ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. – The Yellow Jackets registered nearly 500 yards of total offense and held the Battling Bishops to 32 rushing yards as No. 15 Randolph-Macon posted a 51-9 opening-day victory at North Carolina Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon.
The Basics:
Score:Â Randolph-Macon 51, North Carolina Wesleyan 9
Location/Venue:Â Rocky Mount, N.C./Vernon T. Bradley, Jr. Stadium
Records:Â Randolph-Macon 1-0, NCWU 0-1
How it Happened:
- Both teams were forced to punt on their first possessions. The Yellow Jackets moved to the NCWU 5, where junior Kyle Ihle (Apex, N.C./Middle Creek) kicked a 23-yard field goal to give RMC a 3-0 lead five minutes into the contest.
- The Yellow Jacket defense forced a 3-and-out before senior running back Nick Hale (Vinton, Va./William Byrd) capped a 75-yard drive with a five-yard TD run to give the visitors a 10-0 advantage with 4:19 left in the first period.
- Senior linebacker Tony Skinner (Spotsylvania, Va./Riverbend) picked off a pass and returned it to the NCWU 6, where Hale took it into the end zone to make it 17-0 with four minutes remaining.
- Hale scored from seven yards out to push the lead to 24-0 with 12:16 left in the first half.
- RMC drove 82 yards in 13 plays in 7:18, as senior quarterback Drew Campanale (Shrewsbury, Mass./Shrewsbury) hit senior tight end Brandon Woolridge (Fredericksburg, Va./James Monroe) with a six-yard scoring toss with 2:04 remaining as the Yellow Jackets took a 31-0 lead at the half.
- On the first possession of the second half, senior tailback Kwesi Clarke (Reigelwood, N.C./North Brunswick) reversed field and sprinted 61 yards for a touchdown as RMC pushed the advantage to 37-0. The Battling Bishops reached the end zone late in the period to make it 37-6 heading to the final quarter.
- One minute into the fourth period, senior quarterback Brecht Heuchan (Tallahassee, Fla./Maclay) hit senior Joe Lokke (Falls Church, Va./McLean) on a 22-yard TD pass as RMC went up 44-6. NCWU made a 31-yard field goal midway through the period to make it 44-9.
- Sophomore running back Mitchell Johnson (Powhatan, Va./Powhatan) found the end zone from one yard out with 3:12 left as the lead grew to 51-9. Sophomore Max Richardson (Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake) had an interception with 36 seconds left to seal the win.
By The Numbers:
- RMC amassed 493 yards of total offense, with 298 on the ground. Clarke had seven carries for 108 yards. Hale rushed 11 times for 86 yards. Johnson carried 12 times for 68 yards.
- The Yellow Jackets completed 22 of 32 passes for 221 yards and two scores. Campanale went 11 for 17 for 120 yards and one TD. Heuchan was 11 for 11 for 101 yards and one score. 11 different players had receptions.
- The Bishops had 20 carries for 32 yards. Senior linebacker Drake Schaeffer (Moneta, Va./Liberty) led the RMC defense with five tackles.
- RMC held the ball for 34:25.
For The Record:
- The Yellow Jackets have won four straight season openers.
- R-MC scored the most points in an opener since the 2016 campaign, a 51-0 win at Dickinson.
Up Next:
- Randolph-Macon will host Catholic on Saturday, Sept. 9 at 1 p.m.
