District college football roundup: IUP upsets Shepherd in PSAC title game

Mak Sexton threw for 169 yards and touchdowns to three different receivers as No. 19 IUP upset No. 3 Shepherd, 24-21, in the PSAC championship game Saturday.

It was the 19th PSAC title for IUP, tying West Chester for the most in conference history. IUP will find out its NCAA tournament seed when the 28-team field is announced at 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

IUP (9-1) jumped out to a 24-7 lead and made it stand up. Sexton threw TD passes of 14 yards to Daniel Deabner, 2 yards to Cole Laney and 10 yards to Dayjure Stewart. Adam Houser ran 21 times for 142 yards.

Tyson Bagent, the 2021 Harlon Hill Trophy winner for Shepherd (10-1) threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns, but IUP picked him off twice.

Division II

Cal (Pa.) 31, East Stroudsburg 7 — JaQuae Jackson caught nine passes for 160 yards and a touchdown as Cal (Pa.) (6-5) defeated East Stroudsburg (4-7). Noah Mitchell threw for 270 yards and a touchdown while defensively for the Vulcans, Matt Tobey had 11 tackles, 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.

Kutztown 23, Slippery Rock 21 — Donny Blaine threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns as Kutztown (8-3) went on the road to upset No. 9 Slippery Rock (9-3). Kutztown led until 7:19 left in the fourth quarter when Tyler Settle returned a blocked punt 11 yards for a touchdown as Slippery Rock took a 21-17 lead. But Blaine hit Jerome Kapp with a 61-yard scoring pass on Kutztown’s next possession to put the Golden Bears ahead for good. Brayden Long threw for 227 yards and a touchdown for Slippery Rock.

Edinboro 26, Lock Haven 13 — Isaac Bernard threw for 251 yards and two touchdowns as Edinboro (5-6) beat Lock Haven (1-10). Wilfredo Diaz had 11 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery for Edinboro, which sacked Lock Haven quarterbacks eight times. Marquon Williams caught six passes for 143 yards and a touchdown for Lock Haven.

Millersville 14, Seton Hill 10 — Jaheim Morris ran for 80 yards and two touchdowns as Millersville (5-6) narrowly defeated Seton Hill (2-9). Tyler Bradley threw for 207 yards and a 22-yard touchdown to Mark Bails, who had six receptions for 108 yards for Seton Hill. Alton Jones had 10 tackles and two interceptions for the Griffins.

Shippensburg 35, Gannon 28 — Bill Williams scored on a 22-yard run in overtime as Shippensburg (5-6) beat Gannon (8-3). Evan Falco threw for 221 yards and two touchdowns for Shippensburg while teammate Redd Douglas had seven receptions for 109 yards and a TD. Kory Curtis threw for 387 yards and four touchdowns for Gannon. Jonathan Bowden caught seven passes for 158 yards and a touchdown and KeJohn Batiste added nine receptions for 112 yards and two TDs for Gannon.

West Chester 36, Clarion 27 — Cooper Jordan threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns to lead West Chester (7-4) to victory at Clarion (3-8). Phil Poquie rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown for the Golden Rams while Will Alexander paced Clarion with 233 passing yards and 79 rushing yards and two TDs.

Division III

Carnegie Mellon 20, Case Western 7 – Kris Hughes had seven catches for 131 yards and a touchdown and Tre Vasiliadis ran 26 times for 113 yards as No. 19 Carnegie Mellon (10-0, 8-0) picked up a PAC victory in the 36th annual Academic Bowl to run its NCAA-best winning streak to 17 games. Ben Mills was 17 for 33 for 210 yards and two touchdowns and the CMU defense had five sacks and forced three fumbles. Noah Coyne had seven catches for 96 yards for Case Western (6-4, 5-3).

Grove City 66, Thiel 6 – Logan Pfeuffer was 13 for 15 for 272 yards and three touchdowns to lead Grove City (7-3, 5-3) to a PAC victory. Scott Fraser caught six passes for 125 yards and a score. Clayton Parrish had 59 rushing yards and two TDs. Jordan Collier caught a 39-yard TD pass for Thiel (1-9, 1-7).

Saint Vincent 36, Bethany 7 — Brady Walker threw for 322 yards and three touchdowns — including one for 90 yards to Molayo Irefin — as Saint Vincent (5-5, 5-3) defeated Bethany (1-9, 0-8) in PAC play. Irefin caught five passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns while teammate D.J. Gray ran for 140 yards. The Bearcats gained 517 yards while limiting Bethany to 190 yards.

Washington & Jefferson 56, Waynesburg 0 – Jacob Pugh was 15 for 18 for 184 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for a score to lead Washington & Jefferson (8-2, 6-2) to a PAC victory. The Presidents have won nine straight meetings with the rival Yellow Jackets, the last three by shutout. Troy Volpatti ran nine times for 139 yards and a touchdown and Raymond Holmes had 16 carries for 104 yards and a score for W&J (8-2, 6-2). Hunter Cameron ran for 65 yards for Waynesburg (4-6, 3-5).

Westminster 49, Geneva 0 — Ryan Gomes ran for 103 yards and three touchdowns as Westminster (7-3, 7-2) stormed past Geneva (3-7, 3-5) in PAC play. Billy Levak threw for 156 yards and three touchdowns for Westminster, which outgained Geneva, 369-146.