EMORY, Va. -- Washington and Lee missed a go-ahead 35-yard field goal with 1:42 remaining, and dropped a 23-21 decision to the Wasps of Emory and Henry on Saturday afternoon.
The Wasps jumped ahead with 6:31 remaining in the first quarter when wideout Jason Gardner hauled in a 16-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matt Olexy. Emory & Henry extended its lead to 10-0 over the Generals when Chris Epperly booted a 31-yard field goal just 2:47 into the second quarter. W&L senior fullback Scott Moses (Johnstown, Pa./Westmont Hilltop) cut the lead to 10-7 just 2:01 later with a one-yard touchdown run. The Wasps scored just before halftime on an Olexy five-yard run, making the score 17-7 at the break.
W&L came out on fire in the second half, with Moses once again scoring on a one-yard run. The touchdown and extra-point sliced the E&H lead to 17-14 with 10:12 left in the third. W&L then took its only lead of the day at 21-17 when junior wide reciever Wes Hardy (Spartanburg, S.C./Spartanburg) snatched a 18-yard pass from senior signal-caller Christian Batcheller (Stuart, Va./Patrick County) at the 2:11 mark of the third quarter. W&L would hold the lead until Wasp tailback Oliver Jordan scored on a 40-yard scamper with 4:16 left in the game. W&L defensive lineman Jeff McIntyre (Montgomery, Ala./St. James) gave the Generals a chance to win with a field goal when he blocked the extra point attempt by Epperly, making the score 23-21 in favor of the Wasps. W&L was able to drive into field goal range at the E&H 18-yard line, but sophomore placekicker Brad Wiginton (Plano, Texas/Plano Senior) misfired, allowing the Wasps to claim their 17th consecutive victory in the series.
W&L was led on offense by freshman tailback Chris Sullivan (San Antonio, Texas/ Alamo Heights), who rushed the ball 26 times for 144 yards. Batcheller was 9-of-25 on the day for 104 yards through the air. Junior safety Will Baker (Birmingham, Ala./Mountain Brook) led the defense with 10 tackles. W&L sophomore linebacker Jeff Bahl (Cincinnati, Ohio/Cincinnati Country Day) tallied nine tackles, one fumble recovery, and one pass breakup on the day.
With the loss, W&L drops to 4-5 overall and ends its ODAC season at 3-3.
The Generals wrap up their season next Saturday against Swarthmore in Lexington, Va. Kickoff is set for 1:00 pm.
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