ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The (RV) Washington University in St. Louis football team lost to No. 25 Wheaton, 27-20, on Saturday afternoon in a crucial match up at historic Francis Olympic Field. The Bears are now 5-2 on the season with a 4-2 mark in the CCIW.
 
The Bears put points on the board first, kicking a field goal on the first drive of the game. The drive started with a short three-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Levi Moore to senior Kenneth Hamilton. Hamilton then ran for nine yards and a first down at the 38. Moore ran the ball himself for another yard and then a holding penalty on Wheaton gave the Bears a first down at the 27.
 
Hamilton picked up six yards before senior Taidhgin Trost caught a pass for 15 yards and a first down at the eight. Hamilton ran for three yards on two carries but an incomplete pass forced a Bears' field goal. Sophomore kicker Ross Muchnick hit the 23-yard field goal, giving WashU a 3-0 lead.
 
WashU's defense came up with a stop on Wheaton's first drive of the game. At third-and-five, senior Riley Merrigan forced a Ben Bonga fumble which was recovered by junior Ryan Schmadtke. However, on the Bears' ensuing drive, Moore's pass was intercepted by Wheaton's Riley Schwartz and returned for 10 yards to the 20.
 
As the time ticked down in the first quarter, sophomore Joy Chane sacked quarterback Mark Forcucci. Continuing the drive to open the second quarter, Merrigan broke up another play and senior Zachary Ginsburg recovered it.
 
WashU brought the ball down to the 33 and was forced to punt, which was blocked by Wheaton's Chase Smith and recovered by Nate Tofilon at the seven.
 
With seven yards to go, Giovanni Weeks ran for three on two carries and then Forcucci found Davis Reeves for a four-yard touchdown. Mateo Jesch's kick was good, putting Wheaton up 7-3 with 11:01 remaining in the first half.
 
The Bears were forced to punt on their next drive and Wheaton went on to score again. After bringing it down to the three, Forcucci closed it out with a three-yard touchdown run and Jesch's extra-point kick was good for a 14-3 game.
 
WashU went four-and-out to open the third quarter but forced Wheaton to punt as well on the next drive. The Bears then ended up fumbling the ball which was recovered by Wheaton at the 32.
 
On the first play of the Thunders' next drive, Forcucci connected with Bonga for a 32-yard touchdown pass and Jesch hit the extra point for a 21-3 Wheaton lead.
 
The Bears punted on their next possession, but on the following Wheaton drive, the ball was intercepted by junior Caiden Hill at the 16.
 
WashU punted again on the following drive and Wheaton went on to add another touchdown to the board. Ultimately it was Deuce Scott who scored for the Thunder, running the seven yards into the end zone. Jesch's kick was blocked by first-year Jack Middleton, making it a 27-3 game and ending the third quarter.
 
The Bears opened the fourth quarter with a touchdown drive. Moore hit senior Collin Goldberg for five yards and then connected with graduate Grant Hajicek for eight yards and a first down at the 38. Moore picked up four yards on the ground before senior Kenvorris Campbell unleashed for a 58-yard touchdown run, his team-leading sixth rushing touchdown of the year. The Bears went on to successfully complete the two-point conversion with Trost running it in, cutting the deficit to 27-11.
 
After several unsuccessful drives for both teams, the Bears scored again with 4:53 remaining.
 
Moore hit Goldberg for nine yards and junior Fred Ware ran for two yards. Moore and Goldberg connected again for 15 yards and a first down at the 38 before Ware added another two yards.
 
Trost ran for one yard and Moore picked up 11 yards for a first down at the 24. Moore launched a 24-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Makael Carter. The two-point conversion attempt failed, making it a 27-17 game.
 
WashU had 426 yards of total offense (219 rushing, 207 passing) while Wheaton had 347 yards of total offense (232 passing, 115 rushing).
 
Campbell led the rushing game with 87 yards on five attempts with a touchdown while Hamilton had 70 yards on 12 carries. Carter led the receivers with 87 yards on four catches with a touchdown.
 
Defensively, senior Grant Purdy had seven solo tackles while Schmadtke and Merrigan each had six total tackles. Merrigan had a forced fumble and two pass breakups while Schmadtke had a fumble recovery.
 
The Bears are home again next weekend with a 12 p.m. game against Millikin on Saturday, which is Parent and Family Weekend at WashU.