College Football Final – Washington and Lee 42, Guilford 21

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Luke Heinsohn ran for 146 yards and three touchdowns in Washington and Lee University’s 42-21 win at Guilford College Saturday in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) football opener for both teams. The senior also converted all six point-after-touchdown attempts and set the Generals’ career scoring record with 228 points.

After a scoreless first quarter, Washington and Lee (3-1, 1-0 ODAC) broke through with three second-quarter touchdowns. Quarterback Nick Lombardo’s one-yard scoring run early in the second quarter capped a 16-play, 89-yard drive and opened the game’s scoring. Washington and Lee’s defense held Guilford to three plays and a punt, and Lombardo marched the Generals 62 yards in eight plays on the ensuing possession. A four-yard Sasha Vandalov touchdown run ended the drive and opened a 14-0 Generals’ lead.

Heinsohn scored his first touchdown of the game 3:43 before halftime on a 13-yard run and then scored on another 13-yard run early in the third quarter for a 28-0 Washington and Lee advantage. The Generals’ Russell Stewart (Elkin, N.C./Elkin) intercepted a tipped pass for the game’s lone turnover, which set up Heinsohn’s final score, a one-yard plunge with 36 seconds left in the third quarter.

Guilford (1-3, 0-1 ODAC) scored all of its points in the fourth quarter. Josh Williams (Durham, N.C./Jordan) capped a 13-play, 64-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run with 10:12 left. Rookie quarterback Matt Pawlowski (Greensboro, N.C./Northwest Guilford) hit Lawrence Blake with a 29-yard touchdown with 4:44 remaining and Pawlowski’s backup, rookie Mitch Ferrick, closed out the scoring on a nine-yard touchdown pass to Austen Thompson (Greensboro, N.C./Southern Guilford) two seconds before the final horn.

Washington and Lee’s modified option offense rolled up 505 total yards, including 426 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. The Generals totaled 30 first downs and held the ball for nearly 36 minutes. Brett Murray picked up 104 rushing yards on 15 carries and Luke Terna added 70 rushing yards, 45 of which came on a fourth-quarter touchdown run on a fourth-and-two play.

Guilford’s Pawlowski completed 22-of-35 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown. Nick Mearite (High Point, N.C./Ragsdale (UNC Pembroke)) made seven receptions for 43 yards and Mike Williams (Mebane, N.C./Orange) led the Quakers’ backs with 40 rushing yards on eight carries. Satiir Stevenson made a career-high 15 tackles from his safety position, nine solo. Hunter English (Greensboro, N.C./Western Guilford) added 13 stops and ODAC tackles leader Robert Smith (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds) finished with 10, his fifth straight contest with at least 10 takedowns.

Guilford visits ODAC newcomer Shenandoah University next Saturday (10/6) in the first football meeting between the two schools.