LATROBE, Pa. – The Hilbert College Football team battled throughout Saturday's matchup at Saint Vincent, keeping the contest within one score for much of the afternoon, before a pair of late touchdowns ultimately saw the hosting Bearcats earn the 28–7 victory.

After the Bearcats scored twice to build a 14–0 advantage, the Hawks responded with their best drive of the afternoon, set up by a big momentum-changing special teams forced fumble and recovery by Mike Hanlon to give Hilbert the ball just outside the redzone.

Quarterback Brody Hopkins punched in a one-yard touchdown run to finish off a steady seven-play, 26-yard march, cutting the deficit to 14–7 with just under eight minutes left in the second quarter. Angelo Schwarzott added the extra point.

Hilbert's defense provided several key plays to keep the Hawks in striking distance, including a Neven Dermady interception to keep it a 14-7 game at half.

The offenses on each side slowed up out of the break, but the Bearcats broke through and extended their lead on two big passing plays down the stretch, one late in the third and one early in the fourth, to put the game out of reach.

On offense, Hanlon paced the ground game with 77 yards on 19 attempts, while Hopkins connected on four passes for 74 yards, including a pair to Bryce Robinson for 49 yards.

Defensively, Clifford Zeigler forced a fumble in the contest to go with his team-leading seven tackles and one sack. Damon Hollister tallied a sack, four total tackles and a pass breakup in his first career game, while Amari Wilbon (two), Kaden Beckerink (one), and Damonte Malone (one) all added PBUs in the secondary.

UP NEXT:
The Hawks will look to get in the win column as the team returns to Hamburg for the first of three consecutive home games next Saturday, September 13^th. Hilbert will host Alfred State College at 12 pm at St. Francis High School for the team's home opener.