Written by: Zachary Worstell (zdw001@marietta.edu)
The Pioneers have won the rematch. Last year Marietta College fell to Westminster College (PA) in last year’s Extra Points Bowl Game. This year Marietta traveled to Westminster and defeated the Titans 12-8. This marks the programs fourth straight non-conference regular season win. And it marked Tom Kaufman’s first win as the Pioneers head coach.
Former head coach Andy Waddle left Marietta after a decade to coach Valparaiso University in the NCAA Division I FCS. This required the team to search for their 30th head coach in program history. In February, they found their candidate. Kaufman was hired after his performance coaching high school football for Gilmour Academy. As he led the Gilmour Academy Lancers to a 21-5 record over the course of the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Previously, he had coached in the college level with Kent State acting as their associate head coach and defensive coordinator from 2018-2021.
The game kicked off with two three and outs by both teams. In fact, the first quarter saw little offense as the score stayed tied 0-0. However, in the second quarter, the Pioneers struck. A 14-play drive carried by Senior running back Vante’ Hodges led to a touchdown. His 1 yard rush put the Pios up 6-0. An extra point attempt saw Kicker Quentin Sheets fail a passing attempt to keep the game at 6-0.
Both teams’ defenses proved strong shutting one another down for the rest of the half. However, after halftime, Westminster found themselves on the scoreboard. The Titans received the ball at halftime and a 60-yard kick return followed by a 12-yard pass from QB Ty McGowan led to a tied game. The Titans elected to mimic the Pioneers and went for two. This time around the two-point conversion was successful resulting in Westminster taking an 8-6 lead.
Down for the first time all game, first year starting quarterback Junior Antwon Johnson proved himself and led the team to a second scoring drive. After racing 70 yards down the field, Johnson rushed the ball up the middle and reached the endzone. The Pioneers went for two again, this time a pass from Johnson failed. Nonetheless, the Pioneers still managed to gain a 12-8 lead.
The Marietta defense stayed strong handing out four straight three and outs to the Westminster offense. As for the offense, Marietta attempted a 42-yard field goal kick in the fourth, however the Nathaniel Demuth’s kick was no good. The Pioneers ended the Titans night with a forced fumble by Zander Stroup late in the fourth which was recovered by Leo Grandizio. The Pios kneeled it out to take the 12-8 victory.
In his first start Antwon Johson went 16/26 and 123 yards. Vante’ Hodges led the backfield with 182 yards in 37 attempts. Sophomore Benny Lewis gained 58 yards in 12 rushes.
Last year’s bowl game was held at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. This acted as a neutral site for both teams. Both teams qualified for the bowl game for finishing with an 8-3 overall record. Marietta went 7-2 in the Ohio Athletic Conference while Westminster went 7-3 in the Presidents Athletic Conference. In Canton, Westminster came out to an early lead and never hit the brakes. They defeated the Pioneers 27-13.
Marietta’s next game is their home opener as they host the Otterbein Cardinals. The Pioneers have won six-straight over the Cardinals with the previous win coming at 51-14. The game kicks off at 7:00 p.m. at Don Drumm Stadium. Keep up with the team this season at pioneers.marietta.edu/sports/football
