LATROBE, Pa. -- Stevenson scored the go-ahead touchdown with under five minutes remaining as Brandon Walker surged up the middle, propelling Stevenson to a 25-21 lead and a season-opening road victory on Saturday afternoon at Chuck Noll Field.
Stevenson (1-0) was able to battle past some disjointed play, eventually bleeding out the clock on the final possession for its first season-opening win since 2019. Walker's go-ahead touchdown was his second of the day as the junior tailback opened the scoring from five yards out on the initial drive of the season for Stevenson.
In total, Walker finished with 53 rushing yards and two scores, while Maurice Hammond rumbled for 53 rushing yards of his own with a touchdown on the ground. On the day, the Mustangs held a 136-73 edge in rushing yardage with Hammond providing some crucial hard-nose running late.
St. Vincent (0-1) stayed within striking distance throughout the afternoon, taking its first lead of the contest with an electrifying 85-yard punt return up the left sideline from Molayo Irefin for a 21-19 advantage. The Mustangs answered back with Walker capping a seven-play drive for the final score of the contest.
Steven Smothers hauled in 10 receptions for 94 yards, including a four-yard pop pass from Matt Goetz for a 19-7 Stevenson advantage in the third quarter. On the defensive end, Tom Zatalava posted eight tackles with JanMichael Finch adding seven.
Stevenson marched down the field on its opening series of the season to the tune of nine plays and 60 yards, capped by a five-yard run off the right side from Walker. Ryan Sedgwick found Smothers for 20 yards and the Mustangs moved the chains on third down following a St. Vincent offside during the opening drive. Overall, Sedgwick completed 13 of 20 passes through the air for 121 yards.
The Bearcats responded with a 10-play touchdown drive in their first possession of the season. St. Vincent QB Brady Walker found Jeffrey Downs for a 28-yard completion on the opening offensive snap for the Bearcats, while the Mustangs tightened near the goal line. Ultimately, D.J. Gray powered in from one yard out on fourth down before the extra point knotted the score at seven in the opening quarter.
With just under one minute left in the opening frame, Justice Pettus-Dixon jumped a Walker pass to secure an interception and set the Mustangs up with great field position at the 31. Hammond capped the drive on the opening play of the second quarter with a 12-yard jaunt along the right side for a 13-7 advantage.
Both offenses started to sputter from there as the defensive units found their footing for the remainder of the second quarter. Following the Hammond touchdown, the teams combined for five punts for the remainder of the half while St. Vincent had a missed field goal attempt wide left from 36 yards out. Meanwhile, Stevenson had its final drive of the opening half derailed by penalties as the Mustangs took a 13-7 edge into the break.
Penalties were a theme for both teams with Stevenson and St. Vincent combining for 15 infractions. Both teams also had a lost fumble as Stevenson won the turnover battle by adding an interception.
Stevenson forced a turnover on the opening kickoff of the second half with Anthony Lembo diving on the loose ball, once again providing a short field for the Mustangs with Smothers racing into the endzone off a jet sweep pass.
Tyson Blakeney posted six tackles for Stevenson with Tashan Fitzgerald adding five assisted stops along the defensive line. For the host Bearcats, Ryan Brown racked up a game-high nine stops.
Despite the fumble recovery to open the second half, special teams proved costly for the Mustangs with a pair of missed extra points. Stevenson also failed to convert on the two-point conversion following the go-ahead score in the fourth, accounting for the unique 25-21 final.
Stevenson returns to the field on Saturday, September 10 for its home opener against Salisbury. Kickoff from Mustang Stadium between the two first-time opponents is slated for 1:00 p.m.
