Football | 11/23/2025 12:45:00 AM
CANTON, Ohio (pacathletics.org - The Westminster College football team prevailed over Mount St. Joseph, 40-21, in the 2nd Annual Extra Points Bowl Saturday night at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Westminster wrapped up its season with an 8-3 record. It is the sixth season winning eight or more games under 12th-year head coach Scott Benzel. Mount St. Joseph, the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) representative, fell to 6-5.
The Extra Points Bowl is part of the Opendorse Bowl Series, which also included Saturday's ForeverLawn Bowl. Wabash from the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) scored a touchdown with two seconds remaining in regulation and converted a two-point attempt to defeat Ohio Northern from the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC), 32-31.
Westminster jumped out to a 14-0 first quarter lead after back-to-back scoring drives to open the game and went into the half up 33-14. Senior Demere White (Manalapan, N.J./DePaul Catholic) capped a 10-play, 78-yard drive with a 30-yard scoring drive to get the Titans on the board with just under 10 minutes to go in the first. Freshman Jaxon Covell (Titusville, Pa./Titusville) scored on a 2-yard run out of the Wildcat to stretch the lead to 14-0.
Five total touchdowns were scored in the second quarter.
Junior Clayton Cannon (Parkland, Fla./Marjory Stoneman Douglas) scored from a yard out with just over seven minutes to go in the quarter to give the Titans a 20-0 advantage. Mount St. Joseph put together back-to-back scoring drives to cut the deficit to six, 20-14, with Jaxon Schreiber connecting with Michael Hunkus and Eli Aston on 65-yard touchdown throws. Cannon scored his second touchdown Saturday on a 5-yard rush just prior to the two minute timeout to put Westminster ahead 27-14. The touchdown was set up by a 66-yard completion from freshman Quentin Goode (Aliquippa, Pa./Aliquippa) to sophomore Brite Cannon (Parkland, Fla./Monarch). After forcing a Mount St. Joseph punt with under a minute to go in the half, Goode hooked up with White for a 56-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the ensuing drive to push the Titans' lead to 33-14 going into the break.
With just over 10-and-a-half minutes left in the third, Goode connected with sophomore Kristian Bailey (Hollywood, Fla./Hollywood Hills) on a 38-yard scoring strike to push Westminster's lead to 40-14. Aston scored his second touchdown of the game with just under five minutes to go in the fourth, snagging a 30-yard score from Schreiber.
Westminster rolled up 458 yards of total offense, finishing with 19 first downs and scoring touchdowns on its three red zone chances.
Goode finished 14-of-24 for 265 yards and two touchdowns. Brite Cannon caught four passes for 140 yards, his sixth game of the season with 100 or more receiving yards. He finished with 228 all-purpose yards, adding eight rushing yards, 54 kick return yards and 26 punt return yards. Clayton Cannon rushed 24 times for 89 yards and two touchdowns while White went for 118 yards from scrimmage: he ran the ball 11 times for 59 yards and a score and caught five passes for 59 yards and a touchdown. Bailey had two catches for 42 yards and a touchdown.
Westminster's defensive unit combined for 9.0 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks. Senior Dylan Sleva (McDonald, Pa./Moon) finished with 12 tackles (9 solo), a sack and a forced fumble. He had 16 stops in last year's Extra Points Bowl victory over Marietta. Sophomore Wes Donner (Bastrop, Texas/Bastrop) totaled six tackles (3 solo) and 2.0 sacks while sophomore Ricky Cooper (Port St. Lucie, Fla./Port St. Lucie) had six tackles (3 solo). Senior Jean Garry Joseph (North Miami, Fla./Ebenezer Christian) finished with four tackles (4 solo), 3.0 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks.
Contributed by Westminster Athletic Communications