ASHLAND, Va. – Zach Bowman caught a pair of touchdown passes while teammates Nick Hale and Presley Egbers added one touchdown each on the ground, leading Randolph-Macon to a 44-0 win over Guilford in the season opener for both teams.
The Yellow Jackets (1-0, 1-0 ODAC) defense forced a fumble on the third play from scrimmage, allowing the Randolph-Macon offense to take over at the Quakers 35-yard line. Six plays later, with the ball at the Guilford 12, Egbers hit an open Joseph Marinella for the first touchdown of the game. Randolph-Macon added a 35-yard goal later in the quarter to assume the 10-0 lead.
Randolph Macon began its third drive of the game at the Quakers 48-yard line and capitalized on 30 yards rushing in the drive by Justin DeLeon as it moved into scoring position. From seven yards out, Egbers slipped past the Guilford defense to forge the Yellow Jackets in front 17-0 with 13:19 remaining.
Just over three minutes later, the Yellow Jackets began their ninth drive of the game from the Guilford 30-yard line. Collin Holmes gained 16 yards out of the backfield, helping move the ball to the six, where Hale found paydirt with a scamper into the endzone for the 24-0 advantage.
On the ensuing possession, Randolph-Macon stretched its lead to 31-0 when Bowman hauled in a 32-yard pass. It was the first of Bowman’s two touchdown receptions with the other coming on a 39-yard strike in the third quarter.
Randolph Macon added two field goals in the fourth to complete its victory.
The Quakers (0-1, 0-1 ODAC) were led offensively by the combination of Joey Strong Jr. and Derrien Phillips, who had 38 yards rushing apiece on the ground. Phillips was also 1-of-8 passing for eight yards, while teammate Teddy Gassert connected on 3-of-10 passes for 11 yards.
Defensively, Guilford was led by Ty Walker and Bryce Smith, who closed with eight tackles each. Clint Bost made six stops on the evening, while James Pegues and Jake Moore came through with five tackles apiece.
Guilford returns to action on March 12 when the Quakers head to Emory & Henry to face the Wasps at 2 p.m. For more information on Guilford football check out www.guilfordquakers.com.
Courtesy of Jon Cole, with Presto Sports