The Roanoke College football team is 2-0 after defeating Greensboro College in Greensboro, NC last Saturday, 32-22. The Maroons forced six turnovers in the win.
Roanoke, a first year varsity program, trailed 15-11 at the half but scored the next 21 points to take control of the game. The Maroon defense sealed the win with a stop after Greensboro had a first and goal at the two yard-line with just over a minute remaining, keeping the Pride out of the end zone on four straight plays.
The RC defense forced turnovers on three of the first four drives. The first was an interception in the end zone by Javier Waldron to stop a Greensboro scoring threat. The second was a Landon Altizer pick at midfield with a 23-yard runback to set up an Ethan Cyr 33-yard field goal. Radford grad Charlie Davis then recovered a Pride fumble early in the second quarter at midfield.
The Maroon offense came alive in the second half. Quarterback Kam Hill found Salem grad Khamari Garner for a nine-yard touchdown strike to give RC a 18-15 lead. Waldron then intercepted his second pass of the day to set up a Hill-to-KJ Bratton 10-yard TD connection early in the fourth quarter. Tyson Miller found paydirt on a two-yard rushing score to make the Roanoke lead 32-15 and that was enough to overcome a late 60 yard TD run by the Pride’s Kyjuan Westmoreland.
Miller finished with 98 yards on 24 carries. Hill completed 17 passes for 182 yard and two scores, including six to Garner for 84 yards. Grey Deal had five catches for 54 yards.
On defense Davis had 16 tackles. Lane Shoemaker had nine while Brayden Andrews had eight. Both are William Byrd products.
Maroon sophomore defensive back Waldron earned Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Defensive Player of the Week honors for the week of September 14. Waldron, a sophomore from Blacksburg, Va., made seven tackles from his defensive back position, including four solo stops. But it was in the turnover game where his presence was most felt with a pair of takeaways.
The Maroons are off this week before returning Saturday, September 27, for their ODAC opener against Gallaudet University. That will be at 2 pm at Salem Stadium.
