdown. The W&J defense posted a shutout, holding the Giants to -21 rushing yards and just one first down in the game. Nathaniel Kadosh-Harris returned a recovered fumble for a touchdown early in the second quarter.

Both teams were in the locker room at halftime when the skies opened with heavy rain, thunder and lightning. The field has flooded numerous times this year already and was completely covered within about 35 minutes. Both coaches and the officiating crew determined to end the game due to the playing conditions and expected continuing rain.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Damon Ferguson Jr. scored a touchdown and Pittsburgh’s defense held on to beat UCF 12-7 on Saturday.  Ferguson Jr. rushed for 59 yards and a score, as Pitt held out sophomore running back Ja’Kyrian Turner with an undisclosed injury. Turner had nearly 900 yards of total offense as a freshman, but Ferguson Jr. filled in nicely with Pitt’s only touchdown.  “That was a manly run by Damon,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said of Ferguson’s score. “That’s kind of what he showed out there.”  Mason Heintschel completed 18 of 29 passes for 212 yards in a steady downpour for Pitt. The game started late because of a 65-minute weather delay. Last week, Heintschel tied Pitt’s single-game record and established a new ACC single-game mark with seven passing touchdowns in a rout of Miami (Ohio).

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Rocco Becht expected to get cheered on by hundreds of fans from the Philadelphia suburbs and other surrounding areas where most of his family and their friends are from.  The Penn State quarterback was a bit more amazed at the other 40,000-plus fans in their blue-and-white gear that nearly filled an NFL stadium to root on the Nittany Lions.  “When I first walked out into the stadium, there’s a lot more people than I thought there was going to be for our side,” Becht said. “We wanted to put on a better show for them.”  Becht threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns, with two of those scores to tight end Benjamin Brahmer, in a game where No. 16 Penn State did just enough to send the traveling fans home happy with a 27-9 victory over Temple on Saturday.  The Nittany Lions (2-0) survived a first half loaded with failed shots at the end zone and a missed field goal that kept the score close and stirred memories of one of the program’s great losses against an unranked team when former Temple coach Matt Rhule led the Owls to the upset victory in 2105 at Lincoln Financial Field.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Mike Hawkins Jr. threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more scores to lead West Virginia to a 52-7 victory over UT Martin on Saturday.  The Mountaineers are 2-0 for the first time since 2018 and remain unbeaten all-time against teams from the Championship Subdivision.  A week ago, West Virginia looked listless on both sides of the ball after halftime of a 31-24 win over Coastal Carolina. On Saturday, the defense continued to struggle at times and remains a big concern with nothing but Power Four competition ahead the rest of the season.  At least the offense was solid throughout, compiling 316 yards on the ground.  Hawkins threw a 53-yard scoring toss to DJ Epps on the opening drive of the game and he had TD runs of 71 and 5 yards for a 28-0 halftime lead. Hawkins threw a 32-yard scoring toss to tight end Ryan Ward on the first drive of the third quarter.  “We definitely came out hot (and) just kept that going,” Hawkins said. “It’s all about just having our guys on the same page and just knowing where they’re going to be. I felt pretty efficient as a whole. I felt way more comfortable today.”  West Virginia faces No. 25 Virginia in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday night