EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry Football Team (7-3) left no doubt Saturday afternoon as the Wasps scored early and often on their way to a 55-7 non-conference demolition of visiting Shaw University (2-8). E&H established a 42-7 halftime lead, and cruised to the big 48-point victory. The Wasps honored the 20 members of the 2025 senior class prior to kickoff.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 55, Shaw 7
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Fred Selfe Stadium at Nicewonder Field
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (7-3, 5-3 SAC); Shaw (2-8, 2-5 CIAA)
How It Happened
The Wasps jumped on the visiting Bears early as they drove 66 yards in seven plays, all rushes, to open up the scoring. Senior running back Jordan Jackson (Richmond, Va.) plunged in from two yards out to give E&H the 7-0 lead.
The Bears responded immediately with their first turn with the football, utilizing a couple deep throws to get on the scoreboard. Quarterback Alexander Marsh found Jeffrey McDonald, Jr. from seven yards away for the touchdown to even the score at 7-7. That would be the last time the Bears would register a point on the afternoon.
E&H struck again with the ensuing possession, this time eating up yards through the air. Junior quarterback Cole Lambert (Abingdon, Va.) completed four passes to three different receivers to move the pigskin 66 yards once more for a touchdown. Lambert hooked up with senior wide receiver Cam Peoples (Reidsville, N.C.), who raced into the end zone from 13 yards away to put the Wasps on top 14-7.
After a Shaw three-and-out, the Emory & Henry offense went back to work. The Wasps matriculated 58 yards on eight plays in 3:51 of gametime for their third touchdown of the contest. Jackson found paydirt once more, this time on a 16-yard gallop, to increase the E&H lead out to 21-7 at the end of the first quarter.
The Emory & Henry defense forced another Shaw punt, and a 22-yard return by Peoples put the Wasps in business at the Shaw 48 yardline. Lambert was 3-for-3 on the drive, culminating in a 26-yard strike to junior wide receiver Jakari Mozelle (Hampton, Va.) to push the home team's lead out to 28-7.
The squads exchanged punts and the E&H defense continued to stand strong, forcing the Bears to punt for the fourth consecutive possession. Redshirt freshman Xavian James (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) ripped off a 28-yard return to give the Wasps the ball at the Shaw 19. Lambert found junior running back Rudolph Paul (Douglasville, Ga.) on the first play of the drive for a 19-yard score to make it 35-7.
Shaw managed to move the ball 29 yards on 10 plays with their next possession, but the defense stiffened once more to force a turnover on downs and give the Wasps the ball just before the half. Another quickstrike five-play, 73-yard drive was capped off with a 66-yard touchdown to Peoples from Lambert with just 23 seconds left on the clock to give Emory & Henry the commanding 42-7 advantage at the break.
Both squads were forced to punt with their first possession of the second half and the E&H defense struck again on the Bears' second possession. Redshirt freshman defensive back Emmanuel Lusca (Winchester, Va.) stepped in front of a Marsh pass and returned it 23 yards to the Shaw two yardline. Emory & Henry was not able to punch the ball into the end zone and had to settle for a short 23-yard field goal off of the toe of Trace Butcher (Dacula, Ga.) to run the tally out to 45-7.
The Wasps' special teams joined in on the fun on the ensuing possession as freshman defensive back Sawyer Ducey (Indian Trail, N.C.) blocked the Bears' attempted punt and junior linebacker Kade Sullivan (Fredericksburg, Va.) scooped up the bouncing ball and sprinted into the end zone for a touchdown and a 52-7 advantage.
Butcher would add a 36-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to put the icing on the victory and send the 2025 senior class out in style on their home turf with the 55-7 win.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
Lambert was 16-for-27 through the air for 230 yards and three touchdowns. Jackson rushed for 74 yards on just 11 carries and a pair of scores, giving him 16 rushing touchdowns for the year, good enough for second in the South Atlantic Conference and third all-time in E&H history for rushing touchdowns in a season. Paul added 19 yards and a score on the ground and caught two passes for 43 yards through the air.
Peoples led the receiving corps with 79 yards on a pair of catches, both resulting in a touchdown, in his final home game as a Wasp. Mozelle finished with a pair of receptions for 39 yards and a score, while sophomore wide receiver Parker Prioleau (Radford, Va.) recorded three catches for 37 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Tristan Stitt (Indian Trial, N.C.) contributed 25 yards on three receptions.
Defensively, Lusca led the Wasps with seven tackles, one interception and a pass breakup. Sophomore defensive lineman John Custis (Chesapeake, Va.) added seven stops, one tackle for loss and .5 sacks. Sullivan, senior defensive back Tyreon Porter (Charlotte, N.C.) and senior linebacker Kasey Branch (Waynesboro, Va.) all recorded six tackles in the win. Senior defensive back Shawn Collins (Salem, Va.) posted five tackles and a pass breakup.
Butcher was 7-for-7 on extra points and 2-2 on field goals for 13 total points, tying his own record for most points recorded by a kicker in a single game in E&H program history .
Shaw Individual Leaders
Marsh threw for 96 yards on 8-for-22 passing with a touchdown and an interception.
Fabian Diggs recorded 24 yards on 10 carries while Christian Rutledge added 21 yards on 11 attempts on the ground.
Reggie King, Jr. led Shaw with 61 yards receiving on three receptions. McDonald, Jr. had 35 yards on two catches with a score.
Darry Felix led the defensive effort for the Bears with seven tackles. Craig Mortin, III made six tackles while Trequan Singleton had five stops.
A Deeper Look
Emory & Henry finished with 396 yards of total offense on 59 plays, including rushing for 166 yards on 29 attempts and passing for 230 net yards. The Bears managed just 176 yards on 64 plays from scrimmage.
The Wasps were 7-for-12 (58%) on third-down attempts while Shaw converted just 27% (4-for-15) on third down.
The penalty bug bit both teams. Emory & Henry committed 10 infractions for 85 yards compared to nine penalties for 58 yards for the Bears.
E&H held a narrow advantage in time of possession as they held the ball for 30:17 of gameplay, compared to 29:43 for Shaw.
Up Next
Emory & Henry will wrap up the 2025 regular season on Saturday, November 15 when they hit the road to take on Southwest Virginia rival the University of Virginia's College at Wise in Southwest Virginia Bowl VIII. The Wasps have won six of the seven all-time meetings and defeated the Cavaliers 62-14 last season. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. from Beaty-Richmond Field at Carl Smith Stadium.
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