WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson College football team finished with a 9-2 overall record and capped its season with a 46-21 victory over the United States Merchant Marine Academy in the 2023 ECAC James Lynah Bowl.
The Presidents were winners of the last four games which included the ECAC bowl victory over the Mariners at Cameron Stadium. Another strong win came at the start of the late season winning streak when the Presidents downed Case Western Reserve University on Oct. 28 by a 38-33 score at home.
The winning season was the 40th consecutive for W&J, which remains the third longest active streak among NCAA Division III schools. The Presidents will open the 2024 schedule with a home tilt versus the Saint Vincent College Bearcats. The 10-game regular season will be exclusively conference contests for a second-straight season.
2023 Season In Review
W&J put together another strong season by recording a 9-2 overall record and finished with an 8-2 mark in Presidents' Athletic Conference play.
"We had a great season in 2023, we did, but we didn't reach our goal of going to the NCAA Playoffs and winning a conference championship," said head coach
Mike Sirianni. "That's something the we're really striving to do every year."
Despite another successful season, the Presidents suffered a pair of road setbacks in conference play that denied their hopes of a PAC title and a spot in the NCAA Playoffs. W&J dropped a narrow 31-24 decision at Grove City on Sept. 30. Two games later, they suffered a 35-14 verdict at the hands of Carnegie Mellon University in a night game in Pittsburgh on Oct. 21.
In the season opener, the Presidents posted a 51-0 shutout over Saint Vincent College at Chuck Noll Field in Latrobe. W&J rode a strong season-opening effort from Jake Pugh to roll to victory. Pugh tossed for 292 yards and three touchdowns. He added a fourth touchdown when he rushed in from four yards out in the third quarter.
W&J led 21-0 at halftime behind a pair of touchdown grabs by
John Peduzzi. The W&J defense stymied Saint Vincent throughout the game. The Bearcats were limited to 139 total yards and committed four turnovers.
Bruno Fabrycki hauled in a pair of interceptions to pace the defensive efforts.
The Red and Black capped the scoring with a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns – a seven yard run by
Owen Petrisek with 11:27 left and a 19-yard pass from
Kellan Stahl to
Seth Kuhns at the 5:36 mark.
Pugh continued his strong start to the season with a career-high five touchdowns a week later in a 42-7 win at Bethany. In the Presidents' first road game with the Bison since 2018, Pugh found Peduzzi for a 63-yard score to get W&J on the board first. Late in the first quarter,
Zach Cernuto added a rushing TD to make it 14-0 after the first.
W&J added three second quarter touchdowns to swell the advantage to 35-7 at halftime.
Kobe Derosa, Peduzzi and
Anthony Rosati all hauled in touchdown passes from Pugh in the second.
Rosati added another touchdown grab in the third quarter to conclude the scoring. That was plenty of support for the defensive unit, who stonewalled its opponent for a second-straight week.
Dawson Dietz turned in a strong effort with eight tackles and two forced fumbles, defensively.
W&J posted a pair of dominant home victories in week three and four to start 4-0. W&J beat Westminster by a 48-3 score on Sept. 16 before recording a 56-14 win over Thiel on Sept. 23.
Zach Cernuto put together a career day with three rushing touchdowns in the win over the Titans. Petrisek added two rushing scores in the Westminster win as W&J raced past the Titans in a rare lopsided win in the head-to-head series.
The Presidents saw their 10-game head-to-head winning streak over Grove City end a week later. The Wolverines scored a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns and blanked the Presidents over the final 15:24 to earn the homecoming victory. Pugh tossed for a career-high 396 yards and three touchdowns in the loss. The win effectively sealed the PAC title for the Wolverines, who went on to post a perfect conference record. Grove City held a 199-40 edge in rushing yards and held possession for nearly 37 minutes in the victory.
Pugh tossed for four first half touchdowns to help W&J earn a 35-28 victory over Allegheny College in the annual homecoming game on Oct. 7. Macosko and Derosa both hauled in two touchdown catches.
After its bye week, W&J fell victim to a 35-14 decision a week later in the loss to Carnegie Mellon. The Tartans rolled up 265 yards and five touchdowns on the ground to take the victory.
W&J then rattled off four-straight wins to conclude its season with nine victories. W&J edged CWRU by a 38-33 score behind another strong effort from Pugh. The quarterback finished with three touchdowns. Pugh connected with Macosko seven times for 107 yards and two touchdowns.
The Presidents raced to a 45-7 win at Geneva a week later before concluding the regular season with a 33-28 win over Waynesburg on Senior Day. W&J holds lengthy winning streaks over both programs. The Presidents have won 18-straight over the Golden Tornadoes while their winning streak over the Yellow Jackets sits at nine-straight games.
The Red and Black concluded its season with a 46-21 win over USMMA in their first-ever matchup. A 25-point second quarter powered the Presidents to the victory. Pugh accounted for six passing touchdowns, four of which went to Macosko. Petrisek finished with 100 yards on the ground.
Justin Johns racked up 20 tackles against the triple-option attack of the USMMA.
A total of 15 student-athletes were honored on the 2023 All-Presidents' Athletic Conference Teams. The Presidents placed six student-athletes on the All-PAC First Team, which four offensive players and two defensive stalwarts. Following an outstanding season,
Jacob Pugh was voted 2023 PAC Offensive Player of the Year to highlight the representation.
Also earning spots on the All-PAC First Team were Peduzzi, Zach, offensive lineman
Angelo Fratini, Dietz and linebacker
Tanner Volpatti. Collecting spots on the All-PAC Second Team were offensive lineman
Adam Kozera, Macosko, Keith, Johns and defensive back
Zachai Simmons (Hawthorne, N.J. / Linsly (W. Va.)). Rosati, offensive lineman
Eddie Nicotra (Cranberry, Pa./North Catholic), kicker
Ricky Hunter (Freeport, Pa./Freeport) and tight end/h-back
Raymond Holmes (Verona, Pa./Serra Catholic) rounded out the honorees as Honorable Mention selections.
W&J put four players on D3football.com All-Region 2 Team. Earning the honors on the First Team were Dietz and Peduzzi. Second Team laurels went to Fratini while Pugh picked up a spot on the Third Team.
Dietz went on to be selected as a D3football.com All-American for a second-straight season. He finished his junior season with 67 tackles including 10.5 of which went for loss. Dietz finished with 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery despite being the focal point of opposing offenses. He is the first W&J football player in school history to repeat as a First Team All-America from D3football.
Coach Sirianni spoke on the sustained success and consistency the W&J Football program has shown throughout the years:
"We're really good, but not great. That's something that we're working on becoming," stated Sirianni. "The young men that come to W&J to play for us know what we expect. We have certain core values that we instill in our players that we've taught all of our past and present athletes which aids in our cohesion on the field. That being said, we want to use that to achieve our ultimate goal of winning a national championship and reclaiming PAC championship, which we have not done yet."
Position-By-Position Breakdown
"We have to get better. Most of the PAC returns their key starters this year and so do we," replied Sirianni. "Teams like Carnegie Mellon, Grove City and Case Western Reserve aren't getting any worse and I'd hope they would say the same about us. Regardless, we have to go get them, whether it's through schemes or players."
Offense
Fueled by Pugh at quarterback, W&J finished as the top statistical offense in the conference in 2023.
W&J averaged 39.3 points per contest and went 9-0 when the scored 30 or more points last fall. The Presidents scored 24 and 14, respectively, in their losses.
Offensively, the Presidents return 10 of their 11 starters and should be poised for another strong season on what has historically been a strong side of the ball for the past two-plus decades.
Quarterback
Pugh returns after putting together a spectacular campaign, as he finished as the conference leader in passing yards (2,984), touchdowns (38), completion percentage (64.7) and passing efficiency (181.4). Pugh also added 168 rushing yards on the season and scored three TDs on the ground, as he led the Presidents to a 9-2 record a win in the ECAC James Lynah Bowl over the United States Merchant Marine Academy. In addition to PAC Offensive Player of the Year and Third Team All-Region, Pugh was lauded as ECAC Offensive Player of the Year.
"Jake wants to win the conference championship and get into the NCAA Playoffs. He had a phenomenal season last year without a doubt, but we still have not made it to the NCAA Playoffs so I think he's more than motivated to get better and improve on the things that led to us taking losses last season," said Sirianni. "When talking about big games, we need to take care of the football and that's something we need him and the rest of the team to improve upon this year if we want to go the distance."
Kellan Stahl (Johnstown, Pa. / Richland) and
Trey Holsman (Yardley, Pa. / Archbishop Wood) are among the other returners at the quarterback position. Stahl appeared in six games last season. He completed 11 of 18 passes for 146 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
Running Back/H-Back
W&J returns four players who rushed 50 or more times last fall.
Owen Petrisek averaged 7.9 yards per carry as he rushed 64 times for 507 yards and four touchdowns. Petrisek registered 100 yards on just 11 carries in the bowl win over USMMA.
Troy Volpatti added four rushing scores and 393 yards on the ground. Volpatti's biggest performance came on Homecoming when he rushed for 122 yards on 20 carries in a win over Allegheny.
Kobe Derosa accounted for 360 yards on 57 carries. His best effort on the ground came when he rushed 11 times for 77 yards in the regular season finale versus Waynesburg. Pugh chipped in three rushing scores and 168 yards on 54 carries last season.
Raymond Holmes, who led the Presidents with 498 yards in 2022, adjusted to more of a blocking role last season and earned All-PAC honors.
Zach Cernuto returns at the h-back role. Used primarily in short yardage situations, Cernuto finished with a team-high five rushing touchdowns. He earned All-PAC honors for the first time in his career. He had a three-score game in a win over Westminster.
Wide Receiver
W&J returns its top three pass catchers from a season ago.
Leading the way is rising junior
John Peduzzi, who ranked fourth in NCAA Division III with 18 receiving touchdowns. His 1,126 receiving yards ranks him 15th in NCAA Division III and his 108 points scored ranks 20th across the division. Peduzzi caught multiple touchdowns in seven different games. Peduzzi put together his best performance of the season in a loss to PAC champion Grove City, as he finished with 13 catches, 202 yards and three touchdowns on Sept. 30. Peduzzi was also an All-Region selection by D3football.com, a First Team All-PAC honoree and an All-ECAC pick.
Jacob Macosko also earned as a go-to player in the passing game in his work with Pugh. With a lot of attention paid to Peduzzi, Macosko racked up some big numbers of his own. Macosko secured Second Team honors in his first season as a full-time starter. The sophomore ranked second on the squad in receptions (54), receiving yards (897) and touchdowns (11). Macosko hauled in a pair of touchdown catches in three-straight weeks. He had multiple scores against Allegheny, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western Reserve and USMMA. He was named ECAC Bowl MVP for his four touchdown effort in the 46-21 win.
Anthony Rosati finished the season as the team's third leading receiver with 516 yards and 37 receptions. He found the end zone twice through the air. He also was the team's primary punt returner.
W&J will look for some more depth after its top three targets. Only Cernuto (13) had double-digit receptions outside of the top three returners. Zach Seaman and
Marc Conti are among the others returning at the position.
"I don't think we've skimmed the type of receiver
Jacob Macosko can become. Paired with
John Peduzzi, who's been great for two years, and
Anthony Rosati this unit can be special with plenty of options there," replied Sirianni. "I think we also have two dominant tight ends in Zach Cenruto and Ray Holmes as well"
Offensive Line
W&J returns four of its five starting offensive lineman from a season ago.
Angelo Fratini, a five-year starting member of the team and key contributor as a four-time All-PAC pick, was lost to graduation.
"Our offensive line is one of the strong points of our offense. I feel really good about our top seven-to-eight players on the line including some good freshman who are developing well," stated Sirianni. "We feel like we can really have a good offensive line again this year with four returning starters and some key rotational pieces who could've been starters last year. "
Grant Cullen, a two-year starter, returns to lead the offensive line group. Cullen took over the reigns as the starting center last fall and helped W&J matriculate through a successful season. He will once again be relied upon to play a crucial role for the unit.
Adam Kozera returns for a fifth season with the program. Kozera started all 11 games last fall after returning from an injury.
Eddie Nicotra and
Elijah Staub also bring back starting experience on the line from last year's high-powered offense.
Andrew Stephens,
Michael Dungey,
Trevor Manley,
Brayden Penwell and
Michael Roginsky are in the mix for playing time as well after returning along the line.
Defense
In recent years, the Presidents' defensive unit has been among the best in not only the PAC but all of Division III. However, W&J will have a new look on the defensive side of the ball as assistant coach
Phillip Bobich takes the reigns of the unit. Bobich, who worked with linebackers and special teams previously, replaces Vince Luvara who moved on to take the head coaching job at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia.
W&J allowed 18.8 points per game last year. The unit intercepted 15 passes and recovered nine fumbles in total. The Presidents posted a shutout in week one and limited the opposition to single digit points in four of the 11 contests.
Defensive Line
"We have a lot of depth on the defensive line. We are proud of the type of athlete
Dawson Dietz has become, as one of the nations best defensive players and Avery Kieth who was terrific for us last year," stated Sirianni. "But we have guys like
Tyler Primrose,
Aidan Thomas,
Zach Valentine,
Sean Berardino,
James Dawodu,
Nathaniel Kadosh-Harris and others who provide us with a lot of key depth that can help us rotate in fresh bodies late into games."
W&J returns a strong group up front for 2024. Dietz once again will be expected to be a force in the middle. The two-time First Team All-America has totaled 150 tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks over the past two seasons as a starter.
Not to be overshadowed by Dietz,
Avery Keith returns on the defensive line after a notable first season in Red and Black. Keith earned All-ECAC First Team and All-PAC Second Team honors last fall. The returning senior matched for the team high with 14.5 tackles for loss and racked up 71 tackles in 2023. Keith ranked second on the squad with six sacks. He posted a season-high 12 tackles in a win versus Waynesburg in last Saturday's regular season finale.
Sean Berardino also returns after starting all 11 games last fall. Berardino finished with 33 tackles as a first-year starter.
Zach Valentine,
James Dawodu,
Aidan Thomas and
Logan Schwartz will all look to build upon their contributions from a season ago. Valentine tallied 21 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks last year in a reserve role. Thomas finished with 10 tackles and a pair of sacks.
Linebacker
The Presidents return a key starter in an All-PAC performer
Justin Johns. The fifth-year linebacker returns after earning Second Team honors last year. It was the third time he has All-PAC honors. He finished with a conference-high 96 tackles. Johns enters the season with 266 total tackles during his career. He will have a chance to become W&J's all-time leading tackler, a mark held by Eric Field with 348 set in 2004.
W&J will look to fill the void of its key defensive loss, as
Tanner Volpatti was lost to graduation.
Volpatti, a three-time All-PAC honoree, earned a spot on the First Team for the first time. Now a three-time All-PAC honoree, Volpatti finished with 85 tackles last season.
Keaton Hall, a key reserve at the position and special teams' player, returns for a fifth year and will compete for time at the top of the depth chart. Hall had 55 total tackles and three fumble recoveries last season.
Angelo Volomino earned a starting spot but suffered a mid-season injury. Volomino finished with 16 tackles in limited action.
Several other returners will be in the mix for time at the position.
"Tanner was a huge loss and terrific player who had a great career here. We are excited to have players like
Justin Johns,
Keaton Hall and
Joey Lacey back on the field in 2024 though." We are happy to have a guy like Justin back to lead the unit and I'm excited to see what Keaton can do as a starter after waiting the years he did to finally get to this point."
Defensive Back
W&J returns several players from last year's secondary.
Carson Laconi and
Mason Kasprack return at the corner back spot. W&J will look to offset the loss of
Bruno Fabrycki, who had a team-high seven interceptions last season.
Aaron Carothers,
Zachai Simmons and
Brandon Brown all return at the safety position.
Carothers had two interceptions and 20 tackles before missing the final three games.
Simmons enjoyed a strong season last year as he earned Second Team honors. The first-year starter earned PAC Special Teams Player of the Week honors on Oct. 9 after blocking a punt and returning it for a touchdown. He finished the regular season with 71 tackles including a career-best 14 stops against Grove City. He intercepted a second half pass in a narrow win over CWRU.
Brown appeared in all 11 games and totaled 47 tackles. Brown finished the season as a starter after a mid-season injury opened a spot in the secondary. Brown had nine tackles and 12 tackles, respectively, in the final two games.
Special Teams
Unlike last year entering camp, W&J returns the bulk of its specialists for the 2024 season.
In the kicking game,
Ricky Hunter returns. Hunter found himself on the All-PAC Honorable Mention team last fall. He served as both the kicker and the punter for the Presidents. Hunter converted four-of-five field goal attempts and made 49 extra point attempts. Hunter recorded 33 punts with 14 being fair caught and nine inside the 20.
Deven Wyandt returns after missing the 2023 season. Wyandt was an All-PAC Honorable Mention himself as a freshman kicker. Wyandt made five-of-nine attempts including a 38-yard attempt for his long. Wyandt added 35 punts which included 14 placed inside the 20.
Derosa handled most of the kick returns while Rosati was the main returner on punts.
A Look At The Schedule
The 10-game regular season features matchups with each of the members of the Presidents' Athletic Conference. The 2024 season will mark the 133rd season of football for the Red and Black.
With the recent announcement of the PAC moving to two divisions with 12 teams in 2025, this fall season will mark the last in which W&J completes a 10-game regular season schedule made up entirely of conference games.
The Presidents will open the 2024 campaign on Sept. 7 with a home game versus Saint Vincent College. The opener will also be played as part of W&J's Hall of Fame Weekend.
W&J will then hit the road for back-to-back road contests. The Red and Black will head north on Sept. 14 to face Thiel College at 7 p.m. in Greenville.
The Presidents will then visit Waynesburg University for a 1 p.m. matchup on Saturday, Sept. 21. The week three matchup will mark the first time that W&J has not faced Waynesburg to conclude a full regular season since the 2007 campaign.
W&J then returns home to face Carnegie Mellon University in a high-profile matchup on Saturday, Sept. 28. The game between the Presidents and Tartans will serve as W&J's annual homecoming contest with a 2 p.m. kickoff at Cameron Stadium.
A week later, W&J travels to Westminster College for a conference clash. The Presidents and Titans will kick off at 1 p.m. in New Wilmington.
Three-straight home games highlight the October slate. W&J will host Geneva on Oct. 12 at 1 p.m. The Presidents and Golden Tornadoes will face off in Washington for the first time since its April Fools' Day contest back in the Spring 2021 season.
The Presidents will welcome defending PAC champion Grove City for another showdown in Washington on Saturday, Oct. 19. The matchup with the Wolverines is the lone home night game on the Presidents' schedule in 2024. Grove City edged W&J by a 31-24 score last fall in Mercer County. That loss snapped W&J's 10-game winning streak in the head-to-head series with Grove City.
W&J concludes its home slate with a Senior Day matchup versus Bethany College on Saturday, Oct. 26. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.
The Red and Black hits the road for its final two regular season games. W&J travels to Cleveland to face Case Western Reserve on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. After playing for nine-straight weeks, W&J is off on Nov. 9.
W&J concludes the regular season at Allegheny on Saturday, Nov. 16. The game will mark the Presidents' first trip to Meadville since 2004. The Presidents and Gators will kick off at 1 p.m in Crawford County.
| 2024 PAC Football Preseason Poll (Predicted order of finish) |
| School |
Points (first place votes) |
2023 Record (PAC) |
| 1. Grove City College |
444 (29) |
11-1 (10-0) |
| 2. Carnegie Mellon University |
417 (8) |
10-1 (9-1) |
| 3. Washington & Jefferson College |
378 (3) |
9-2 (8-2) |
| 4. Case Western Reserve University |
335 |
7-3 (7-3) |
| 5. Westminster College |
310 (2) |
6-4 (6-4) |
| 6. Allegheny College |
219 |
3-7 (3-7) |
| 7. Geneva College |
192 |
4-6 (4-6) |
| 8. Saint Vincent College |
154 |
3-7 (3-7) |
| 9. Waynesburg University |
133 |
2-8 (2-8) |
| 10. Thiel College |
129 |
3-7 (3-7) |
| 11. Bethany College |
61 |
0-10 (0-10) |
PAC Players To Watch
Final Words from Sirianni: "Every season is different, and you have no idea what you're going to get with how good the PAC is but I don't care. This is about us and getting better every week. We had two joint practices and scrimmages against Mount Union, so hopefully this puts us in a position to play well in the opener and just get better every week to take advantage of our opportunities. I understand that games are won and lost by one or two plays, but we have to make those plays this year. In past years we haven't, so whether it's an effort or an attitude change that needs to occur, we need to do whatever we need to do to get it done."
